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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Dikectob 

Water-supply Paper 293 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES 

OF IOWA 



BY 



W. H. NORTON, W. S. HENDRIXSON, H. E. SIMPSON, 
O. E. MEINZER, and others 



PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THE 
IOWA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1912 




/ 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Directob 



"Water- Supply Paper 293 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES 



OF IOWA 



/ 



^ ^ 



BY 



W. H. NORTON, W. S. HENDRIXSON, H. E. SIMPSON, 
O. E. MEINZER, and others 



PREPARED IN COOPERATION WITH THE 
IOWA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1912 



U^ 



h^ 






D. OF D, 

FEB 21 !913 



-^^ 

^^v 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Introduction, by W. H. Norton 31 

Scope of the work 31 

Object of the investigation 32 

Cooperation with the Iowa Geological Survey 33 

Geological investigation of wells. . , 33 

Means of investigation 33 

Available data 34 

Samples of drillings 34 

Collection and storage 34 

Study of samples 36 

Petrographic investigation 36 

Possibilities of error 37 

Correlation of rock formations 38 

Fossils 38 

Lithologic similarity 39 

Order of succession 40 

Dip of strata 40 

Difficulty of demarcation 41 

Forecasts 41 

Acknowledgments i 42 

Chemical investigation of well waters, by W. S. Hendrixson 43 

Scope of investigation 43 

Acknowledgments 43 

Chapter I. — Topography and climate, by H. E. Simpson 45 

Topography 45 

Relief 45 

Drainage 46 

Drif tless area 46 

Relief 46 

Soils 47 

Drainage '. 47 

Drift area 48 

General character 48 

Drift sheets 49 

Kansan drift 49 

Illinoian drift 61 

lowan drift 51 

Wisconsin drift 52 

Summary 53 

Climate 54 

General conditions 54 

Temperature 54 

Precipitation 55 

Controlling conditions 55 

Geographic distribution 56 

Seasonal distribution 57 

Variations 58 

Summary 59 

3 



4 CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Chapter II. — Geology, by W. H. Norton and H. E. Simpson 60 

General conditions 60 

Pre-Cambrian rocks 61 

Arcbean system 61 

Algonkian system 61 

Sioux quartzite 61 

Algonkian (?) rocks 63 

Red clastic series 63 

Sandstones with intrusive sheets 63 

Cambrian system 63 

Occurrence and subdivisions 63 

Dresbach sandstone and underlying Cambrian strata 64 

Definition 64 

Distribution 64 

Lithologic character 65 

St. Lawrence formation 65 

Distribution 65 

Lithologic character 66 

Jordan sandstone , . 66 

Distribution 66 

Lithologic character 67 

Ordovician system 68 

Prairie du Chien group 68 

Distribution 68 

Lithologic character 68 

St. Peter sandstone 70 

Distribution 70 

Lithologic character 71 

Rocks between the St. Peter sandstone and the Maquoketa shale 72 

Subdivisions 72 

Platteville limestone and Decorah shale 73 

Galena dolomite 74 

Thickness of the Platteville, Decorah, and Galena formations 75 

Maquoketa shale 75 

Distribution 75 

Lithologic character 76 

Silurian system 77 

Niagara dolomite 77 

Distribution 77 

Lithologic character 77 

Salina (?) formation 78 

Lithologic character , . . . 78 

Distribution 79 

Devonian system 80 

Carboniferous system. 82 

Mississippian series 82 

Outcrops and subdivisions 82 

Kinderhook group 82 

Osage group 83 

"St. Louis limestone" 84 

Thickness of Osage group and "St. Louis limestone " 84 

Pennsylvanian series 85 

Subdivisions 85 



CONTENTS. 5 

Chapter II. — Geology — Continued. 
Carboniferous system — Continued. 

Pennsylvanian series — Continued. Page. 

Des Moines group 85 

Missouri group 86 

Permian (?) series 86 

Cretaceous system 87 

Dakota sandstone and Colorado groups 87 

Tertiary system 87 

Quaternary system 88 

Pleistocene series 88 

Nebraskan drift 88 

Aftonian gravel 88 

Kansan drift 88 

Deposits of the Yarmouth stage 89 

\ Illinoian drift 89 

lowan drift 89 

Wisconsin drift 89 

Loess 90 

Alluvium 90 

Chapter III.— Geologic occurrence of underground water, by W. H. Norton, 

H. E. Simpson, and W. S. Hendrixson 91 

Classification of underground waters 91 

Waters of the rock formations 92 

Artesian field 92 

Occurrence of water 92 

Quality of water, as related to geologic source 93 

Water in pre-Cambrian rocks 94 

Sioux quartzite 94 

Water in Cambrian and Ordovician rocks 95 

Cambrian system 95 

Dresbach sandstone and underlying Cambrian sandstones 95 

Wells 95 

Springs 95 

St. Lawrence formation 95 

Jordan sandstone 96 

Wells 96 

Springs. 96 

Ordovician system 97 

Prairie du Chien group 97 

Wells 97 

Springs 97 

St. Peter sandstone 97 

Wells 97 

Springs 98 

Platteville limestone and Decorah shale 98 

Galena dolomite 99 

Wells 99 

Springs 99 

Maquoketa shale 100 

Wells 100 

Springs 100 

Springs from Cambrian and Ordovician rocks 100 

Quality of the Cambrian and Ordovician waters 102 



6 CONTENTS. 

Chapter III. — Geologic occurrence of underground water— Continued. 

Waters of the rock formations — Continued. Page. 

Water in Silurian rocks 103 

Niagara dolomite 103 

Wells 103 

Springs 104 

Salina (?) formation 105 

Quality of Silurian waters 105 

Water in Devonian rocks 106 

Artesian conditions 106 

Wells 106 

Springs 106 

Quality of Devonian waters 107 

Water in Carboniferous rocks 107 

Mississippian series 107 

General conditions 107 

Kinderhook group 108 

Osage group 108 

Wells 108 

Springs 108 

"St. Louis limestone" 109 

Pennsylvanian series 109 

Des Moines group 109 

Wells 109 

Springs 110 

Missouri group 110 

Wells 110 

Springs Ill 

Quality of Carboniferous waters Ill 

Water in Cretaceous rocks 112 

Dakota sandstone 112 

Wells 112 

Springs 112 

Quality of Cretaceous waters 112 

Water of unconsolidated deposits 113 

Water in Quaternary rocks 113 

Pre-Kansan deposits 113 

Residual soil 113 

"Nebraskan" drift 113 

Af tonian gravel 113 

Kansan drift 114 

Illinoian drift 114 

Buchanan gravel 114 

lowan drift 114 

Loess 115 

Wisconsin drift 115 

Alluvium 115 

Underground -water provinces of the Quaternary 115 

Chapter IV. Artesian phenomena, by W. H. Norton 118 

Definition of artesian water 118 

Head of artesian waters 118 

Definition 118 

Measm-ement 119 

Factors affecting head 119 

Elevation of area of supply 119 



CONTENTS. 7 

Chapter IV. — Artesian phenomena — Continued. 
Head of artesian waters — Continued. 

Factors affecting head — Continued. Page. 

Elevation of surface at the well - 119 

Age of well 120 

Hydraulic gradient 120 

Ground-water level 121 

Relative heads of Iowa aquifers. 121 

Yield of artesian wells 123 

Measm-ement 123 

Permanence of yield 123 

Factors 123 

Factors relating to the well 124 

Casing and packing 124 

Diameter of drill hole 125 

Factors relating to the water beds 126 

Pressure 126 

Thickness 127 

Texture and porosity 128 

Crevices 128 

Clogging 129 

Overdraft 129 

Remedies for decreased yield 130 

Statistics of decreased yield 131 

Chapter V. Chemical composition of underground waters, by W. S . Hendrixson 135 

Introduction 135 

Nature of analyses 135 

Statement of analytical results 136 

Form of analyses 136 

Recomputation of former analyses 138 

Chemical composition of water by districts 139 

Northeast and north-central districts 139 

Northwest district 148 

East-central district 154 

Central district 160 

Southeast district 166 

South-central and southwest districts 171 

Summary 178 

Deep wells 178 

Quality 178 

Distribution of hard and soft waters 181 

Shallow wells 183 

Chapter VI. Municipal, domestic, and industrial water supplies, by W. S. 

Hendrixson 184 

Som-ces of supply 184 

Adequacy of supply 187 

Selection of source of supply 187 

Well drilling 188 

Deep wells 188 

Finishing wells in sand, by O. E. Meinzer 190 

Incrustation of screens 190 

Remedies for incrustation 192 

Large diameters 192 

Ending in a coarse layer 193 

Driving to the proper depth 193 



8 CONTENTS. 

Chapter VI. — Municipal, domestic, and industrial water supplies — Continued. 
Well drilling — Continued. 

Finishing wells in sand — Continued. 

Remedies for incrustation — Continued. Page. 

Development of gravel screens 194 

Independent pumps 194 

Frequent renewal of screens 195 

Summary 195 

Municipal and domestic water supplies 195 

Pollution 195 

Soiu-ces 195 

Town wells 196 

Farm wells, by O. E. Meinzer 197 

Mineral content 198 

River and \veil waters 198 

Effect on health 200 

Effect on well casings 201 

Corrosion 201 

Soft-steel vs. wrought-iron tubing 202 

Causes of corrosion 203 

Pure water 203 

Acid water 204 

Alkaline water 206 

Industrial supplies 206 

Importance 206 

Boiler water 206 

Qualities of good boiler water 206 

Boiler scale 208 

Deposition 208 

Chemical composition 209 

Physical properties 210 

Scale-forming power of different waters 210 

Prevention 212 

Water softening 212 

Methods of softening 212 

Hot softening 213 

In feed-water heaters 213 

In boilers 213 

Away fi'om the boiler 214 

Cold softening 214 

Limits in removing incrusting matter 216 

Cost of softening 217 

Summary 217 

Corrosion of boilers 218 

Nature and location 218 

Causes 218 

Interpretation of analyses with reference to corrosion 220 

Chapter VII. — ^Mineral waters, by W. S. Hendrixson 223 

Definition 223 

Medicinal value 223 

Extent of mineralization 224 

Types of mineral waters 228 

Scheme of classification 228 

Sodic muxiated alkaline-saline waters 229 

Sodic mmriated-sulphated alkaline-saline waters 231 



CONTENTS. 9 

Chapter VII. — Mineral waters — Continued. 

Types of mineral waters — Continued. Page. 

Sodic-calcic muriated-sulphated alkaline-saline waters 231 

Sodic -calcic sulpliated alkaline-saline waters 232 

Calcic sulpliated alkaline-saline waters 233 

Calcic carbonated alkaline waters 234 

Sodic-calcic carbonated alkaline waters 236 

Chapter VIII. — Northeast district 237 

Introduction, by W. H. Norton 237 

Allamakee County, by W. H. Norton 239 

Topography 239 

Geology 240 

Underground water 243 

Source 243 

Provinces 244 

\ Mississippi Valley 244 

" Upper Iowa Valley 244 

Minor valleys 245 

Uplands 246 

Springs 247 

City and village supplies 249 

Lansing 249 

New Albin 250 

Postville 251 

Postville Jimction 252 

Waukon 252 

Village supplies 253 

Well data 253 

Blackhawk Coimty, by M. F. Arey and W. H. Norton 254 

Topography 254 

Geology 256 

Underground water 256 

Source and distribution 256 

City and village supplies ._ 259 

Cedar Falls 259 

Waterloo 259 

Bremer County, by W. H. Norton 262 

Topography 262 

Geology 262 

Underground water 263 

Soiu-ce 263 

Distribution 263 

Provinces 264 

Wapsipinicon Valley 264 

Biu:ied channel of ' ' Bremer River " 265 

City and village supplies 268 

Denver 268 

Frederika 269 

Plainfield 269 

Readlyn 269 

Sumner 270 

Tripoli 272 

Waverly ^ 272 

Waverly Junction 275 

WeU data 276 



10 CONTENTS. 

Chapter VIII. — Northeast district — Continued. Page. 

Buchanan County, by M. F. Arey 281 

Topography 281 

Geology 281 

Underground water 282 

Source 282 

Distribution 282 

Springs 283 

City and village supplies 284 

Independence °. 284 

Jesup 285 

Winthrop 286 

Chickasaw County, by 0. E. Meinzer 286 

Topography and geology 286 

Underground water 286 

Source 286 

Springs 287 

City and village supplies 287 

Fredericksburg 287 

Nashua 287 

New Hampton 287 

Clayton County, by W. H. Norton 288 

Topography 288 

Geology 289 

Underground water 291 

Source 291 

Flowing wells 292 

Springs 294 

City and village supplies 294 

Clayton 294 

Elkader 294 

Guttenberg 295 

McGregor 295 

Monona 296 

North McGregor 297 

Strawberry Point 298 

Minor supplies 298 

Well data 299 

Delaware County, by W. H. Norton 302 

Topography 302 

Geology 302 

Underground water 303 

Source and distribution 303 

Springs 305 

City and village supplies 306 

Earlville 306 

Hopkinton 306 

Manchester 306 

Ryan 309 

Minor supplies 309 

Well data 309 

Dubuque County, by W. H. Norton 312 

Topography. 312 

Geology 314 



CONTENTS. 11 

Chapter VIII. — Northeast district — Continued. 

Dubuque County — Continued. Page. 

Underground water 316 

Source and distribution 316 

Permanence 318 

Springs 319 

City and village supplies 320 

Cascade 320 

Dubuque 320 

Dyersville 325 

Minor supplies 326 

Well data 326 

Fayette Coimty, by W. H. Norton 328 

Topography 328 

Geology 329 

Underground water 330 

Source and distribution 330 

Springs 332 

City and village supplies 332 

Arlington 332 

Fayette 332 

Hawkeye 333 

Oelwein 333 

Westgate 334 

West Union 334 

Minor supplies 334 

Well data 335 

Howard County, by O. E. Meinzer 338 

Topography and geology 338 

Underground water 339 

Source 339 

Flowing wells 339 

City and village supplies , 340 

Cresco 340 

Winneshiek County, by W. H. Norton 341 

Topography 341 

Geology 342 

Underground water 343 

Soiu-ce 343 

Distribution 344 

Springs 345 

City and village supplies 346 

Cahnar 346 

Decorah 347 

Ossian 348 

Minor supplies 348 

Well data 349 

Chapter IX. — East-central district 351 

Introduction, by W. H. Norton 351 

Benton County, by H. E. Simpson and W. H. Norton 353 

Topography 353 

Geology 353 

Underground water 354 

Source and distribution 354 

Belle Plaine artesian basin 356 



12 CONTENTS. 

Chapter IX. — East-central district — Continued. 
Benton County — Continued. 

Underground water — Continued. Page. 

City and village supplies .,„.„.........,. 358 

Atkins 358 

Belle Plaine 358 

Blairstown 359 

Keystone 360 

Luzerne 361 

Mount Aubm^ 361 

Shellsbmg 361 

Urbana 361 

Vanbom 362 

Vinton 362 

Well data 365 

Cedar County, by W. H. Norton 366 

Topography 366 

Geology - 367 

Undergroxind water 367 

Soiu-ce 367 

Distribution 368 

City and village supplies 373 

Buchanan 373 

Clarence 373 

Durant 373 

Lowden 373 

Mechanicsville 373 

Springdale 373 

Stanwood 373 

Sunbury 374 

Tipton 374 

West Branch 375 

Well data 376 

Clinton County, by W. H. Norton 378 

Topography 378 

Geology 379 

Underground water 379 

Source and distribution 379 

Springs 381 

City and village supplies ■ 382 

Clinton 382 

Delmar 392 

De Witt 392 

Grand Mound 393 

Wheatland 393 

Minor supplies 393 

Well data 393 

Iowa County, by O." E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 400 

Topography and geology 400 

Underground water 401 

Som-ce 401 

City and village supplies 402 

Amana 402 

East Amana 403 

Homestead 403 



CONTENTS. 13 

Chapter IX. — East-central district — Continued- 
Iowa County — Continued. 

Underground water — Continued. 

City and village supplies — Continued. Page. 

Marengo 404 

Victor 405 

Williamsburg 405 

Jackson County, by W. H. Norton 406 

Topography 406 

Geology 406 

Underground water 407 

Source 407 

Distribution 408 

Springs 41i 

City and village supplies 412 

Green Island 412 

La Motte 412 

Maquoketa 412 

Miles 415 

Monmouth 415 

Nashville 415 

Preston 415 

Sabula 415 

Well data 416 

Johnson County, by A. O. Thomas 419 

Topography 419 

Geology 421 

Underground water 421 

Source 421 

City and village supplies 422 

Coralville 422 

Hills 422 

Iowa City 422 

Lone Tree 424 

North Liberty 424 

Oakdale Sanitarium 424 

Oxford 424 

Shueyville 424 

Solon 424 

Swisher 425 

Tiffin 425 

Well data 425 

Jones County, by W. H. Norton 428 

Topography 428 

Geology 428 

Underground water 429 

Soince 429 

Provinces 429 

Northeast of Maquoketa River 429 

Between Maquoketa and Wapsipinicon rivers 429 

South of Wapsipinicon River 431 

Springs 431 

City and village supplies 431 

Anamosa 431 

Center Junction 434 



14 CONTENTS. 

Chapter IX. — East-central district — Continued. 
Jones County — Continued. 

Underground water — Continued. 

City and village supplies — Continued. Page. 

Langworthy 434 

Monticello 434 

Olin 436 

Onslow 436 

Oxford Junction and Oxford Mills 436 

Stone 437 

Wyoming 437 

Well data 437 

Linn County, by W. H. Norton 441 

Topography 441 

Geology 442 

Underground water 443 

Source and distribution 443 

Buried channels 445 

Springs , 446 

City and village supplies 447 

Cedar Rapids 447 

Central City 449 

Coggon , 449 

Lisbon 449 

Marion 449 

Mount Vernon 449 

Springville 450 

Walker 450 

Minor supplies 451 

Well data 451 

Muscatine County, by W. H. Norton 463 

Topography 463 

Geology 464 

Underground water 465 

Source and distribution 465 

Springs 466 

City and village supplies 467 

Muscatine 467 

West Liberty 470 

Wilton 473 

Minor supplies 473 

Well data 474 

Poweshiek County, by H. E. Simpson and W. H. Norton 477 

Topography 477 

Geology , 478 

Underground water 478 

Sorn-ce 478 

Belle Plaine basin 479 

Springs 479 

City and village supplies 480 

Brooklyn 480 

Deep River 481 

Grinnell 481 

Malcom 484 

Montezuma 484 

WeU data 486 



COITTEKTS. 15 

Chapter IX. — East-central district — Continued. Page. 

Scott County, by W. H. Norton 487 

Topography 487 

Geology 487 

Underground water 488 

Provinces 488 

Wapsipinicon flood plain 488 

Mud Creek channel 489 

Cleona buried channel 489 

Niagara province 490 

Devonian province ' 491 

Carboniferous province 491 

City and village supplies 492 

Bettendorf 492 

Davenport 493 

Donahue , 501 

\ Eldridge 501 

Le Claire 501 

Walcott 502 

Minor supplies 502 

Well data 502 

Tama County, by W. J. Miller 508 

Topography 508 

Geology -. 508 

Underground water 509 

Source 509 

Provinces 509 

Springs 510 

City and village supplies 510 

Tama 510 

Toledo 511 

Traer 512 

Well data 513 

Chapter X. — Southeast district 514 

Introduction, by W. H. Norton 514 

Davis County, by O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 516 

Topography 516 

Geology 517 

Underground water 518 

Source 518 

City and village supplies 518 

Bloomfield 518 

Des Moines County, by W. H. Norton 520 

Topography 520 

Geology 520 

Underground water 522 

Source 522 

Springs 525 

City and village supplies 525 

Burlington 525 

Mediapolis 529 

Minor supplies 530 

Well data 531 

Henry County, by W. H. Norton 532 

Topography .~. 532 

Geology 533 



16 CONTENTS. 

Chapter X. — Southeast district — Continued. 

Henry County — Continued. Page. 

Underground water 534 

Source 534 

City and village supplies 535 

Mount Pleasant 535 

Minor supplies 537 

Well data 537 

Jefferson County, by W. H. Norton 539 

Topography 539 

Geology 540 

Underground water 540 

Source 540 

Springs 542 

City and village supplies 542 

Fairfield 542 

Minor supplies 543 

Well data 544 

Keokuk County, by W. H. Norton 548 

Topography 548 

Geology 548 

Underground water 549 

Source and distribution 549 

Springs 551 

City and village supplies 552 

Keota 552 

Sigourney 552 

Minor supplies 554 

Well data 554 

Lee County, by W. H. Norton 556 

Topography 556 

Geology : 556 

Underground water 558 

Soiirce 558 

Springs 560 

City and village supplies 560 

Denmark 560 

Fort Madison 560 

Keokuk 564 

Montrose 568 

Mooar 568 

Mount Clara 569 

Minor supplies 569 

Well data 570 

Louisa County, by W. H. Norton 573 

Topography 573 

Geology 574 

Underground water 575 

Source and distribution 575 

Springs 578 

City and village supplies 579 

Columbus Junction 579 

Wapello 579 

Minor supplies 580 

Well data 580 



CONTENTS. 17 

Chapter X. — Southeast district — Continued. Page. 

Mahaska County, by H. E. Simpson 583 

Topography 583 

Geology 583 

Underground water 585 

Shallow flowing wells 585 

Springs 586 

City and village supplies 586 

New Sharon - 586 

Oskaloosa 586 

Well data 589 

Van Buren County, by W. H. Norton 591 

Topography 591 

Geology 592 

Underground water 593 

Source 593 

City and village supplies 593 

Bonaparte 593 

Farmington 593 

Minor supplies 594 

Well data 594 

Wapello County, by H. E. Simpson and W. H. Norton 596 

Topography 596 

Geology 597 

Underground water 597 

Source 597 

Distribution 599 

City and village supplies 601 

Eddyville 601 

Eldon 602 

Ottumwa 602 

Well data 609 

Washington County, by W. H. Norton 610 

Topography 610 

Geology 610 

Underground water 611 

Source and distribution 611 

City and village supplies 612 

Ainsworth 612 

Washington 612 

Wellman 616 

Minor supplies 617 

Well data 617 

Chapter XI. — North-central district 619 

Introduction, by W. H. Norton 619 

Butler County, by M. F. Arey 620 

Topography 620 

Geology 621 

Underground water 622 

Source 622 

Distribution 622 

Springs 625 

City and village supplies 625 

Allison 625 

36581°— wsp 293—12 2 



18 CONTENTS. 

Chapter XI. — North-central district — Continued. 
Butler County — Continued. 

Underground water— Continued. 

City and village supplies — Continued. Page. 

Greene 625 

New Hartford 625 

Shellrock 625 

Well data 626 

Cerro Gordo County, by O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 626 

Topography and geology .626 

Underground water 627 

Source 627 

Head 627 

City and village supplies 627 

Clear Lake 627 

Dougherty 628 

Emery 628 

Mason City 628 

Rockwell 635 

Floyd County, by 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 636 

Topography and geology 636 

Underground water 636 

Source and distribution 636 

Springs 637 

City and village supplies 638 

Charles City 638 

Marble Rock 640 

Nora Springs 640 

Franklin County, by O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 640 

Topography and geology 640 

Underground water 641 

Cources 641 

Springs and flowing wells 641 

City and village supplies 641 

Hampton 641 

Latimer 645 

Hancock County, by 0. E. Meinzer 645 

Topography and geology 645 

Underground water 646 

Source 646 

Head 646 

City and village supplies 647 

Britt. 647 

Corwith 648 

Gamer 648 

Humboldt County, by 0. E. Meinzer 648 

Topography and geology 648 

Underground water 649 

Sources 649 

Head 650 

Springs 650 

City and village supplies 650 

Humboldt 650 

Livermore 651 



CONTENTS. 19 

Chapter XI. — North-central district — Continued. Page. 

Kossuth County, by 0. E. Meinzer 651 

Topography 651 

Geology 651 

Underground water 653 

Source and distribution 653 

Head 654 

City and village supplies 655 

Algona 655 

Bancroft 655 

Burt 656 

Swea City 656 

Mitchell County, by O. E. Meinzer 656 

Topography and geology 656 

Underground water 657 

Source and distribution 657 

Springs and flowing wells 657 

City and village supplies 658 

Osage 658 

Riceville 659 

St. Ansgar 659 

Winnebago County, by O. E. Meinzer 659 

Topography and geology 659 

Underground water 660 

Source 660 

Head 660 

Drainage wells 661 

City and village supplies 661 

Buffalo Center 661 

Forest City 661 

Lake Mills ,>. 662 

Thompson r 663 

Worth County, by O. E. Meinzer 663 

Topography and geology 663 

Underground water 663 

Source 663 

City and village supplies 664 

Northwood 664 

Wright County, by O. E. Meinzer 664 

Topography and geology 664 

Underground water 665 

Source .- 665 

Head 666 

Drainage wells 667 

City and village supplies 667 

Belmond 667 

Clarion 668 

Dows 668 

Eagle Grove 669 

Chapter XII. — Central district 670 

Introduction, by W. H. Norton 670 

Boone County, by W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton 672 

Topography and geology 672 

Underground water 672 

Source 672 



20 CONTENTS. 

Chapter XII. — Central district — Continued. 
Boone County — Continued. 

Underground water — Continued. Page. 

Springs 673 

City and village supplies 673 

Boone 673 

Madrid 680 

Ogden 680 

Well data 681 

Dallas County,"by 0. E. Meinzer 682 

Topography and geology 682 

Underground water 683 

Source 683 

City and village supplies 686 

Perry 686 

GreeneCounty.byW. J. Miller and W.H.Norton 686 

Topography and geology 686 

Source 687 

Underground water 687 

Artesian basins 687 

Springs 688 

City and village supplies 688 

Jefferson. 688 

Scranton 689 

Well data 689 

Grundy County, by W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton 690 

Topography and geology 690 

Underground water 690 

Source 690 

Springs 690 

City and village supplies 690 

Grundy Center ; 690 

Reinbeck 691 

Well data 692 

Guthrie County, by O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 692 

Topography : 692 

Geology 692 

Underground water 693 

Source 693 

Provinces 694 

City and village supplies 694 

Bagley 694 

Guthrie Center 694 

Herndon 695 

Panora 697 

Stuart 697 

Hamilton County, by W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton 698 

Topography and geology 698 

Underground water 698 

Source 698 

Springs 699 

City and village supplies 699 

Jewell 699 

Webster City 699 

Well data , „ 700 



CONTENTS. 21 

Chapter XII. — Central district — Continued. Page. 

Hardin County, by W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton 701 

Topography and geology 701 

Underground water 701 

Source 701 

Springs 702 

City and village supplies 702 

Ackley 702 

Eldora 705 

Hubbard 705 

Iowa Falls 706 

Radcliffe. 706 

Well data 7O7 

Jasper County, by H. E. Simpson 708 

Topography 708 

^ Geology 708 

- Underground water 708 

Source : 708 

South Skunk River artesian basin 710 

' Colfax mineral water 711 

City and village supplies 714 

Colfax 714 

Kellogg 715 

Newburg 715 

Newton 715 

Prairie City 717 

Reasnor 718 

Well data 718 

Marshall County, by H. E. Simpson and W. H. Norton 719 

Topography 719 

Geology 719 

Underground water 721 

Sources 721 

Distribution 722 

City and village supplies 724 

Gilman 724 

Marshalltown 724 

State Center 727 

Well data 727 

Polk County, by H. E. Simpson and W. H. Norton '. 730 

Topography 730 

Geology 731 

Underground water 732 

Source 732 

Flowing wells 734 

Gas wells 734 

City and village supplies 734 

Ankeny 734 

Des Moines 734 

Mitchell ville 739 

Saylorsville 741 

Valley Junction 742 

Well data 742 



22 CONTENO^S. 

Chapter XII. — Central district — ^Continued. Page. 

Story County, by H. E. Simpson and W. H. Norton 743 

Topography 743 

Geology 743 

Underground water 743 

Source 743 

Distribution 747 

City and village supplies 748 

Ames 748 

Nevada 753 

Story City 754 

Minor supplies 754 

Well data 755 

Webster County, by W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton 755 

Topography 755 

Geology 756 

Underground water 756 

Source 756 

Distribution 757 

Springs 757 

City and village supplies 757 

Dayton 757 

Fort Dodge 758 

Gowrie 761 

Well data 761 

Chapter XIII. — South-central district 763 

Introduction, by W. H. Norton 763 

Adair County, by H. E. Simpson 767 

Topography 767 

Geology 767 

Underground water 767 

Source and distribution 767 

Springs 768 

City and village supplies 768 

Adair 768 

Greenfield 768 

Well data 769 

Appanoose County, by 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 770 

Topography 770 

Geology 770 

Underground water 770 

Source 770 

City and village supplies 772 

Centerville 772 

Moulton 775 

Clarke County, by H. E. Simpson 775 

Topography and geology 775 

Underground water 776 

Source 776 

Springs 777 

City and village supplies 777 

Murray 777 

Osceola 777 

Well data 778 



CONTENTS. 23 

Chapter XIII. — South-central district — Continued. Page. 

Decatur County, by O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 778 

Topography 778 

Geology 778 

Underground water 780 

Source 780 

City and village supplies 781 

Lamoni 781 

Leon 782 

Lucas County, by H. E. Simpson 783 

Topography 783 

Geology 783 

Surface water 785 

Underground water ' 785 

Source 785 

s^ Springs 786 

■ City and village supplies 787 

Chariton 787 

Derby 787 

Lucas 787 

Russell 787 

Well data 788 

Madison County, by H. E. Simpson 788 

Topography 788 

Geology 789 

Underground water 789 

Som-ce and distribution 789 

Springs 791 

City and village supplies 791 

Winterset 791 

Well data 792 

Marion County, by H. E. Simpson and W. H. Norton 793 

Topography 793 

Geology 793 

Undergroimd water 794 

Source 794 

Distribution 795 

Springs 797 

City and village supplies 798 

Flagler 798 

Knoxville 798 

Pella 798 

Pleasantville 801 

Well data 801 

Monroe County, by H. E. Simpson and W. H. Norton 802 

Topography 802 

Geology 803 

Underground water 803 

Source 803 

Distribution 804 

Springs 806 

City and village supplies 806 

Albia 806 

Buxton 807 

Melrose 807 

No. 10 Junction : 807 

WeUdata 808 



24 CONTENTS. 

Chapter XIII. — South-central district — Continued. Page. 

Ringgold County, by 0. E. Meinzer 808 

Topography and geology 808 

Undergroiind water 809 

Source 809 

City and village supplies 810 

Supplies for stock farms 811 

Well data 811 

Union County, by H. E. Simpson 812 

Topography 812 

Geology 812 

Underground water 813 

Source 813 

Springs 814 

• City and village supplies 815 

Afton 815 

Creston 815 

Minor supplies 815 

Warren County, by J. L. Tilton 815 

Topography 815 

Geology 816 

Underground water 816 

Soxirce 816 

Wayne County, by O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 818 

Topography and geology 818 

Underground water 819 

Source 821 

Head 821 

City and village supplies 821 

Corydon 821 

Minor supplies 822 

Chapter XIV.— Northwest district 823 

Introduction, by W. H. Norton 823 

Buena Vista County, by O. E. Meinzer 826 

Topography and geology 826 

Underground water 826 

Source 826 

Head 827 

City and village supplies 828 

Alta 828 

Marathon 828 

Newell 828 

Sioux Rapids ._ 828 

Storm Lake 828 

Calhoun County, by W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton 829 

Topography and geology 829 

Underground water 829 

Source 829 

Springs 830 

City and village supplies 830 

Lake City 830 

Lohrville 831 

Manson 831 

Pomeroy 832 

Rockwell City 833 

Somers 834 

Well data 836 



CONTENTS. . 25 

Chapter XIV. — Northwest district — Continued. Page. 

Carroll County, by W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton 836 

Topography 836 

Geology 837 

Underground water 837 

Source 837 

Springs 838 

City and village supplies 838 

Carroll 838 

Minor supplies 838 

Well data 839 

Cherokee County, by 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 840 

Topography and geology 840 

Underground water 840 

Somce 840 

Head 841 

City and village supplies 841 

Aiu-elia 841 

Cherokee 841 

Marcus 844 

Clay County, by O. E. Meinzer 844 

Topography 844 

Geology 845 

Underground water ^ 845 

Soiu"ce 845 

City and village supplies 846 

Peterson 846 

Spencer 846 

Crawford County, by W. J. Miller 846 

Topography and geology 846 

Underground water 847 

Source 847 

Springs 847 

City and village supplies 847 

Denison 847 

Minor supplies 848 

Well data 849 

Dickinson County, by 0. E. Meinzer 849 

Topography and geology 849 

Underground water 850 

Source 850 

City and village supplies 851 

Lake Park 851 

Spirit Lake 851 

Emmet County, by 0. E. Meinzer 851 

Topography and geology 851 

Underground water 852 

Source 852 

City and village supplies 853 

Armstrong 853 

Estherville 853 

Ringsted 854 

Ida County, by W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton 854 

Topography and geology 854 

\ 



26 CONTElsrTS. 

Chapter XIV. — Northwest district — Continued. 

Ida County — Continued. Page. 

Underground water 854 

Soiu-ce 854 

Springs 855 

City and village supplies 855 

Battle Creek 855 

Holstein 855 

Ida Grove 857 

Well data 857 

Lyon County, by 0. E. Meinzer 858 

Topography and geology 858 

Underground water 858 

Soiuce 860 

City and village supplies 860 

Alvord 860 

Doon 860 

Rock Rapids 860 

Monona County, by W. J. Miller 860 

Topography 860 

Geology 860 

Underground water 861 

Som-ce 861 

Provinces 862 

Springs 862 

City and village supplies 862 

Onawa 862 

Minor supplies 863 

Well data 864 

O'Brien County, by 0. E. Meinzer 864 

Topography 864 

Geology 864 

Undergroimd water 865 

Source 865 

City and village supplies 866 

Hartley 866 

PauUina 866 

Primghar 866 

Sanborn 867 

Sheldon 867 

Sutherland 867 

Osceola County, by O. E. Meinzer 868 

Topography and geology 868 

Underground water 868 

Som-ce 868 

City and village supplies 869 

Ashton 869 

Sibley 870 

Palo Alto County, by 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 870 

Topography 870 

Geology 870 

Underground water 872 

Source 872 

Head 872 



CONTENTS. 2*7 

Chapter XIV. — Northwest district — Continued. 
Palo Alto County — Continued. 

Underground water — Continued. Page. 

City and village supplies 873 

Ayrshire 873 

Emmetsburg 873 

Graettinger 874 

Mallard 874 

Ruthven 875 

West Bend 875 

Plymouth County, by O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 876 

Topography and geology 876 

Underground water 876 

Source 876 

Springs 877 

N City and village supplies 877 

Akron 877 

Kingsley 877 

Le Mars 877 

Remsen 879 

Pocahontas County, by O. E. Meinzer 879 

Topography 879 

Geology 879 

Underground water 880 

Source 880 

Head 880 

Drainage wells 881 

City and village supplies -. 881 

Fonda 881 

Gihnore 882 

Laurens 882 

Pocahontas 882 

Rolfe 883 

Sac County, by W. J. Miller 883 

Topography and geology 883 

Underground water 883 

Source 883 

Provinces 884 

Springs 884 

City and village supplies 884 

Sac City 884 

Minor supplies 886 

Well data 886 

Sioux County, by 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 887 

Topography and geology 887 

Underground water 888 

Source 888 

City and village supplies 889 

Alton 889 

Granville 889 

Hawarden 889 

Hull 889 

Ireton 890 

Orange City 890 

Rock Valley 891 



28 CONTENTS. 

Chapter XIV. — Northwest district — Continued. Page. 

Woodbury County, by W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton 891 

Topography 891 

Geology 891 

Underground water 892 

Source 892 

Provinces 892 

Springs 893 

City and village supplies 893 

Sioux City 893 

Minor supplies ^. 895 

Well data 896 

Chapter XV. — Southwest district "897 

Introduction, by W. H. Norton 897 

Adams County, by H. E. Simpson 905 

Topography 905 

Geology 906 

Underground water 906 

Source 906 

Springs 907 

City and village supplies 907 

Coming 907 

Prescott. 907 

Minor supplies 908 

Well data 908 

Audubon County, by O. E. Meinzer 908 

Topography and geology 908 

Underground water 909 

Source 909 

City and village supplies 910 

Audubon : 910 

Exira 910 

Kimballton 911 

Cass County, by H. E. Simpson and W. H. Norton 911 

Topography and geology 911 

Underground water 911 

Source 911 

City and village supplies 912 

Anita 912 

Atlantic : 912 

Griswold 915 

Lewis 915 

Mame 915 

Massena 9l5 

Well data 916 

Fremont County, by O. E. Meinzer 917 

Topography 917 

Geology 917 

Underground water 917 

Source 917 

City and village supplies 919 

Hamburg 919 

Sidney 919 

Tabor 919 

Thurman 919 



CONTENTS. 29 

Chapter XV. — Southwest district — Continued. Page. 

Harrison County, by O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 920 

Topography and geology 920 

Underground water 920 

Source 920 

City and village supplies 922 

Dunlap 922 

Logan 923 

Missoiu-i Valley 925 

Persia 925 

Woodbine 925 

Mills County, by 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 926 

Topography and geology 926 

Underground water 926 

Sotnce 926 

Springs 927 

\ City and village supplies 927 

^ Glenwood 927 

Hastings 933 

Malvern 933 

Pacific Junction 933 

Montgomery County, by H. E. Simpson 934 

Topography 934 

Geology 934 

Underground water 935 

Source 935 

Provinces 936 

Flowing wells 937 

Springs 937 

City and village supplies ; 937 

Elliott 937 

Red Oak 938 

Villisca 938 

Well data 393 

Page County, by O. E. Meinzer 939 

Topography 939 

Geology 939 

Underground water 940 

Som-ce 940 

City and village supplies 941 

Clarinda 941 

Com 943 

Essex 943 

Shenandoah 943 

Pottawatomie County, by O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 944 

Topography 944 

Geology 944 

Underground water 947 

Source 947 

City and village supplies 949 

Avoca 949 

Carson 949 

CouncU Bluffs 949 

Omaha, Nebr., and adjoining towns 952 

Minden 958 

Neola 958 

Oakland 959 

Wahiut 959 



30 CONTENTS. 

Chapter XV. — Southwest district — Continued. Page. 

Shelby County, by O. E. Meinzer 959 

Topography and geology 959 

Underground water 959 

Source 959 

City and village supplies 960 

Earling 960 

Harlan , 960 

Kirkman 961 

Panama 961 

Portsmouth 961 

Taylor County, by O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 961 

Topography and geology 961 

Underground water 962 

Source 962 

City and village supplies 962 

Bedford. 962 

Index 967 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page. 
Plate I. Geologic map of Iowa, showing geology, artesian conditions, and 

elevation of St. Peter sandstone In pocket. 

II. General columnar section 60 

III. Map showing drift sheets In pocket. 

IV. Map showing mineral character of underground water with reference 

to geography. 178 

V. Geologic section between McGregor and Mason City 238 

VI. Geologic section between Dubuque and LeMars 258 

VII. Geologic section between St. Ansgar and Vinton 272 

VIII. Geologic section between Manchester and Pella 352 

IX. Geologic section between Sabula and Vinton 354 

X. Geologic section between Green Island and Centerville 374 

XI. Geologic section between Clinton and Dunlap 382 

XII. Geologic section between Davenport and Keokuk 514 

XIII. Geologic section between Des Moines and Burlington 526 

XIV. Geologic section between Pella and Letts 548 

XV. Geologic section between Davenport and Des Moines 670 

XVI. Geologic section between Emmetsburg and Centerville 672 

XVII. Geologic section between Sanborn and Holstein 824 

XVIII. Geologic section between Bedford and Glenwood 898 

Figure 1. Index map showing the location of geologic sections shown in Plates 

V-XVIII, inclusive 62 

2. Map showing division of State into districts and the average mineral 

content of waters of deep and shallow wells in each district 140 

3. Map of artesian field of Wapisipinicon River and of buried channel 

of Bremer River 266 

4. Map showing location of wells marking the position of the buried 

Stan wood channel 369 

5. Map of western Scott County, showing the ancient channel now 

occupied by Mud Creek and the buried Cleona channel 488 

6. Map showing the elevation of the base of the Pennsylvanian in parts 

of southwestern and south-central Iowa 898 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



By W. H. NoETON and others. 



INTRODUCTION. 

By W, H. Norton. 
■ SCOPE OF THE WORK. 

The investigation of the underground water resources of Iowa was 
planned and carried out along three lines. The artesian waters of the 
State were studied by W. H. Norton, the waters of the drift and 
country rock by H. E. Simpson, O. E. Meinzer, and a number of 
assistants, and the chemical and industrial qualities of all groundwaters 
by W. S. Hendrixson. Three reports were therefore submitted for pub- 
Ucation. It was later decided, however, to publish these in a single 
volume. In the editorial recasting thus made needful the three 
reports have been combined, so that several chapters are now com- 
posed of excerpts taken from the work of two or more writers, but 
throughout the volume each writer is responsible for all statements 
respecting his allotted field of investigation. In each of the county 
reports data as to the artesian wells of the district and forecasts of 
artesian conditions for towns not now supplied with deep wells have 
been inserted from the report of the senior author. 

The line of demarcation between artesian waters and waters of the 
drift and of the country rock — that is, the rock which outcrops at 
the surface or immediately underlies the drift — though not everywhere 
exact, is fairly definite and was placed where it would best subserve 
the uses of the public. The artesian waters of the State, except some 
of minor importance, rise from a few related formations of early 
Paleozoic age. These formations underlie practically the entire State 
and form a well-defined artesian system. The water beds or aquifers 
of this system are as a rule readily distinguished from those of the 
country rock as well as from those of the drift, but in one or two of 
the northeastern counties of the State the artesian aquifers approach 
the surface and might be included in the country rock. 

In the investigation of the waters of the drift and of the country 
rock, the county was made the areal unit, and each coimty in the 

551 



32 UNDEEGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

State was visited and studied. The officials of each town were asked 
to contribute the facts as to the municipal water supply. From the 
well drillers were procured data of great value as to the type of wells 
in common use, their depth in different localities, the materials they 
passed through, and the sources from which they drew their waters. 
As an average of less than a week could be given to each of the 99 
counties of the State, the investigation was necessarily far more 
cursory than could have been wished. Fortunately the Iowa Geo- 
logical Survey had nearly completed its areal work with the county as 
the unit, and thus a large amount of material was at hand relating to 
the geologic conditions which control the distribution of ground 
water, the topography of the State, and the structure and composi- 
tion of the country rock, and of the Quaternary deposits (ground 
moraines of successive ice invasions with their outwash sands and 
gravels and interbedded deposits of interglacial epochs). All this 
material, both published and unpublished, was generously placed at 
the disposal of the writers by the late Dr. Samuel Calvin, director of 
the Iowa Geological Survey, and it has been very freely drawn upon 
in each of the county reports. 

OBJECT OF THE INVESTIGATION. 

The need of the scientific investigation of artesian waters is obvious 
to all. Many of these deep zones of flow lie far below the surface and 
below the sources that supply the common wells. The local well 
driller can not be expected to know either the quantity or the quality 
of artesian waters or the depth at which they can be reached. Town 
councils in considering municipal supply often send committees to 
the nearest towns which have deep wells to obtain such facts as may 
throw light upon the local problem. Information thus gathered may 
be useful or it may be misleading ; it is always insufficient and incon- 
clusive. There is needed the skillful interpretation of data collected 
from a wide area, a knowledge of the geologic structure and acquaint- 
ance with the distribution and movements of deep waters. For house 
wells in towns and for common farm wells, the knowledge of local 
conditions held by the well drillers of the district is ordinarily suf- 
ficient. Yet even here a scientific knowledge of general as well as 
local conditions often makes it possible to suggest new and better 
sources of ground water or new and better methods of utilizing those 
already in use. 

The object of the investigation whose results are here presented 
is to furnish to each community so far as possible deductions made 
from the entire body of facts obtainable, showing whether artesian 
water can be found at that locality, at what depths it may be reached, 
through what formations the drill must pass, what mineral com- 
pounds — healthful or harmful — the water is likely to contatp., how 



GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATION OF WELLS. 33 

high it will rise, how large will be its discharge, and how such a sup- 
ply will compare in cost, purity, permanence, and general availability 
with that from other sources. 

COOPERATION WITH THE IOWA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 

So far as the investigation concerns artesian waters, it has been 
carried on jointly by the United States Geological Survey and the 
Iowa Geological Survey. The State Survey began this investigation 
at the time of its inception, the work being under the charge of W. H. 
Norton. The earlier results are published in its annual reports.^ 
Since 1896 the Iowa Survey has continued to gather data and to fur- 
nish to towns, corporations, and individuals all obtainable informa- 
tion relating to deep wells, together with forecasts of local artesian 
conditions. The cooperation between the State and national surveys 
has resulted in a more thorough investigation. 

In the present report free use is made of all material gathered under 
the direction of both surveys. It seems desirable to collect in one 
report the entire body of data relating to the subject as a basis for 
the deductions which may be drawn therefrom. 

GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATION OF WELLS. 

MEANS OF INVESTIGATION. 

The distribution and the quality of artesian waters are so intimately 
connected with geologic conditions that their profitable study must 
concern itself first mth the attitude, the texture, and the composi- 
tion of the deep rocks from which the waters rise. In a general way 
much may be inferred as to these features from the character of the 
formations where they outcrop, for here their thickness may be 
measured and their various physical characteristics may be observed. 
The dip or mclination of any terrane gives some clue to the probable 
depth at which it may be found at a given distance from the outcrop. 
But in an area so large as Iowa formations that dip below the surface 
may be expected to thicken or to thin, to pinch out, to be replaced by 
other formations which may have no outcrop, to change their chemical 
composition or their texture, and to be affected by upwarps and 
downwarps which may have no surface expression. 

For all these reasons the investigation of the deeper water beds 
must be based not only on the surface geology of the State but also 
on all geologic facts obtainable from drill holes as to the strata 
through which they have passed as indicated by the logs of drillers 
and the samples of the rock cuttings of the drill. From these data 
the attempt is made to correlate the strata penetrated by any well 

1 Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 3, 1895, pp. 169-210; vol. 6, 1897, pp. 115-428. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 3 



34 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

with known terranes outcropping elsewhere and found in other wells, 
to ascertain the geologic formations to which the strata belong, and 
thus to construct a geologic section at the locality of the well to the 
depth of the boring. By connecting the sections of different wells in 
different parts of the State, cross sections may be had which show the 
geologic structure of many parts of the area to depths of 2,000 and 
even of 3,000 feet, and which indicate the depth to which new wells 
in the area must be sunk to reach the deep-lying water beds. Plates 
V to XVIII supply examples of such sections in different parts of 
the State. 

AVAILABLE DATA. 

The data on which a geologic investigation of deep wells must rest 
consist of records made and samples of drillings collected when the 
wells were put down. Necessarily they are largely second hand and 
are incapable of verification. A report such as this deals with thou- 
sands of statements and observations made by many individuals, 
and the writer can do little except to determine the lithologic char- 
acter of deep-well drillings, and in drawing mferences from these 
he must accept the reports of others as to the thickness and loca- 
tion of the strata which they represent. Fortunately, many owners 
of deep wells and many other citizens realize the scientific and prac- 
tical value of the facts which can be obtained when a well is being 
drilled and at that time only, and these persons have placed on record 
many valuable data as to diameters of the bore and casings, fluctua- 
tions of water in the tube, depth, discharge, and head of water 
horizons, and have obtained both the driller's log and samples of the 
drillings. In practically every place where such data have been 
gathered and preserved they have been placed at the service and dis- 
posal of the surveys. Unfortunately, of many wells little or nothing, 
except the existing head, discharge, and quality of the water, is 
known or can ever be known. In many parts of the State the writer 
is quite in the dark as to artesian conditions and is unable to make 
reliable forecasts for towns desiring to sink deep wells, not because 
no deep wells have ever been drilled within the area, but because 
when they were put down no record was made of the essential facts. 

SAMPLES OF DRILLINGS. 
COLLECTION AND STORAGE. 

Since the beginning of this investigation a special effort has. been 
made to obtain full sets of samples of the drillings of the deep wells 
of the State, and it is on these samples that the geologic part of this 
report is largely based. Wliere such samples are taken directly 
from the slush bucket and labeled at once with the exact depth from 
which they were drawn, they form the most authentic record possible 



GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATION OF WELLS. 35 

of the strata penetrated. When thus taken, at intervals not exceed- 
ing 10 feet, and at every "change" in the strata, they afford a Htho- 
logic record and section inferior in value only to an exposure of the 
edges of the strata in an outcrop. Such reliable data have been 
obtained from an exceptionally large number of Iowa deep wells. 

The value of sets of cuttings from some wells has been impaired 
by the neglect of precautions which should be obvious. Thus, if 
the samples are taken only at every "change" of the strata, it is left 
entirely to the judgment of the workman who empties the contents 
of the slush bucket to decide whether or not there has there been 
any change. Several hundred feet of limestone, including two or 
more geologic formations, may be represented by a single sample. 
The depth is not always carefully taken, and remeasurements of the 
well on completion have shown that the driller's estimates of depth 
placed on samples or in the log were incorrect. If, however, the 
inaccuracy affects all depths alike little serious error is likely to 
result. 

Some samples of drilhngs seem to have been labeled from memory 
after a considerable lapse of time. This fact affords an explanation 
of the reported occurrence of drift clays 1,000 feet and more below 
the surface, and perhaps also of the occurrence of several samples 
of nonmagnesian limestones of Platteville facies below the St. 
Peter sandstone. Some samples seem to have been scraped up 
from the ground instead of being taken in some clean receptacle 
immediately from the sand pump. The cinders which may be 
included are easily disregarded, but the admixture of chippings from 
higher levels is serious. In one or two extreme cases it seems prob- 
able that at the completion of the well the workmen went over the 
outwash from the slush bucket, dug up a sample here and there, and 
labeled it according to their recollection. But even such a record 
may be of value if nothing better is available. 

The samples collected under the direction of the United States 
Survey were sent to Washington in stout canvas bags provided with 
labels and were there transferred to wide-mouthed glass bottles with 
screw aluminum covers. In the collection made earlier for the Iowa 
State Survey most of the samples were taken directly from the slush 
bucket, put into empty cigar boxes, labeled, and sliipped to the 
writer at Mount Vernon, where they were transferred to wide-mouthed 
glass bottles for permanent preservation, each sample being thus kept 
separate and accessible. Some of the samples presented to the Iowa 
Survey had been mounted in long glass tubes, in which the chippings 
of any terrane are supposed to occupy a space proportional to the 
actual thickness of the terrane. Such a method of mounting has a 
certain advantage for purposes of exhibition, but its disadvantages 
are so great that it must be unqualifiedly condemned. The drilhngs 



36 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

from different strata settle and tend to mix. They can not be taken 
from the tube for study, and no adequate inspection can be made 
through the glass. Sooner or later the long tube is sure to be broken 
and the record of the geologic section is irretrievably lost. 

Drillings should not be washed. When the drill is working in a 
pure limestone washing does httle harm, for it removes only the fine 
flour of the stone, whose quality is fully represented in the larger 
chippings. But with some marls and shales and with clayey sand- 
stones the removal of the finer material in washing leaves a residue 
far from representative of the rock. In some sets certain samples 
had been washed and others not, thus making error possible in the 
determinations, except where the treatment to which the cuttings 
had been subjected was indicated on the labels or could be told by 
inspection. 

For all scientific purposes samples should be taken directly from 
the sand pump at every 5 or 10 feet, at the end of a cleaning out, and 
at every change of stratum. They should be placed, unwashed, in 
wide-mouthed bottles or glass jars (1 to 4 ounce bottles are large 
enough) and plainly and accurately labeled in india ink with the 
names of the town or other location and of the owner, the date, and 
the depth from which each was taken. 

STUDY OF SAMPLES. 
PETROGRAPHIC EXAMINATION. 

The drillings were studied petrographically as an aid in identifying, 
from well to well, the strata from which they came. With some sam- 
ples a simple inspection was sufficient, but, as a rule, this inspection 
was supplemented by other tests. Under polarized fight in the field 
of the petrographic microscope the minerals making up the meal or 
flour of the drillings were generally readily determined and their 
relative proportion in the rock was roughly indicated by their pro- 
portion in the microscopic field. Crystalfine sifica, ffint and chal- 
cedony, gypsum and anhydrite, glauconite, pyrite, and calcite — to 
mention only common minerals of the sedimentary rocks — were thus 
distinguished. The microscope was used also in determining the 
texture of such rocks as oolites, fine-grained sandstones composed of 
angular quartzose particles, sandstones of grains of crystalline quartz 
of various degrees of rounding and assortment, and sandstones whose 
grains have been enlarged by secondarily deposited silica. Lime- 
stones were tested with weak cold hydrochloric acid, free effervescence 
indicating a small percentage or total absence of magnesium car- 
bonate, and a slow and feeble eftervescence a liigh percentage of the 
same carbonate, unless attributable to siliceous or other impurities. 
Residues after digestion in strong acid determined the argillaceous 



GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATIOlSr OF WELLS. 37 

and siliceous contents of impure limestones. The relative amount 
of magnesium carbonate in some limestones was roughly estimated 
after a solution in hydrochloric acid had been neutrahzed with ammo- 
nium carbonate and treated successively with ammonium oxalate 
and hydric disodic phosphate. Through the kindness of Dr. Nicholas 
Knight,, professor of chemistry in Cornell College, Iowa, the services 
of several of his advanced students were placed at the disposal of the 
writer, and a number of quantitative analyses of samples of terranes 
of special interest were made in the chemical laboratory of that 
college. 

POSSIBILITIES OF ERROR. 

Mention should be made of certain possibilities of error in any 
determination of the nature and thickness of the rock by means of 
drillings. 

The most serious of these errors is due to fewness of samples. 
Where, as in some deep wells, samples are taken at regular intervals 
of 100 feet, little indeed can be determined as to the geological 
succession. Where samples are taken at irregular or considerable 
intervals, it may be naturally assumed that each sample represented 
to the driller a stratum of homogeneous rock and that each sample 
was taken at the change and thus designates the summit of its own 
terrane and the base of the terrane above it. This assumption may 
or may not be correct. Any such sample may possibly be taken 
midway or at any other point within a terrane instead of at its top, 
and the assumed tliickness of one terrane may be as much too little 
as that of the next terrane is too great. This source of error is 
avoided when a sample is labeled not only with its own depth but 
with the upper and lower limits of the stratum which it is supposed 
to represent. In the columnar geologic sections of this report the 
uncertainty attaching to the thickness of a terrane from this cause 
is indicated by drawing the terrane over the area of uncertainty as 
a right triangle with apex downward. (See Tipton section, PI. X, 
p. 374.) 

Another source of possible error lies m the fact that the contents 
of the slush bucket may not correctly represent the rock in which the 
drill is working. Along with cuttings from the contiguous rock are 
fragments of other and higher strata. The vibration of ropes and 
rods and the lifting and lowering of the drill and other implements 
may detach pieces of rock from any higher stratum. Caving shales 
and incoherent sandstones furnish a large admixture of shale and 
sand to the cuttings at the bottom of the drill hole. Thus black 
coalyshalefrom the coal measures (Pennsylvanian) may be recognized 
in otherwise clean limestone chips of the Mississippian or inferior 
terranes ; the fossilif erous green shale of the Platteville is seen mingled 
with cuttings in the dolomites of the Prairie du Chien group; and 



38 UNDEKGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

the St. Peter and Jordan sandstones contribute a large arenaceous 
content to the cuttings of the dolomites below. 

Where strata of different character alternate at short intervals the 
mingiing of cuttings makes the determination of the rocks peculiarly 
difficult. Drillings from Ordovician and Cambrian strata below the 
St. Peter in many places contain a mixture of rolled quartz grains 
and chips of dolomite, and it may be a delicate question to decide 
whether the sand is wholly foreign, having fallen in from water- 
washed, loose, overljdng sandstones, or whether it is more or less 
native — that is, whether the sample represents either a pure dolomite 
on the one hand or an arenaceous dolomite or a calciferous sandstone 
on the other. If it is decided that some of the sand is native to the 
stratum, it still remains to be discovered whether the sand is dis- 
seminated through the dolomite or exists in tliin interbedded layers. 
In some samples an interbedded sand grain or mold of sand in some 
larger cliips of dolomite may decide in favor of dissemination. 

In some drillings material fallen from above may be distinguished 
by its lithologic nature or by the size or shape of its fragments. The 
dislodged pieces from the sides of the drill hole should as a rule be 
larger than drill cuttings and of diiferent shape. Fragments of 
easily worn shales fallen from overlying beds soon assume a rounded 
form. But in many wells, as, for example, where fragments from 
above have themselves been cut into chips by the drill, these tests 
are not decisive and the real nature of the bottom rock must be left 
in some doubt. To keep distinct the facts observed in the study of 
well drillings from the inferences drawn by the observer, a complete 
statement of the composition of the drillings should be given as well 
as an opinion as to the character of rock which they represent. 

CORHELATION OF ROCK FORMATIONS. 

The methods in cojTelation and the degree of certainty to be 
attained must next be considered. If an unbroken series of drillings 
from the top to the bottom of the well has been obtained, by what 
methods can the different rocks thus represented be assigned to 
known formations ? 

rossiLs. 

The occurrence of a series of fossils in a given terrane — the sure 
means employed by the geologist whenever possible in his correla- 
tions — is lacking in well records and samples. The drill cuts and 
crushes the harder rocks to fine meal or powder and the softer to 
small chips. It is the rarest of good fortune that the drill leaves 
any fossil unbroken into unidentifiable fragments. The smaller the 
fossil the greater its chances of escape. The minute tests of the 
foraminifer Fusulina are sometimes obtained intact in considerable 



GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATION OF WELLS. 39 

numbers from certain strata in the coal measures. Rocks fallen 
from higher strata in the drill hole give fragments of considerable 
size, and when these are fossihferous and their own horizon can be 
determined by lithologic identity, they are of the greatest value. 
Thus the caving green shale of the Platteville is in places highly 
fossiliferous and its fragments, along with bits of Ordovician brachi- 
opods characteristic of the horizon, are often brought up when the 
drill is working in the subjacent strata. But such fossils will be a 
source of the gravest error if it is assumed that they belong to the 
same formation as that of the cuttings brought up with them from 
the bottom of the well. 

LITHOLOGIC SIMILARITY. 

The lithologic method employed by geologists in the field in tracing 
a terrane from point to point is by no means infallible when applied 
in studies of deep wells, but it is used when other methods are lack- 
ing. Certain terranes exhibit the same well-defined lithologic 
characteristics over a large part of Iowa and adjacent States. The 
coaly shale of the Pennsylvanian can hardly be mistaken for the 
calcareous (mud rock) shale of the Maquoketa, nor can either be 
confounded with the glauconiferous shales of the Cambrian. The 
white crystalUne encrinital limestone and the cherts and oolites and 
geodiferous beds of the Mississippian are diagnostic, and the same 
is true of the arenaceous cherty dolomites of the magnesian Prairie 
du Chien group. The presence of anhydrite or gypsum in certain 
beds has been used to correlate'rocks in widely separated wells. 

The magnesian carbonate content of limestones can be used as a 
means of correlation, but must be used with care. Thus, so far as 
known, from the Shakopee dolomite down all limestones throughout 
the State are thoroughly dolomitized. But above the Shakopee the 
changes in the magnesian content in the same terrane may be rapid 
and complete. Thus at Dubuque the Galena is a dolomite, but at 
Manchester, 40 miles west, a deep-well section finds it wholly of 
ordinary limestone. Similarly, some of the Devonian limestones of 
east-central Iowa pass into dolomites in the northern counties. 

The lithologic nature of a terrane may be expected to change 
over so broadly extended an area as the State of Iowa. One forma- 
tion may thin and disappear and give place to other formations of 
the same series. Thus the Niagara dolomite of northeastern Iowa 
apparently gives place to Silurian sandstones or sandy Hmestone in 
southeastern Iowa; and gypsiferous beds, perhaps of Salina age. 
appear in deep weUs at stations as far separated as Mount Pleasant, 
Des Moines, Bedford, and Glenwood. An entire system may dis- 
appear; for example, the Silurian in the extreme northeastern parts 
of the area occupied by the Devonian in Iowa. 



40 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Lithologic similarity may only exceptpnally be used as the sole 
means of correlation. It is a belief as mistaken as it is prevalent 
that a geologist can identify a formation simply by means of the phys- 
ical characteristics of its rocks. In the study of deep wells this 
means should be used only with the greatest care and in combina- 
tion with other and better methods. 

ORDER OF SUCCESSION 

A third means of correlation is that of order of succession. The 
terranes of Iowa, for example, do not occur haphazard. They were 
laid down in a definite order during the long ages of geologic time 
and for the most part on the floors of ancient seas. The oldest is 
therefore found at the bottom and the most recent at the top, the 
strata having suffered no inversive deformation. The application 
of this method of correlation may be illustrated from the general 
columnar section of Iowa (PI. II, p. 60), in which the formations are 
arranged in order of their succession. It is plain that on the areas of 
outcrop of the Silurian the first heay^ shale which the drill en- 
counters must be the Maquoketa. In the ^lississippian area a 
heavy shale found near the surface may be identified as belonging 
to the Kinderhook, and the Maquoketa will be reached only after 
passing through the intervening Devonian and Silurian limestones. 
In the Pennsylvanian area another and still higher body of shales 
belonging to the country rock is first penetrated and the Maquoketa 
becomes the tliird heavy shale bed in the descending series. 

DIP OF STRATA. 

A fourth aid in interpreting the drillings is the known dip of the 
strata. A glance at any of the geologic sections of the State, such 
as that shown in Plate XI (along the Chicago & North Western 
Railway from Clinton west), shows a general westward downward 
slope to all terranes. The second body of shale at Belle Plaine 
may be recognized as the Maquoketa, not only by lithologic simi- 
larity to the limy shales of that formation over its outcrops to the 
northeast and by its position in the series, but also by the fact that 
it occurs at about the depth to which the loiown westerly dip of the 
strata would carry it from its known position at Cedar Rapids. 

Local exceptions to prevailing dips may be expected anywhere. 
Upwarps and downwarps, sags and swells, thickenings and thinnings 
may bring any formation nearer to or farther from the surface at a 
given point than would be expected. Thus at Ames (PI. XI, p. 382) 
an upwarp of the entire body of strata brings each formation higher 
than the position wliich would have been deduced from the general 
dip. In southeastern Iowa also the dip of the surface formations is 
found reversed in the deeper terranes. 



GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATION OP WELLS. 41 

DIFFICULTY OF DEMAECATION. 

In some deep-well sections insuperable difficulties are found in 
drawing the boundaries between adjoining terranes. No attempt has 
been made to discriminate the limestone of the Kinderhook group 
from the limestones of the Osage group (Burlington and Keokuk) 
which rest upon it nor the limestones of the upper part of the Maquo- 
keta shale from the Silurian limestones wliich they underlie. Upper 
Devonian shales can not be separated with any certainty from the 
shales of the Kinderhook where the two are in immediate succession. 
With increasing distance from the outcrops of Devonian and Silurian 
limestones and with a changing facies in each it becomes m places 
impossible to draw any sure line between them. It must be under- 
stood, therefore, that in the interpretation of the sections the assign- 
ment of formations is not offered with the confidence of the field 
geologist. In many of the sections there may be a close approach to 
certainty; in others the reference is made from scanty data and on 
some slight turn of the scale of evidence. Realizing the nature of 
the data dealt with, the meager, second-hand, and sometimes untrust- 
worthy evidence at hand, the difficulties of interpretation, and the 
possibilities of error, the writer submits his tentative conclusions in a 
spirit far removed from any dogmatism. 

FORECASTS. 

Information is often sought by cities, officials, and representatives 
of railways and other corporations and by private citizens as to prob- 
abilities of an artesian supply in their localities. In response to such 
requests many forecasts have been made as to the depth at which 
artesian water may be found, its pressure, quantity, quality, and 
availability for specffic uses. To make this report as helpful as 
possible, forecasts have been made for all the towns of the State 
whose population indicates that an artesian supply may be needed, 
and in which the artesian field has not been already fully exploited. 
These forecasts will be found in the county descriptions. 

In using these forecasts as a basis for estimating the depth to 
water-bearing strata at any given point, it must be remembered 
that many of the data on which they rest are scanty, some are conffict- 
ing, and others are no doubt erroneous. Estimates as to the depth 
to water beds necessarily assume uniform degree of dip and uniform 
thickness of strata over given areas, whereas in fact the strata vary 
in thickness from place to place and are affected by local upwarps 
and downwarps that tend to bring them nearer to or farther from 
the surface than would be computed on the assumption of an unvary- 
ing dip. The information given must not be used as if it had the 
exactness of calculations based on accurate data. 



42 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Nevertheless enough is known of the attitude and nature of the 
deeper rocks of Iowa to permit forecasts that may be of considerable 
value and perhaps sufficiently close for the purpose for which they 
are made. The degree of approximation which the data permit is 
evident by comparing forecasts already made with the facts later 
disclosed by the drill. Thus at Osage (PI. VII, p. 272) the St. Peter 
sandstone was predicted at 700 to 750 feet from the surface and 
was found at 715 feet; at Charles City (PI. VII) the same formation 
was forecast at 800 feet and was found at 780 feet; at Fort Dodge 
(PL VI, p. 258) it was forecast at 1,300 to 1,500 feet and found at 1,408 
feet; at Waterloo (PL VI) it was forecast at 835 feet and was found 
at 815 feet; at Bloomfield it was forecast at 1,230 feet and was found 
either at 1,190 or, more probably, at 1,445 feet, the records of the weU 
being very incomplete. At Mount Pleasant (PL XIII, p. 526) the St. 
Peter sandstone was found within 57 feet of the predicted depth. 

How far local deformations, entirely unkno"v\Ti before the drilling 
of a well, may cause an error in forecast is mdicated by the deep 
well at Ames. No predictions were made, but if it had been assumed 
that the St. Peter had the same dip west of Cedar Rapids that it is 
known to have east of that city, the estimates of its depth at Ames 
would have been 250 feet too low, as the drill disclosed a local up- 
warp which brought the St. Peter that far above its normal place 
(PL XI, p. 382). At New Hampton (PL V, p. 238) the St. Peter was 
found 150 feet below where it would have been predicted on the 
assumption of an uniform southward dip from Mason City to Ackley. 
In southwestern Iowa, where data are very scanty, the base of the 
Pennsylvanian at Bedford (PL XVIII, p. 898) was forecast at 140 feet 
below sea level. The base of the Pennsylvanian shale was, indeed, 
found at 82 feet below sea level, but the intervention of a heavy 
sandstone, which probably should be classed with the Pennsylvanian, 
brought the base of the latter to 240 feet below sea level (fig. 6, p. 898) . 
The water horizons of the heavy magnesian limestones of this area 
were predicted to occur not more than 900 feet below sea level, and 
were found at Bedford at 850 feet below that datum. Contracts for 
artesian wells should make provision for drilling at specified rates for 
several hundred feet beyond the supposedly necessary depth. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

The writer is greatly indebted to the courtesy of artesian con- 
tractors and drillers who have generously placed at his service the 
well logs made by their foremen as the work was in progress. Unfor- 
tunately the records of one large firm, which has done much work in 
the State, were destroyed some years ago by fire, and some other 
firms seem to have preserved few or no data as to the wells which 
they have drilled. The opinion of the foreman as to the character 



CHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OP WELL WATERS. 43 

of the strata in which the drill is working is always of value, for he 
has means of inference as to the strata in the "chuck" and in the 
wear of the drill as well as in the character of the drillings brought 
up in the slush bucket. 

CHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF WELL WATERS. 

By W. S. Hendrixson. 
SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION. 

In the investigation of the quality of Iowa ground waters the prac- 
tical aim has been kept in view. No attempt has been made to find 
exceptional waters containing uncommon mineral matter or common 
mineral constituents in uncommon proportions. The object has been 
to determine the inorganic chemical substances in average and repre- 
sentative well waters in many localities from the three sources, the 
alluvium, the drift, and the stratified rock. Springs of large flows 
from known formations have also received attention. Wells supply- 
ing towns or important industrial estabhshments have been investi- 
gated in preference to those supplying only a single home or farm. 
Little attention has been given to shallow wells reaching only a short 
distance into the clay and supplied from it by seepage, or to wells on 
river banks which evidently obtain their water from the rivers by 
percolation through a few feet of sand or clay. 

The small funds for the work have made it necessary to avoid 
duplication. One or two wells of about the same depth and casing 
in a locaUty have been deemed sufficient to indicate the quahty at 
that place, unless the wells were very deep and reached the extensive 
aquifers. Wells of the latter type are likely to be of more importance, 
and as a matter of fact their casings are hkely to be of very different 
lengths and are frequently defective. It was, therefore, considered 
desirable to secure analyses of several such wells, even if close together, 
in order to eUminate the accidental to some degree and to draw more 
nearly accurate conclusions as to what quahty of water the main 
sources of supply might be expected to furnish at that point. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

This report contains about 400 analyses of well waters. Of this 
number nearly one-half have been made by the writer with some 
assistance in the chemical laboratory of Grinnell College. About 45 
analyses have been taken from Norton.^ Most of them were made by 
Prof. J. B. Weems, at that time of the Iowa State College at Ames. 
The remainder were obtained through the kindness of the chemists 

1 Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 6, 1896, pp. 353-407. 



44 UlSTDEEGEOUKD WATER RESOUECES OF IOWA. 

of the Iowa railroads, hundreds of pen copies of analyses and blue- 
print sheets of analyses being sent in. The aid given by these men 
has been invaluable. 

The greatest number of analyses was sent by Mr. George M. David- 
son, engineer of tests of the Chicago & North Western Railway, who 
also contributed a full statement of the plants and processes used 
by his road in softening the waters along its lines for use in its 
engines. 

Others who have shown the same generous and obUging spirit are 
Mr. W. D. Wheeler, of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad; Mr. W 
H. Chadburn, of the Chicago Great Western Railway; Mr. M. H 
Wickhorst, of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad; Mr 
George N. Prentiss, of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway 
and Mr. F. O. Bunnell, of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway 



CHAPTER I. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE. 



By Howard E. Simpson. 



\ TOPOGRAPHY. 

BELIEF. 

Iowa has but one primary physiographic form — the prairie plain. 
Taken as a whole it is a typical prairie State. Here waving grasses 
once covered the gently rolling uplands and deciduous trees bordered 
the dark and slowly meandering streams. Now the deep, rich soils, 
moistened by ample and well-distributed rainfall, offer rich returns 
for agriculture, and cultivated groves dot the landscape in every 
direction. 

The relief of Iowa is slight. The general surface elevation varies 
from 494 feet above sea level at Keokuk in the extreme southeast 
corner to 1,551 feet at Ocheyedan in Osceola County near the north- 
west corner, a range of slightly more than 1,000 feet. The total 
range in altitude between the low water of Mississippi River where it 
leaves the State at Keokuk and the highest mound on the great 
divide in Osceola County is not exactly known, but it does not 
exceed 1,200 feet, a slight relief for an area of 55,475 square miles. 

Originally Iowa was an old sea floor. The alternating layers of 
sands, muds, and lime deposits by which it was underlain were slowly 
cemented and consolidated into sandstones, shales, and limestones and 
raised by gentle uplift mto the great interior plain which slopes south- 
ward from the old lands of Canada and the Lake Superior region. 
Time did not materially disturb the rock layers of this ancient 
coastal plain except to bevel off their surface and they still dip away 
slightly to the southwest, with scarcely a fold or fault to break the 
unity. The surface irregularities are largely the result of long- 
continued erosion by weather and runnmg water, the effects of which 
have been greatly modified and almost obliterated over the larger 
portion of the State by glacial ice, 

45 



46 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

DRAINAGE. 

Though lying entirely withm the Mississippi basin, the rivers of 
the State, when viewed as a whole, are readily separable into two 
distinct systems, one of which drains to the Mississippi and the other 
to the Missouri. The divide between these two systems enters the 
State a few miles east of Spirit Lake and passes southward through 
the eastern parts of Dickinson and Clay counties, thence through 
Buena Vista, Sac, Carroll, Guthrie, and Adair comities. Thus far it is a 
broad, flat, and inconspicuous ridge. The direct extension of this ridge, 
somewhat better defined than before, continues southward through 
Union, Ringgold, and Decatur counties to the Missouri State line. 
The divide, proper, however, turns eastward through Clarke, Lucas, 
and Monroe counties, and thence goes southward thi'ough Appanoose 
County around the headwaters of Grand and Chariton rivers, which 
turn southwestward after crossing the State line and flow mto 
Missouri River. The rivers of the !^iississippi system have a south- 
eastern trend, those of the Missouri S3^stem a southwestern trend 
consequent upon the original slope of the plain. The direction of 
the minor streams generally does not depend in any way on the char- 
acter or structure of the underlying rock. 

DRIFTLESS AREA. 

All of Iowa, except a narrow strip lying along Mississippi River in 
the northeast corner of the State and including Allamakee Comity 
and the northeastern portions of Winneshiek, Clayton, Dubuque, and 
Jackson counties, has been overridden by glacial ice. The topog- 
raphy of this strip is m sharp contrast with that of the drift-covered 
area and must fairly represent the topography of the entire State 
before the great ice invasion. Weather and running water have had 
continuous and undisturbed action on nearly horizontal rocks of 
varying hardness for a long period of time, and the surface has 
reached the stage of mature dissection. 

RELIEF. 

Chief among the many interestmg topograpliic features of the 
driftless area is the vallc}^ of the Mississippi. The Mississippi 
flows from the north through a remarkable steep-sided, rock-walled 
valley 400 to 500 feet deep and 1 to 3 miles wide, swinging south 
in great and gentle curves such as could be carved only by an 
earlier stream of far greater volume. The present Mississippi 
clearly misfits its valley, flowing through a braided network of sliifting 
channels and leaving in its changes numerous ponds, lakes, and 
bayous on the broad plain which now forms its vaUey floor. That 
the valley has been extensively fifled is evident from well borings, 



TOPOGEAPHY. 47 

which reveal great thicknesses of sand, clay, and gravel; at McGregor, 
for instance, 187 feet of sediment, evidently of glacial origin, is found 
above the ancient rock channel. The larger tributaries flow in rock- 
walled, flat-bottomed valleys 100 to 300 feet beneath abrupt bluffs 
on either side and 500 to 600 feet beneath the crests of rounded 
dividing ridges. Near their headwaters they flow through steep-sided 
rocky gorges, and their tributaries have sharply carved and thor- 
oughly drained uplands. Farther down the walls retreat, the 
uplands break into rugged ridges, rounded hills, and flat-topped 
mounds. Here and there, as between Turkey and Mississippi rivers, 
they terminate in the sharp points crowned mth picturesque pin- 
nacles, towers, and long mural escarpments that result from the pres- 
ence of strong cliff-forming rocks underlain by weaker slope makers. 

The main valleys have been cut considerably deeper than their 
present floors and are aggraded with alluvium, probably Pleistocene 
in age. Thus the wells at New Albin strike rock at 130 to 140 feet 
below the surface, or more than 100 feet below the present river 
levels. Moreover, old terraces, remnants of ancient flood plains, 
standing as high as 60 feet above the rivers, mark the height of the 
streams of the region when they ceased aggrading their rock-cut 
valleys and resumed the task of degradation. 

SOILS. 

The soil of the area is chiefly residual, resulting from the decay 
of the country rocks in place. The upland, however, is broadly 
mantled by loess, a fine, porous clay. Many of the steep slopes 
characteristic of the region are nearly bare, the loess cover being 
generally absent. The larger valley floors are commonly filled with 
water-bearing sands and gravels, overlain by rich soil. 

DRAINAGE. 

The drainage system of the driftless area is completely developed 
except for the lakes and other undrained areas on the flood plains. 
Underground drainage is not uncommon in the area underlain by 
Umestones, this being sho^vn by sink holes, limestone caverns in the 
uplands, and numerous large springs wliich rise in the valleys. The 
topography of the driftless area has a very marked influence on the 
underground-water conditions. In the deep dissection of the coun- 
try the many water-bearing beds, such as limestone and sandstone, 
are cut tlirough in many places by the stream valleys, and the water 
is permitted to escape as seepage and as springs from numerous 
joints and fissures or over shale horizons. 

The slopes are so numerous and steep that water can not linger on 
the uplands but is shed rapidly into the streams, affording little 



48 UNDEEGEOUND WATEK EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

opportunity for either evaporation or absorption and giving rise to 
occasional floods, which cause serious damage to towns Hke McGregor 
and Decorah, which are situated in the valleys. 

The residual soil is tenacious and relatively impervious, and so 
absorbs httle water. The loess is porous but comparatively thin. 
The broad, flat uplands away from the valleys are the best retainers 
of moisture. In them the ground-water level stands high, and shal- 
low weUs may be had in many places, though the supply is scanty, for 
seepage is slow. The ground-water level, as a rule, however, stands 
low, owing to natural drainage through deep dissection. Kock wells 
are most common and depths of from 300 feet to 600 feet are not 
unusual. In the valleys the ground-water level is but sHghtly below 
the surface, and the gravels and sands in the filled vaUeys carry a 
strong underflow, yielding abundant water at sHght depths. 

DRIFT AREAS. 
GENERAL CHARACTER. 

With the exception of the driftless area above described, every 
portion of the State of Iowa was occupied by an ice sheet at least 
once during the glacial epoch. The general effect of the ice work 
was to wear away the more prominent topograploic prominences, 
to fill the valleys, and to spread rock waste over the area. Portions 
of the State were several times invaded by ice, which left the sheets 
of till, varying in smoothness and thickness, that combine to form 
the present mantle of drift — a mantle averaging in thickness from 
100 to 200 feet, with a probable maximum of 600 feet in Louisa 
County. 

The topography of this region is young as compared with that 
of the driftless area, and is generally independent of the geologic 
structure of the underlying rocks. Only along the margins border- 
ing the driftless area and in the vaUeys of the larger streams is it 
influenced by the preglacial topography. The topographic features 
are chiefly due either to the manner in wliich the ice laid down its 
load of waste or to the subsequent action of the agents of erosion. 

On the whole, the surface left on the retreat of the glacial ice was 
a gently undulating plain. Only near the margins of the drift 
sheets or at places where long pauses were made in the retreat of 
the ice front were marked irregularities produced. Here belts of 
hills with alternating depressions were formed by the irregular 
heaping up of the drift material, producing terminal or recessional 
moraines having characteristic knob and kettle topography. The 
material is cliiefly till, a mixture of clay, sand, pebbles and bowlders 
of aU kinds, deposited directly by the ice. Associated with tliis are 
beds of sand and gravel left by streams of running water and fine 



TOPOGRAPHY. 49 

clays deposited in quiet waters. Overlying the drift sheets of the 
earlier ice invasions over more than half the State is a fine porous 
clay of peculiar vertical cleavage called loess. This formation is 
of eolian or aqueous origin and can be readily distinguished from 
the underlying drift by its lack of pebbles and bowlders. It tended 
to smooth over the slight inequalities of the drift sheets on which it 
was deposited. 

DRIFT SHEETS. 

At least five difi^erent ice invasions, each of which deposited a 
sheet of drift, entered Iowa from slightly different directions and at 
widely separated periods of time during the glacial epoch. The 
drift of the first invasion, formerly known as the sub-Aftonian or 
pre-Kansan and more recently named the Nebraskan, was every- 
where overridden by later ice sheets and is not known to influ- 
ence the topography of the State. The deposits of the remaining 
four invasions, the Kansan, the lUinoian, the lowan, and the Wis- 
consin, are represented on the surface by areas of drift differing 
only slightly in composition but very greatly in age and topographic 
form. 

KANSAN DRIFT. 

The oldest drift sheet appearing on the surface in Iowa is the 
Kansan, which heavily mantles the entire State with the exception 
of the driftless area already described and is exposed in the southern 
and western portions over an area equal to half the area of the State. 
A line connecting Fort Madison, Iowa City, Des Moines, Carroll, 
and Sibley rouglily separates the exposed Kansan area from that 
to the north and east, which is covered by younger drift sheets. 

The evidence offered by unaltered remnants of the old Kansan 
drift leads to the inference that its surface must have been very 
gently undulating and have been characterized by the absence of 
moraines, drumlins, kames, and other lulls due to accumulation. 
The relief of to-day has therefore been developed by the action of 
weather and running water through long periods of time. So long 
have these agents of erosion been at work on the Kansan area that, 
they have in most places drained it and reduced it to a high degree 
of maturity characterized by a heavily roUing topography. 

The drainage is so complete that lakes, ponds, and other bodies 
of standing water are practically unknown except on the flood 
plains of large streams. The slopes are so steep and the run-off so 
rapid that little opportunity for absorption or for evaporation is 
given as compared with the areas of younger drift. On the other 
hand, the loess cover is so porous as to absorb a slow rainfall very 
rapidly. The ground water is relatively low, especiaUy on the 
36581°— wsp 293—12 4 



50 UNDEEGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

higher region about the Mississippi-Missouri divide. It is higher, 
however, than in the maturely dissected region of the driftless area, 
where slopes are very steep and soils tenacious. 

Not all the uplands are so thorouglily dissected. Away from the 
larger rivers broad flat-topped divides retain many of the surface 
features of the original drift plain. Long, low swells alternate with 
shallow swales, through which sharp stream channels have been 
excavated by storm waters. A few damp sloughs and small patches 
of marsh grass in gentle depressions indicate that here at least youth 
lingers in the midst of maturity. In such an upland much of the 
storm rainfall is absorbed; ground-water level is found close to the 
surface in the swales; and shallow wells are common, even on the 
low swells where the houses are located. 

Nearer the rivers little of the plain remains and the country is 
sharply broken into hills and valleys. The slopes, though not so steep 
as in the driftless area, show frequent outcrops of bedrock, from which 
springs flow in places and seepage is common. The larger streams 
occupy broad flat-bottomed valleys and meander over well-developed 
flood plains. So long have they worked that many of them have dis- 
covered preglacial channels in which they are now flowing. In the val- 
leys the ground-water table coincides with the surface of the stream 
and rises in general toward the valley sides. Shallow dug wells reach 
water a few feet down; where gravels and sands have been deposited 
in the valley the underflow is strong and is easily obtained by means 
of driven wells. 

Owing to the steeper slope of the plain in the southwestern portion 
of the State, west of the Mississippi-Missouri divide, and the short 
distance of the headwaters from the master stream, a maturity has 
been attained beyond that of any other drift-covered portion of the 
State. The rivers flow through deep, broad, nearly parallel valleys, 
the floors of which are underlain by gravel, sand, and clay. Most 
striking of these valleys, perhaps, are those of Nishnabotna and 
Nodaway rivers. The valley floors of these range from 1 to 4 miles 
in width and are so terraced that only a narrow belt is exposed to 
frequent flood waters. Throughout these valleys shallow wells furnish 
an abundance of good water from the sand and gravel layers of the 
alluvium. 

Missouri River, on the western border of Iowa, lies within the area 
of Kansan drift and meanders tln'ough a postglacial valley partly filled 
with yellow loess. Its broad flood plain, constantly sliifting channel, 
muddy waters, and ever-present snags, are among its most striking 
characteristics' 



TOPOGRAPHY. 51 

ILLINOIAN DRIFT. 

In the southeast corner of the State a small area of younger drift 
overlies the Kansan, extending along Mississippi River from Princeton 
to Fort Madison in an irregular belt 5 to 20 miles in width. The depos- 
iting ice sheet came from the northeast and the drift is known as the 
Illinoian. The surface of the whole is thicldy mantled with loess. 

Several important rivers, among which are the Cedar, the Iowa, 
and the Skunk, have had a marked influence on the topography in the 
vicinity, excavating deep, wide valleys in the soft drift. 

The greater part of the area retains the characteristic features of a 
young drift plain. Few sloughs remain and the storm waters have 
washed out well-marked drainage channels, but broad tabular areas 
of the original plain still persist, forming large, level, floorlike divides. 
The Mississippi here occupies a narrow channel whose youth is indi- 
cated by rock-cut portions at Le Claire, Davenport, and Keokuk. 

At its western margin the Illinoian drift sheet thickens into a 
low morainal ridge, beyond which a broad, flat channel, roughly 
paralleling the Mississippi from Bellevue to Fort Madison, marks the 
temporary channel occupied by that river wliile diverted by the 
Illinoian ice. In "The Forks" between Cedar and Iowa rivers in 
Louisa and Muscatine counties lies a level sandy plain, the bed of an 
extinct glacial lake, whose waters were held between blufi^s bordering 
Iowa River on the west and the ice front on the east. The diverted 
j\Iississippi, flowing down from the northeast, was here blocked and 
ponded until it rose sufficiently to flow away southward over the 
blufi^s through the channel mentioned. 

The loess cover of the Illinoian drift readily absorbs water and the 
general ground-water level stands high except in the broken areas near 
the larger rivers and at the margins of the drift. In such places the 
conditions resemble those in the Kansan area. 

10 WAN DRIFT. 

Over the greater jjart of the northeast quarter of the State lies 
the di'ift left by the lowan ice sheet. Its borders on the south and 
east are remarkably sinuous owing to the projection of many long, 
narrow tongues. It is overlain on the west by the younger Wisconsin 
drift, the margin of which lies near Clear Lake and Eldora. Its 
southern margin passes near Grinnell, Belle Plaine, and Iowa City. On 
the east it is separated from the driftless area by a narrow belt of 
Kansan drift. 

The topography of the region is characteristic of a youthful drift 
plain. The irregularities left in the drift by the departing ice sheet 
still remain. The loess, which so fully mantles the older drift sheets 
in the southern part of the State, is conspicuous by its absence, being 
found oifly in irregular patches near the margin. The surface is 



52 UNDEKGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

gently undulating. Low flat swells alternate with swales, on whose 
broad floors "sloughs," marshy remnants of glacial lakes, give rise to 
small creeks which follow a sluggish, winding course toward the master 
streams. In the northeast portion bowlders strew the surface, 
especially in sags and swales where some of the drift has been removed 
by erosion. Near the southern margin of the lowan area the even 
surface rises into low hills with parallel axes, apparently drumloid in 
character, but capped with loess. To these hills the name paha has 
been given. Along the southwestern margin in Tama and Benton 
counties they become more knobby and much resemble a terminal 
moraine. 

The river valleys are not well developed, as in the area of the Kan- 
san drift, but flow in narrow channels between steep banks of drift 
and alluvium except where they have found preglacial channels held 
open during ice invasion. 

Natural drainage is not complete in the lowan drift area, but the 
process is being rapidly hastened by artificial mea.ns. In no other 
part of the State can man so easily aid nature in this respect. The 
young stream courses are well marked and, when once the sod in 
theu" bottoms has been broken by the plow, they deepen rapidly and 
form the outlets for extensive systems of tile drainage. The excess of 
water which would otherwise form ponds and sloughs in the low flat 
areas is thus readily drained off, yet so slightly is the ground-water 
level lowered beneath the surface that the normal moisture is retained 
during dry seasons, a most favorable condition for agriculture. 

Throughout the lowan area the ground-water level stands high. 
The lack of the porous loess cover probably tends to increase evapo- 
ration and run-off, but owing to the flatness of the surface the run-off 
is slow. Most wells find water within a few feet of the surface, but 
owing to the imperviousness of the drift many fail to obtain a large 
supply until they penetrate the bedrock. 

WISCONSIN DRIFT. 

The youngest of all the drift sheets in Iowa, that deposited during 
the Wisconsin ice invasion, lies in a broad lobe extending from the 
north boundary of the State to the city of Des Moines, its western 
margin being near Sibley, Storm Lake, and Panora, and its eastern 
near Clear Lake, Iowa Falls, and State Center. 

The area presents all the characteristics of early youth. It is an 
undissected drift plain in which the drainage remains strikingly 
incomplete, the topography being practically as the ice sheet left it. 
Low rounded swells separate shallow basins, in which lie numerous 
sloughs, lakes, ponds, and peat bogs. The smaller streams wander in 
narrow, crooked valleys and in many places end in undrained basins. 
The few rivers are simple consequent streams; some occupy shallow 



TOPOGEAPHY. 53 

channels on the surface of the plain and others have cut deep trenches 
in the drift, but all lack well-developed systems of tributaries. 

A feature of this drift area is the accumulation of well-marked 
terminal moraines on the eastern and western margins, together with 
several recessional moraines within the area. On the eastern margin 
a distinct belt of knobs 50 to 100 feet in height enters the State along 
the north boundary of Winnebago County and passes southward 
through Hancock, Cerro Gordo, Franklin, and Hardin counties, 
dying out in the western part of Marshall County. On the west side 
another belt, partly terminal and partly recessional, enters Dicldn- 
son County and curves southward through Clay, Palo Alto, Buena 
Vista, Sac, Carroll, and Greene counties and dies out in the northeast 
corner of Guthrie County. Well-marked recessional moraines are 
found in northern Boone and adjacent counties and in Webster 
County. 

The Wisconsin drift area is the lake region of Iowa. A few ponds 
and sloughs occur in the lowan drift area, and lagoons, cut-offs, and 
bayous are found on the flood plains of all the larger rivers of the 
driftless area and of the Kansan drift area, but the only lakes of 
importance in the State are found in the Wisconsin area and are of 
glacial origin. They lie chiefly within the heavy morainal belt 
already described and occupy irregular depressions between the 
kames. Chief among them are Spirit, Okoboji, Storm, Wall, and 
Clear lakes. The last named furnishes the water supply for the town 
of Clear Lake, and several are valuable sources of ice. 

The problem of adequate drainage is more difficult in the Wisconsin 
area than anywhere else in Iowa. The lakes, ponds, and sloughs all 
indicate a high ground-water level. The absence of the loess leaves the 
drift without a porous cover and the tenacious quality of the bowlder 
clay prevents the entrance of much water into the ground. Wells in 
swales therefore find abundant water, but on the higher portions they 
must be driven deep, frequently into rock, to get a plentiful supply. 
The surface waters are so abundant, however, that fewer stock wells 
are necessary than in other areas. 

SUMMARY. 

The level character of the prairie plain is such as to favor the ready 
absorption of rainfaU by the soils and to cause the ground water to 
stand near the surface of the drift or the country rock and to be within 
easy reach of comparatively shallow wells. The gently rolling char- 
acter of the topography insures good drainage, thus preventing 
stagnation of water on the surface, and lowers the ground-water level 
far enough to permit purification of the downward percolating waters 
by filtration before they join the great underground system. The 
topographic conditions, in connection with drift soils such as are 



54 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF lOWA. 

found throughout nearly all of the State of Iowa, insure a supply of 
underground waters at depths which permit most of the inhabitants 
outside of the large cities to be supplied at very slight cost. 

CLIMATE. 

GENERAL CONDITIONS.' 

The climatic conditions of the State of Iowa are, on the whole, 
favorable to a good and constant supply of underground water. 
Most important of these conditions are precipitation and tempera- 
ture, both of which, though liable to marked variations from the 
normal, are shown, by the abundant annual rewards of agriculture, 
to be favorable to the storage and conservation of the moisture in 
the soils and country rock. Nothing approaching a failure of crops 
either by drowning or drought has been experienced in the history 
of Iowa — a history which now spans more than three-quarters of a 
century. 

Climatic observations within the present boundaries of Iowa were 
officially taken by the medical officers of the United States military 
posts as early as 1820, and widely scattered, though systematic, records 
were kept with standard instruments under the direction of the War 
Department and the Smithsonian Institution until 1870, when the 
Weather Bureau was established. Since 1890 the State govern- 
ment has cooperated with the Weather Bureau through the Iowa 
Weather and Crop Service. 

There exists, therefore, a series of records covering a period of 
over 90 years, durmg all of which time much attention has been 
given to both temperature and rainfall. Though the early records 
are few and incomplete they are of value in indicating the constancy 
of the Iowa cHmate and the error of many who have not carefully 
studied the conditions in beheving that marked changes have taken 
place. The observed facts make it highly improbable that any 
important change in the average precipitation of either rain or snow 
has taken place since the settlement of the region by civiUzed people. 

TEMPERATURE. 

The mean annual temperature of the State is 47.5° F. The varia- 
tion from this figure scarcely ever exceeds 2° ; but owing to the location 
of the State m the mterior of the continent, exposed alike to cold waves 
from the northwest and warm waves from the south, the average 
annual range of temperature amounts to 136°. The highest temper- 
ature recorded is 113° and the lowest is —43°, giving the remarkable 
range of 156° between the highest and lowest observed temperatures. 

1 Detailed information regarding climatologic conditions in Iowa may be found in the following reports: 
Sage, J. R., Climate and crops of Iowa: Ann. Rept. Iowa Weather and Crop Service for 1902, appendix. 
Hem-y, A. J., Climatology of the United States, U. S. Weather Bureau, Bull. Q, 190G, pp. 62G-G58. 



CLIMATE. 



55 



The mean annual temperature decreases gradually and uiiifoimly 
from Keokuk, the lowest and most southerly point in the State, to 
the higher parts of the north-central region. 

The table below gives the monthly, seasonal, and annual mean 
temperatures as recorded at six climatologic stations of the United 
States Weather Bureau in Iowa and one at Omaha, Nebr. The dis- 
tribution of these seven stations is such as to represent fairly well all 
portions of the State. To these are added for comparison the cor- 
responding mean temperatures for the State as a whole. 

Monthly, seasonal, and annual mean tem'peratures {°F.) in Iowa and at Omaha, Nebr. 



Station. 


3 

d 

1-5 


03 
3 


o 


ft 


^ 

s 



3 


3 


3 
W) 
3 


a 


1 
o 
O 


53 

a 

> 
O 

32 


g 

o 
<c 

P 
19 


.a 

16 


bi 

a 

ft 
cc 

46 


Ol 

a 
a 

3 

71 


d 

a 

3 
3 

48 


c3 

3 

a 
a 
< 


Charles City 


Ifi 


14 


31 


48 


fiO 


68 


73 


71 


63 


."^n 


45 


Dubuque 


18 
90 


21 
19 


33 
32 


49 
50 


61 
60 


70 

70 


75 
74 


72 
72 


64 
64 


52 
5? 


36 
34 


25 
25 


21 
21 


48 
47 


72 
72 


51 

50 


48 


Sioux City 


48 




20 
21 


23 
24 


35 
35 


51 
50 


61 
61 


70 
71 


75 

75 


73 

73 


65 
65 


53 
53 


37 

38 


26 

27 


23 
24 


49 
49 


73 
73 


52 

52 


49 


Davenport 


,50 


Omaha, Nebr 


21 


25 


36 


52 


62 


72 


76 


74 


66 


54 


38 


27 


24 


50 


74 


53 


50 


Keokuk 


24 


98 


38 


52 


63 


72 


77 


75 


67 


55 


39 


30 


27 


51 


75 


54 


■)2 










Iowa 


19.319.2 34.0'48.5 

i 1 1 


60. 1 68. 8 

1 


73.4 


71. 8 63. 7 


51. 9 35. 9 


23. 6 20. 7,47. 5 
1 1 


71.3 


50.5 


47.5 



The first killing frosts of autumn occur about October 5 and the last 
of spring about April 25, the time varying about two weeks between 
the northern and the southern portions. This gives a period of 
about six months during which frost is liable to occur. The streams 
are closed by ice for approximately three months and the surface of 
the ground is sufficiently frozen to prevent ready absorption of rain- 
fall for about four and one-half months. 

The relations of temperature to ground water are very complex. 
They include (1) the immediate and direct relations that govern the 
amount, rate, and form of the precipitation; (2) those that deter- 
mine the proportionate parts of the rainfall that evaporate, run off, 
or are absorbed, as affected by the character of the surface and by its 
freezing, baking, etc.; and (3) those that govern the direct move- 
ments of ground water. The last item is often overlooked, but its 
importance may be suggested by the fact, determined by experiment, 
that water at 100° F. percolates twice as rapidly through sand as it 
doss at 50°; both absorption and flow, therefore, vary greatly with 
the temperature. 

PRECIPITATION. 
CONTEOLLING CONDITIONS. 

The moisture which falls in the form of rain or snow over Iowa 
comes chiefly from the Gulf of Mexico, being drawn in with the 
southerly winds toward the rotating areas of low pressure technically 
called cyclones, which move eastward across the continent with the 
prevailing westerly winds. These cyclonic storms are great in area. 



56 UNDEKGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

moderate in force, and beneficial in effect. They should not be con- 
fused with the violent rotating storms properly called tornadoes, 
which occasionally occur in the middle and eastern parts of the 
United States, maldng a very narrow track and extending over a 
small area. The rainfall is directly cyclonic in winter and indi- 
rectly cyclonic in summer, coming chiefly from thunderstorms in 
the southeastern quadrant of the low-pressure areas. Many of the 
thunderstorms, which average about 37 annually for each station 
in the State, are, however, of the convectional type and are there- 
fore local. 

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION. 

The Iowa Weather and Crop Service has divided the State into 
three sections, northern, central, and southern, each consisting of 
three tiers of counties, extending across the State from east to west. 
The average annual precipitation of the northern section is 29.9 
inches, of the central section 31.5 inches, and of the southern section 
33.6 inches. Each of the sections has been subdivided into three 
districts more or less closely approximating rectangles and con- 
taining from 7 to 15 counties each. The names of these districts 
together with their average annual precipitation are: Northeast, 32.25 
inches; north central, 29.40 inches; northwest, 28.16 inches; east 
central, 32.61 inches; central, 31.66 inches; west central, 29.36 
inches; southeast, 33.65 inches; south central, 32.53 inches; south- 
west, 32.60 inches. On later pages of this volume, in discussing the 
geology and the artesian waters by counties, the counties of the west- 
central district are divided between the northwest and southwest 
districts; and in discussing the chemical character of the waters 
(pp. 135-183) the south-central and southv/est districts are treated 
together. (See fig. 2, p. 140.) 

The highest average precipitation is found in the southeast district 
and the lowest in the northwest. The southeast district has an annual 
average of 5.49 inches more than the northwest district, 1.40 inches 
more than the northeast district, and 1.05 inches more than the south- 
west district. From these figures it is readily seen that there is a 
regularly decreasing gradient from east to west and a slightly steeper 
one from south to north, the steepest gradient therefore being from 
southeast to northwest. 

The highest annual average at any of the United States Weather 
Bureau stations is 35.2, at Keokuk, in the extreme southeast corner 
of the State, and the lowest annual average is 25.8, at Sioux City, 
near the northwest corner; this confirms the relations above stated 
and gives a range of 9.5 inches in the mean amiual precipitation as 
recorded at the different Weather Bureau stations within the State. 

Grouped in north-south belts, the eastern or Mississippi River belt 
has an average annual precipitation of 32.50 inches; the middle belt 



CLIMATE. 



57 



of 31.51 inches; and the western or Missouri River belt of 30.04 
inches. 

Thus, the variations in the geographic distribution of the precipi- 
tation of Iowa are slight; they consist chiefly of a normal decrease 
to the north with latitude and a decrease to the north and west with 
increase in distance from and elevation above the chief source of the 
moisture, the Gulf of Mexico, and with increase in distance from the 
usual paths of the cyclones. 

SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION. 

To give a perfect idea of the relation of rainfall to underground 
waters the records should show not only the amount, but the rate of 
the fall, the cloudiness, the direction and velocity of the wind, and 
the condition of the ground surface at the time. Precipitation falling 
on a moderately dry surface is absorbed more rapidly than that fall- 
ing on hard-baked ground, and still more rapidly than that falling 
on a frozen surface, which is scarcely absorbed at all unless it falls 
as snow. Winter precipitation is therefore of little value as compared 
with summer precipitation. 

Iowa has fairly well defined wet and dry seasons, due to the migra- 
tion of the wind system with the sun. In spite of the location in the 
interior and of the great distance from the source of supply the con- 
stancy of the prevailing westerly winds and the frequent recurrence 
of the cyclones produces a seasonal constant of rainfall which, coupled, 
wdth the peculiar character of the glacial soil, makes the upper Mis- 
sissippi Valley a well-watered region. As the supply of ground 
water, especially that near the surface, depends on the rainfall, the 
amount of precipitation and its geographic and seasonal distribution 
are important. The average annual precipitation as shown by official 
records is about 31.5 inches. The seasonal distribution of the pre- 
cipitation is shown in the table below, which gives the mean monthly, 
seasonal, and annual amounts for the several Weather Bureau sta- 
tions and for Iowa as a whole. 

Monthly, seasonal, and annual mean 'precipitation {inches) in Iowa and at Omaha, Nehr. 



station. 


3 
C 
c3 

1-5 






ft 
< 


>, 

d 

S 


6 

a 

D 




So 
3 
< 


a 

to 

ft 

a 

02 


s 

o 

o 


a 

> 
o 


a 

g 


a 


d 
ft 


i 

a 

3 


^ 

f^ 


03 
3 
CI 

a 

< 


Charles City 


0.9 


1.0 


1.7 


3.0 


4.3 


4.6 


3.6 


3.0 


3.1 


2.1 


1.4 


1.1 


3.0 


9.0 


11.2 


6.6 


29.8 


Dubuque 


1.5 


1.4 


2 2 


3.0 


4.3 


4.7 


4.7 


2.9 


4.2 


2.6 


1.9 


1.6 


4.5 


9.5 


12.3 


8.7 


35.0 


Sioux City 


..5 


.6 


1.2 


2.,S 


4.1 


4.0 


3.5 


3.1 


2.4 


1.7 


.8 


.8 


1.9 


8.1 


10.6 


4.9 


25.5 


Des Moines 


1.2 


1.1 


1.6 


2.9 


4.S 


5.0 


3.7 


3.5 


3.0 


2.S 


1.5 


1.3 


3.6 


9.3 


12.2 


7.3 


32.4 


Davenport 


1.6 


1.6 


2.2 


2.7 


4.4 


4.1 


3.7 


3.6 


3.2 


2.4 


1.8 


1.6 


4.8 


9.3 


11.4 


7.4 


32.9 


Omaha, Nebr 


.(i 


. ( 


1.4 


3.0 


4.4 


5.2 


4.6 


3.5 


2.9 


2.5 


1.0 


1.0 


2.3 


8.8 


13. 3 


6.4 


.30.8 


Keolsuls: 


1.8 
1.05 


1.6 
1.06 


2.4 
1.92 


3.2 
2.83 


4.2 
4.50 


4.4 
4.52 


4.2 
4.44 


3.0 
3.99 


3.8 


2.7 
2.35 


2.0 
1.39 


1.8 
1.19 


5.4 
3.30 


9.8 
9.25 


11.6 


8.5 
7.15 


35.1 


Iowa 


3.41 


12.95 


32.65 



58 



UFDERGEOUlSrD WATEE RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The bulk of the rainfall occurs during the spring and summer 
months and little of it during the winter months, the approximate 
percentages being, winter 10 per cent, spring 28 per cent, summer 39 
per cent, and autumn 23 per cent. Only a small proportion falls 
during the period in which the ground is frozen and absorption pre- 
vented, and a very large proportion, probably 80 per cent, falls in 
late spring and summer when absorption is greatest. This natural 
advantage is greatly increased by the fact that the heaviest rainfall 
occurs during the seasons for the preparation and the cultivation of 
the soil, thus very greatly increasing the absorption. This relative 
increase of precipitation of spring and summer over that of winter 
becomes more marked as the total rainfall decreases from the Missis- 
sippi westward. The summer precipitation at Keokuk is 11.6 inches 
and that at Sioux City is 10.6, a difference of but 1 inch; whereas the 
winter precipitation at Keokuk is 5.4 inches and that at Sioux City 
is 1.9 inches, a difference of 3.5 inches, thus compensating to a large 
degree for the differences in total rainfall. 

A marked effect of the diminution of precipitation during the 
winter months is noted in the slightness of the snowfall compared 
with that of the more eastern States. Though snow falls in all parts 
the State, the annual average fall for 29 years is but 29.2 inches, less 
than one-tenth of the precipitation. The effect of geographic differ- 
ences in precipitation on the imderground-water supply is thus very 
slight. 

VARIATIONS. 

The table below shows that the precipitation for the entire State 
is subject to marked variations from year to year. Since 1890 the 
lowest average for the whole State for a single year was 21.9 inches in 
1894 and the highest 43.8 inches in 1902. Between these extremes 
there has been marked variability, but the tendency to one extreme 
is frequently followed by a tendency to tire other, as illustrated in the 
dry year of 1901 and the wet year of 1902. The general average has 
been steadily maintained through all the long period covered by 

records. 

Yearly variations of rainfall in Iowa. 







[In. 


les,] 






Year. 


Average. 


Variation 

from 
normal. 


Year. 


Average. 


Variation 

from 
normal. 


1890 


31.28 
32.90 
36.58 
27.59 
21.94 
26.77 
37.23 
26. 97 
31. 34 
28. 68 
34.15 
24.41 


-0.24 

1..38 

5.06 

-3.93 

-9.58 

-4.75 

5.71 

-4.55' 

- .18 

-2.84 

2.63 

- 7.11 


1902 


43.82 
35.39 
28.51 
36.56 
31.60 
31. 61 
35.26 
40.01 
20. 03 
31.57 


12 30 


1891 


1903 


3 87 


1892 


1904 


3 01 


1893 


1905 


5 04 


1894 


1906 


.08 


1895 


1907 


09 


1896 


1908 


2 61 


1897... 


1909 


7.36 


1898 


1910 


12 62 


1899 


1911 


1.28 


1900 


Average 




1901 


31.51 











CLIMATE. 59 

Deficiency of summer rainfall sometimes produces partial droughts, 
the effect of which is marked on the streams, sprmgs, and shallow drift 
wells, producing scarcity of water for stock and for domestic pur- 
poses. Heavy drains are made for stock on the deeper rock wells 
when streams are low, and as these rock wells are of small bore they 
are sometimes temporarily exhausted. The texture of the soil and 
other physical conditions, such as its condition at the begmning of 
the dry period, determine its ability to store water under the least 
loss by evaporation. Rather severe general midsummer droughts 
occur at irregular intervals once or twice in a decade. Durmg all 
such droughts, however, many small areas have had practically nor- 
mal precipitation, and the amount has generally been ample in most 
parts of the State. 

The most severe drought on record is that of 1894-95, wliich may be 
ascribed to slight precipitation and high temperatures for two suc- 
cessive seasons. The precipitation for July, 1894, was only 0.63 inch, 
about 15 per cent of normal, and for August was 1.58, about 44 per 
cent of normal. The departure from the annual precipitation during 
the year was —9.5 inches. The extreme in the other direction in 
recent years occurred in 1902, when the precipitation reached 43.82 
inches for the year, 12.3 inches above the normal. 

STJMMARY. 

The information for a satisfactory discussion of evaporation, humid- 
ity, wind velocity, and other minor factors in the meteorologic con- 
trol of ground-water supply is insufficient, but enough data are avail- 
able m regard to the two chief controlling factors, temperature and 
rainfall, to show that Iowa, though possessmg the variable character- 
istics of a continental climate, also possesses the requisite meteorologic 
conditions for a moderately abundant supply of underground water. 



CHAPTER II. 
GEOLOGY. 

By W. H. Norton and Howard E. Simpson. 



GENERAL CONDITIONS. 

The rocks exposed in Iowa belong to four great divisions separated 
from each other by pronounced unconformities. (See PL I, in 
pocket.) 

The oldest division belongs to the Algonkian system and is repre- 
sented by the Sioux quartzite. This quartzite outcrops over only 
a small area in the northwest corner of the State but occurs more 
widely below other formations^ and is also found at the surface over 
considerable areas in Mmnesota and South Dakota. 

The second division is represented by rocks of the Cambrian, 
Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous systems, and 
includes a basal series of clastic beds that may be of Algonkian age. 
This great assemblage of sediments rests on an uneven floor com- 
posed of Sioux quartzite and older crystalline rocks. It consists of 
beds of sandstone, shale, and lunestone, many times repeated in 
varymg order. Where these beds come to the surface they have 
been carefully studied, and the order of then- succession has been 
determined. (See PL II.) They are for the most part apparently 
conformable with one another, but important erosional unconformi- 
ties occur at the base of the Devonian system and between the Mis- 
sissippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian series of the Carboniferous 
system. The oldest exposed rocks of this division are of Cambrian 
age and outcrop in the northeastern part of the State. The strata 
dip in general toward the southwest, and in this direction the younger 
formations become successively the surface rocks. The boundary 
lines between the formations, at the surface or immediately below 
the drift, follow in general the strike of the rocks, and, hence, are 
approximately parallel and cross the State with a northwest-southeast 
trend. (See PL I.) Where the prmcipal unconformities occur, 
however, the boundaries depart from this parallel arrangement. 

The third great rock division of Iowa is represented by Upper 
Cretaceous sandstones, shales, and limestones, which lap over the 
60 



U. S. GEOLOGrCAL SURVEY 



ERA 



SYSTEM 



SERIES 



I Quaternary Pleistocene 
with patches 
of Tertiary 
at base 



Cretaceous 



Upper Cretaceous 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE II 



TER OF STRATA 



Tertiary age are present at the base of the Quaternary 



Permian (?) 



Carboniferous 



Pennsylvanian 



Devonian 



Mississippian 



Upper Devonian 



Middle Devonian 



Dal 



sandstones 



ite marls, sandstones 



Silurian 



Ordovician 



Cambrian 



Algonkian(?i 



Algonkian Huronian 



Archean 



" As used in this report includes at top i 
* Includes upper part of Warsaw limesi 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE M 



COLUMNAR SECTION 



CHARACTER OF STRATA 



Wisconsin drift 



(Peorian Jntcrglacial stage) 



Soil, etc. (Sangamon interglacial stage)_ 
lilinoian drift 



1 gravel ; soii»etc. (Yarmouth interglacial stage) ^ 



Gravel, sand, peat, etc. (Aftonian interglacial stage) 



Sub-Aftonian drift 



Dakota sandstone 



wl. 



'St. Louis limestone" 



Keokuk limestone 



Burlington limestone 




Stony clay, kame, and outwash gravels 
Soil bed,. Ibesa, etc. 
Stony clay 3 



. Soil and ve g etal accumulations 

Stony cl&y 



,Soil, gravel, sand, and vegetal s 



Stony clay and outwash gravels 



Gravel and sand, soil, peat, and forest beds 



Stony clay ^ 

Qfn places stiff, plastic, and impei-vious clays of Tertiary age are present at the base of the Quaternary 

Shales, limestones, chalk " 



Shales, limestones, some sandstones, and coal 



Shales, some sandstones and limestones, and coal 



Limestones, sandstones, shale: 



Limestones, cherts, geodiferous shales 



Shales, magnesian and oolitic limestones, and sandstones 



Middle Devonian 



Lime Creek shale, Sweetland Creek 
shale , and State q uarr y' limestone 
Cedar Valle y limestone 



Shales and limestone 



Wapsipinicon limestone 



Salinai?) formation 



Dolomites and limestones, gypsum and anhydrite marls, sandstones 



I I I , I • I ' ' I t I ' I 



Galena dolomite 



Dolomites and limestones 



Platteville limestone 



Limestones and shalet 



St. Peter sandstone 



Shakopee dolomite 



±±txi=iriErr±t 



Sandstone, white rounded grains 



Prairie du Chien 



New Richmond sandstone 



Oneota dolomite 



. I .1.1 .1 y-r 



111111^" 



Jordan sandstone 



I . I I I .i~r 



St. Lawrence formatioa 



Dolomites, marls, shales 



Dresbach sandstone 



Undifferentiated Cambrian 



Sandstones, marls, shales 



AlgoDkian(?t 
ATgonkian 



Red clastic series 



Red sandstones 



Sioux quartzite 



Gneiss and schist 




Gneiss and schist 



" As used in this report inclQdes at top the lower part of the Warsaw Umegtonc 
' Includes upper part of Warsaw limestone 



GENERAL COLUMNAR SECTION. 



PRE-CAMBKIAN ROCKS. 61 

older formations, and cover much of the northwest and west-central 
parts of the State. 

The fourth great division includes the drift sheets and associated 
subaerial, interglacial, and postglacial deposits of the Pleistocene 
series. These deposits were spread over nearly all of the State 
except the northeast corner, and in most localities they still cover 
the older rocks. The distribution of the different Pleistocene forma- 
tions is shown m Plate III (in pocket) . 

The rock structure is shown in detail in the geologic sections. 
Plates V to XVIII, inclusive. The location of these sections is 
indicated in figure 1 . 

PRE-CAMBRIAN ROCKS. 

ARCHEAN SYSTEM. 

Foliated rocks — schists and possibly gneisses — have been found 
in several deep wells in the northwestern part of Iowa. At Sioux 
City they were reached at a depth of 1,260 feet (135 feet below sea 
level), and continued to the bottom of the drill hole, which is 2,000 
feet m depth. At Le Mars a rock called by Todd ''a gneiss (?)," 
consisting of orthoclase, quartz, and muscovite, occurs at 215 feet 
above sea level, and crystalline foliated rocks, either gneisses or 
schists, continued for 500 feet to the bottom of the boring. 

ALGONKIAN SYSTEM. 
SIOUX QUARTZITE, 

The Sioux quartzite (popularly but erroneously called "Sioux Falls 
granite") outcrops over a very small area in the northwest corner of 
the State. This familiar building stone of our large cities is an 
intensely hard, pink, vitreous rock, consisting of rolled sandstone 
grains cemented mainly with secondary interstitial quartz. Qviartz- 
ite, presumably of the same age, occurs in the Baraboo region of 
southwestern Wisconsin. At Lansing, Iowa, the ''granite" noted 
in a driller's log at 71 feet above sea level may well be quartzite, here 
sunk nearly 1,500 feet below its elevation at Baraboo, 75 miles east. 
"Granite" reported at Mason City and Emmetsburg is not confirmed 
by drillings of any crystalline rock in the sample preserved. At Cedar 
Rapids an intensely hard, sdiceous rock of reddish color was struck 
at 1,417 feet below sea level and penetrated for a distance of 75 feet; 
but at Tipton, in an adjacent county, a well drilled to 1,886 feet below 
sea level failed to discover quartzite or any other crystalline rock. 
At Burlington the reported occurrence of "quartzite (?) and slate" 
at the bottom of the Crapo Park well, 2,430 feet deep (1,745 feet below 
sea level), is not fully confirmed by the drillings, as the reddish 
siliceous chips show no signs of fracture across grain and cement, 



62 



UISTDEEGROUND WATEE EESOURCES OF IOWA. 



and the "slate," though an mdurated shale, is accompanied with 
chips of sandstone of Cambrian type. In the not far distant deep 




well at Aledo, 111., no crystalline rock was found, although a depth of 
3,000 feet was attained. 



CAMBEIAlSr SYSTEM. 63 

ALGONKIAN (?) SYSTEM. 
RED CLASTIC SERIES. 

Certain deep wells of Iowa reach red sandstones beneath Cambrian 
terranes. Like the, red sandstones of the deep wells of Minnesota, 
the red sandstones of Iowa seem to be dry, and they may be of Algon- 
kian age. At Tipton the drill reached these red rocks at 1,435 feet 
below sea level, or about the level at which quartzite occurs at Cedar 
Rapids, and penetrated them for 431 feet to the bottom of the drill 
hole. 

SANDSTONES WITH INTRUSIVE SHEETS. 

The deep well at Hull, in northwestern Iowa, encountered, at 755 
feet from the surface (678 feet above sea level), the first of six beds 
of quartz porph3^ry intercalated between saccharoidal sandstones, 
the entire series reaching to a depth of 1,228 feet from the surface 
(205 feet above sea level). 

In the absence of any physical or lithologic characteristics deter- 
mining the age of the sandstones, they have been regarded as prob- 
ably of Algonkian age, on account of the known igneous intrusions 
of the same nature in the Keweenawan, the dikes of ancient lava in 
the Sioux quartzite, and the abs^ence of volcanism in Paleozoic strata 
of the upper Mississippi Valley.^ 

CAMBRIAN SYSTEM. 

OCCURRENCE AND SUBDIVISIONS. 

The Cambrian rocks of Iowa were laid down upon an old sea floor 
which is now exposed far to the north in Minnesota and Wisconsin. 
They probably underlie the entire State, but rise to the surface only 
in the deep valleys of the extreme northeast corner. The younger 
formations overlie the older in the order of their deposition and 
become the country rock to the south and west in successive roughly 
parallel bands, each in turn dipping gradually to the southwest and 
passing underneath the next younger. The formations of the two 
oldest sedimentary systems represented, the Cambrian and the Ordo- 
vician, follow one another in rapid succession and the narrow bands 
of their outcrop roughly parallel one another in intricate patterns. 

The Cambrian, a system of massive sandstone formations several 
hundred feet thick, is an excellent water carrier. At Lansing it was 
found to have a thickness of 1,000 feet. The Cambrian outcrops or 
lies immediately below the drift only in the valleys of Mississippi 
River and its immediate tributaries from the northern boundary of 
the State to McGregor in Clayton County, in the valley of the Oneota 

1 Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 1, 1893, pp. 165-169; vol. 6, 1897, pp. 112, 180, 199. 



64 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

and its immediate tributaries in Allamakee County, and over an 
area of less than a square mile in Winneshiek County. It outcrops 
in all of these valleys only along the base of the liigh bluffs, where it 
has been exposed by the deep carving of ancient streams. 

The Cambrian rocks of Iowa consist of certain undifferentiated 
sandstones, marls, and shales, at the base, above which lie the forma- 
tions known, from the bottom up, as the Dresbach sandstone, the 
St. Lawrence formation, and the Jordan sandstone. 

DRESBACH SANDSTONE AND UNDERLYING CAMBRIAN STRATA. 

DEFINITION. 

In the senior writer's early investigations of Iowa deep wells the 
term "Basal sandstone" was used tentatively to include all Cambrian 
deposits below the base of the St. Lawrence formation, since no term 
used by either the Minnesota or the Wisconsin surveys seemed suffi- 
ciently inclusive, the term Dresbach being employed by the Minne- 
sota geologists to designate only the upper formation of the series 
of strata in question. Since that time the term Dresbach has been 
by some wi'iters used loosely to include all the underlying Cambrian 
strata, but it is used in tliis report in the restricted sense, that is, 
for the sandstone exposed at Dresbach, that being the definition 
adopted by the United States Geological Survey. The Dresbach 
sandstone, wliich in the type region is a wliite, incoherent fine- 
grained sandstone, is of Upper Cambrian age, whereas the underlying 
shales and sandstones are believed by geologists of the United States 
Geological Survey to belong to the Middle Cambrian. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

Sandstones referred by Calvin to the Dresbach outcrop in Iowa, 
along the base of the Mississippi bluffs in Allamakee County from 
Lansing north to the State line. 

It is quite possible, however, that these strata belong to the St. 
Lawrence formation, and if this is true the Dresbach sandstone 
nowhere comes to the surface witliin the limits of the State. 

At Dubuque (PI. VI, p. 258) the Dresbach and underlying Cambrian 
strata were cut by the drill to a depth of 1,100 feet, the base of the 
Cambrian not being reached. To the west these strata seem to thin. 
In east-central Iowa their total thickness is 360 feet at Cedar Rapids 
(PL XI, p. 382), and 463 feet at Tipton (PL X, p. 374), not including 
the red clastic series (Algonkian?) aheady mentioned. In north- 
western Iowa the Dresbach and underlying Cambrian strata prob- 
ably thin rapidly, as they rise on the western side of the median 
trough that traverses the State. In central Iowa, at Des Moines and 



CAMBRIAN SYSTEM. 65 

Boone (PI. XVI, p. 672), it is difficult to draw the line separating the 
Dresbach sandstone from the overlying St. Lawrence formation. 

LITHOLOGIC CHARACTER. 

The Dresbach and the subjacent Cambrian strata include thick 
beds of sandstone of rolled grains of moderate coarseness, ranging in 
color from white to yellow and buff. These saccharoidal sandstones 
are pervious, especially in northeastern Iowa. Close-textured beds 
also occur whose pore spaces have been filled with limy cements. 
Sandstones are found whose angular grains of quartz are so minute 
and so closely packed that the rock must be well-nigh impermeable, 
and with these may be ranged marls, whose fine siliceous grains 
were mingled with mud and lime as they were laid on the sea floor. 
These marls and impure sandstones contain many dark-green, round, 
subtranslucent grains of glauconite. Limestones are unknown. No 
order of succession has been made out for the beds. In several wells, 
as those at Dubuque, Manchester, Anamosa, and Tipton (Pis. VI, 
IX, X), the upper sandstone (Dresbach sandstone) rests on marls or 
arenaceous limy shales, which are in turn succeeded by heavy basal 
sandstones. 

ST. LAWRENCE FORMATION. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

On the Dresbach sandstone rests a heavy body of dolomite and 
shale, known as the St. Lawrence formation, which outcrops as cal- 
careous and sandy shales in the bluffs of the Mississippi in the north- 
eastern county of the State. In eastern and north-central Iowa the 
limits of the formation are usually well drawn in deep-well sections, 
and its dual nature, dolomitic above and argillaceous below, is clearly 
seen. To the southwest the limits of the formation become difficult 
to trace, as the sandstones, both above and below, become more dolo- 
mitic or more clayey. At McGregor (PI. V, p. 258) the formation 
consists of a few feet of arenaceous dolomite, left uneroded in the 
bottom of the preglacial channel of the Mississippi, and by 113 feet of 
green shale immediately subjacent. At Waverly (PI. VII, p. 272) and 
Sumner the upper dolomitic beds are respectively 150 and 170 feet 
thick and the shales and marls beneath reach the surprising thick- 
ness of more than 300 feet. In each of these places sandy beds occur 
near the middle of the shales, and if the upper limit of the Dresbach 
were drawn at the summit of these sands the thickness of the shales 
left to the St. Lawrence would accord with the thickness reported in 
other deep- well sections. At Charles City the formation was pene- 
trated for probably 330 feet. (See PI. V.) Owing to a gap in the 
record, the upper limit is not certainly known. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 5 



66 UNDEEGKOTJJ^D WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

At Dubuque an imperfect record allows less than 200 feet for this 
formation. At Manchester it reaches a total of 242 feet. (See PL 
VI.) Southwest of Dubuque the massive basal shales and arena- 
ceous marls fail to maintain themselves. At Anamosa (PI. IX, p. 354) 
the formation consists (from above down) of 145 feet of dolomite, 
55 feet of shale, and 40 feet of dolomite. At Tipton (PL X) the St. 
Lawrence embraces 120 feet of dolomite resting on 100 feet of marls. 
At Boone (PL XI) the St. Lawrence is made, with much uncertainty, 
to include 285 feet of glau coniferous shales and marls and close- 
grained sandstones reaching nearly to the bottom of the well. At 
Des Moines (PL XIII p. 526) about 300 feet of similar strata, lying 
immediately below the Prairie du Chien, may be assigned to the St. 
Lawrence with much hesitation. 

LITHOLOGIC CHARACTER. 

The upper dolomitic member of the St. Lawrence is in places more 
or less arenaceous and commonly contains a good deal of finely divided 
angular quartzose material. Glauconite is present in many localities. 
The shales of the lower member are commonly somewhat calcareous 
and siliceous. The rocks, designated ''marls," for want of a better 
term, consist of lime, silica, and clay and give rise to drillings of con- 
creted gray, greenish, bluish, brown, or pink powder. The friability 
of the concreted mass indicates roughly the relative proportions of 
clay and sand, and the reaction with hydrochloric acid shows a large 
amount of lime and magnesian carbonates to be present in many 
places. The quartzose constituent is in the form of fine rounded 
grains and stUl more commonly of impalpably angular particles of 
crystalline quartz. Noncalcareous, plastic, pink, red, or green shales 
also occur, and in some places these are hard and fissile. 

For these marls the characterization of Winchell of outcrops in 
Minnesota would seem applicable: "Greenish and shaly and yet not 
a shale; calcareous and not a limestone; magnesian but not a dolo- 
mite; finely siliceous but not a sandstone."^ 

JORDAN SANDSTONE. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

The St. Lawrence formation is overlain by a sandstone called the 
Jordan, from the name of a town in Minnesota at which it outcrops. 
In Iowa it comes to the surface only in Allamakee, Winneshiek, and 
Clayton counties in the valleys of the Mississippi and its tributaries. 
In these outcrops it has two phases — a hard sandstone, whose grains 
are embedded in a dolomitic matrix, as at Lansing, and a soft stone, 

> Winchell, N. H., Geol. and Nat. Hist. Survey Minnesota, vol. 1, 1884, p. 255, 



CAMBEIAF SYSTEM. 67 

SO destitute of limy cement that it can be readily excavated with 
pick and shovel, as at McGregor. 

West of McGregor, as far at least as Charles City (PI. V), it forms 
a well-defined bed about 75 feet thick, and to the southwest, at 
Waverly (PI. VII) and Sumner, it is still thicker, reaching 110 feet or 
more. At Manchester (PI. VI) it occurs as 86 feet of clean quartz 
sand, including 4 feet of highly arenaceous and calcareous shale. At 
Waterloo (PI. VI) it attains a thiclaiess of nearly 50 feet. At Ana- 
mosa (PL IX) it reaches nearly 100 feet, including calciferous sand- 
stones, both above and below the main body of pure quartzose sand- 
stone. At Monticello the drill penetrated it for 59 feet. At Cedar 
Rapids (PI. XI) the data are very meager; but a distinct water- 
bearing sandstone, nearly 50 feet thick, is indicated at this horizon, 
with closer-textured sandstones in juxtaposition both above and 
below. At Ackley (PI. VI) it is represented by calciferous sand- 
stones. A gap occurs here of 100 feet, from which no drillings were 
saved. 

In central Iowa either the limestones intervening between the St. 
Peter and the Jordan greatly increase in thiclaiess, or the Jordan 
becomes indistinguishable in the rapidly changing assemblages of 
sandstones, dolomites, and shales which in this area pass downward 
from the Shakopee dolomite. If the former be true the Jordan is 
encountered at Ames (PL XI) 600 feet below the St. Peter in a well- 
marked sandstone, 100 feet thick, composed of clean quartz in well- 
rolled grains. At Boone (PL XI), however, this horizon is held by 
sandstones, close textured and for the most part calciferous. At Des 
Moines (PL XIII) no attempt has been made to divide the Cambrian 
into the formations seen farther east. In southeast Iowa few deep 
wells reach the Jordan. At Burlington (PL XIII) the Jordan, if it is 
present, lies within a space of 300 feet from which no drillings we"'* 
obtained; above this space the strata are clearly Prairie du Chie^ 
and below it they are different beds of the St. Lawrence or Dresbap^^ 
facies. At Centerville (PL X) the magnesian series extends down- 
ward from the St. Peter for more than 700 feet, without reaching 
any heavy sandstone comparable to the Jordan nor any glauconifer- 
ous shales or marls of the St. Lawrence type. 

LITHOLOGIC CHARACTER. 

Typically the Jordan is a loose-textured sandstone consisting of 
rolled grains of clean quartz sand, white or light gray in color. In 
many places the grains are about as well sorted and as perfectly 
rounded and ground by abrasion as are the quartz spherules of the 
St. Peter. In certain beds, however, dolomitic grains appear among 
the drilhngs, indicating either a calcareous matrix or thin inter- 
bedded layers of dolomite. The driller recognizes the Jordan by 



68 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

these characteristics and by its place as the first heavy sandstone 
below the St. Peter, from which it is separated by an interval of not 
less than 300 feet. 

ORDOVICIAN SYSTEM. 

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN GROUP. 

Prairie du Chien group is a term introduced into geologic literatiu-e 
in 1906 to designate the strata formerly called "Lower Magnesian 
limestone." This group is divided, from the bottom up, into Oneota 
dolomite, New Richmond sandstone, and Shakopee dolomite. The 
New Richmond, however, is in many places ill defuied or absent. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

The Prairie du Chien is a distinct cliff maker, and since it is both 
underlain and overlain by weak sandstones it rises in bold escarp- 
ments and castellated walls along Mississippi River and all of its 
tributaries from the northern boundary of the State nearly to Gut- 
tenberg. Owing also to its resistant quality it is distinctly an upland 
group of strata, and forms much of the country rock of Allamakee 
and northeastern Winneshiek counties. In the bold cUffs in which 
the Prairie du Chien outcrops at Prairie du Chien, Wis., opposite 
McGregor, and to the north along the Mississippi and its tributaries, 
it has nowhere been found to measure more than 250 feet. In well 
sections, however, it appears as not less than 300 feet in thicloiess. 
In northeastern Iowa, where the dolomites are well demarked by the 
St. Peter and the Jordan sandstones, the Prairie du Chien varies in 
thickness between 300 and 400 feet. To the west in northern Iowa 
it maintains a thickness of 300 feet at Mason City (PI. V) and of 375 
feet at Ackley (PI. VI). At Fort Dodge (PL VI) 300 feet may with 
certainty be assigned to this terrane. In central Iowa it seems to 
thicken and appears to reach 600 feet at Ames (PL XI) and nearly 
as much at Boone (PL XI) ; at Des Moines (PL XIII) it is probably 
400 feet thick, although its base there can not be accurately deter- 
mined. In southeastern Iowa, at Burlington (PL XIII), it can 
hardly measure less than 500 feet. At Centerville (PL X) more or 
less arenaceous dolomites of Prairie du Chien f acies were still present 
when the drill had been driven 700 feet below the base of the St. 
Peter, and neither clean sandstones nor glauconiferous shales were 
found to indicate that the Cambrian had been reached. South and 
west of Des Moines no wells have penetrated to this horizon. 

LITHOLOGIC CHARACTER. 

In all parts of Iowa, unless it be in the extreme northwest, wherever 
the drill has reached the horizon of the Prairie du Cliien it has not 
failed to find it with the lithologic characteristics of its outcrop quite 



ORDOVlClAlSr SYSTEM. 69 

unchanged. Everywhere it is completely and perfectly dolomitized. 
Drillings are mostly in the form of gray or light-buff sparkling dolo- 
mitic sand. So hard is the rock that chips of any size are rarely 
preserved. When such are found they show a characteristic porous 
or vesicular texture. Heavy beds of dolomite occur which are quite 
free of arenaceous material, but with them are always to be found 
sandy dolomites and thin interbedded dolomites and sandstones. 
When a complete series of drillings is at hand the Prairie du Chien 
commonly exhibits a rapid alternation of beds differing in their are- 
naceous content, and sections based on a few widely separated 
samples can not be reckoned reliable in detail. Quartz sand, native 
in part but no doubt also in part fallen from the St. Peter, is so 
common in drillings from strata at this horizon that the rock is 
designated "sand and lime" in many drillers' logs. Chert is another 
invariable constituent of the Prairie du Chien. Usually white in 
color, it is not accompanied by the bluish translucent chalcedony 
characteristic of the geode beds of the Mississippian. In places a 
siliceous oolite is found, both in outcrops and in drillings ; in the latter 
it is recognized by the white, round grains of chert broken from their 
matrix and showing concentric structure on fractured surfaces. 

The sand grains of the Prairie du Chien are generally rounded, of 
clear quartz similar in facies to the St. Peter and Jordan sandstones. 
The New Richmond sandstone, however, in many places displays, 
both in outcrops and in well drillings, grains which under the micro- 
scope show pyramidal secondary enlargements of crystalline silica in 
optical continuity with the original grains. These crystal facets give 
a distinctive sparkle to the sand in mass. 

Along with these typical features of the Prairie du Chien are others 
that are local and exceptional. Such are marly beds, which yield 
drillings of whitish-gray or pink powder that effervesces freely in 
strong hydrochloric acid, leaving a clayey and minutely quartzose 
residue. Thin beds of green or red shales occur in some places. 
Especially worthy of note is a sandy shale found in places as the 
upper part of the Shakopee dolomite immediately underlying the 
St. Peter sandstone; at Boone (PI. XI) this shale is 10 feet thick and 
at Anamosa 40 feet (PL IX, p. 354) . The Shakopee is distinctly argil- 
laceous at Belle Plaine. At Holstein a red caving shale occurs 20 feet 
below the bottom of the St. Peter; and at Sanborn, according to the 
driller's log, shale and sand extend for 200 feet below this level. 
(See PI. XVII, p. 824.) 

A wholly exceptional facies is that shown in a drill hole sunk for 
oil near Maquoketa (PI. X), the driller's log of which states that for 
241 feet below the St. Peter there extends a brick-red argillaceous 
sandstone, of fine rounded grains, including seams of red shale. As 



70 UNDEEGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

only one sample was supplied for the entire 241 feet, it was the writ- 
er's first impression that the drilling might have been colored by 
particles resulting from the continuous caving in of a comparatively 
thin bed of red shale situated near the top of the Shakopee. But the 
log was made out with unusual care by the foreman in charge of the 
work, and an inspection of the discharge from the sand pump, made 
after the work was nearly done, showed so large an amount of the red 
sandstone as to give much support to the statement of the log. If 
the unconformity believed by some geologists to exist between the 
Shakopee" and the St. Peter is found in eastern Iowa, the sandstone 
in question may be a continental deposit in a small trough or basin, 
covered on subsidence by the St. Peter sandstone. So unlike is it to 
any other body of rock belonging to the St. Peter or the Shakopee in 
Iowa that the writer has not classed it with either terrane. 

The presence of rocks of reddish color underneath the St, Peter is 
reported in a number of wells in Minnesota and Illinois, though never 
to such a thickness as at Maquoketa. Thus in Minnesota the deep 
well at East Minneapohs shows 102 feet of red limestone at tliis hori- 
zon,^ and the well at the West Hotel ^ a dolomitic Hmestone 82 feet 
thick, reddish in color at top. In Illinois a red marl immediately 
subjacent to the St. Peter is reported as 32 feet tliick at Lake Bluff ,^ 
45 feet thick at Winnetka,^ and 40 feet thick at Joliet.^ At the paper 
mill at Moline ''red marl and hmestone" 316 feet thick is reported at 
tliis horizon, and at the East Mohne well the St. Peter is underlain by 
105 feet of limestone resting on 35 feet of red marl.* 

If the red argillaceous sandstone at Maquoketa be not a continental 
deposit, it must be placed with the Shakopee. 

ST. PETER SANDSTONE. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

The St. Peter sandstone, which overlies the Prairie du Chien 
group, is one of the most remarkable water-bearing formations of 
the State. Owing to its slight resistance to weathering and erosion 
it outcrops only in a narrow, sinuous belt about the outer margin of 
the Prairie du Chien. In the vaUey of Mississippi Piver it is seen in 
the sides of the bluffs as far south as Dubuque, and in the valley of 
Oneota River and its tributaries it extends a short distance into 
Winneshiek County. Its chief exposures are, however, in Alla- 
makee County. It consists of a bed of sandstone, normally white 
but in many places stained with iron oxides, which reaches a thick- 
ness of 70 to 100 feet. The thickness of the formation, as disclosed 

1 Hall, C. W., Bull. Minnesota Acad. Nat. Sci., vol. 3, 1889, p. 139. 

2 Stone, Leander, Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci., vol. 1, 1886, p. 96. 

3 Leverett, Frank, Seventeenth Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 2, 1896, p. 799. 
* Udden, J. A., idem, p. 848. 



OEDOVICIAN SYSTEM. 71 

by the deep wells of Iowa, differs widely, though not so widely as in 
Wisconsin, where, owing to the irregular surface of the Shakopee, on 
which the St. Peter was laid, it ranges in thickness from 200 feet in 
troughs to an exceedingly thin layer on crests of the underlying 
dolomites. In the Iowa wells the maximum reported tliickness is 
110 feet at Emmetsburg (PI. XVI, p. 872) and the minimum 15 feet 
at PeUa (PL XIV, p. 548). 

The St. Peter probably underlies the entire State, except the 
extreme northwestern part. In the southwestern part it has not yet 
been reached, but its recognition at Lincoln, Nebr.,^ and at different 
places in Missouri makes its presence there not improbable.^ 

The St. Peter reaches its highest elevation in Allamakee County, 
where it lies not far from 1,200 feet above sea level. It sinks con- 
tinuously to the southwest, and at Des Moines, where last found in 
deep drilling (PI. XVI), it lies at 1,114 feet below sea level, or more 
than 2,300 feet below its elevation in the northeast corner of the 
State. In northern Iowa it dips both from the east and from the 
west toward the median line of the great syncline of the Paleozoic 
strata, and in southeastern Iowa it rises in the Ordovician dome, so 
that it stands higher at Burlington and Keokuk than at Davenport 
and Mount Pleasant. The formation is so important, being the first 
of th^ great series of water-bearing beds which constitute the aquifers 
of the Iowa artesian system, and it is so easily recognized by the 
driUer and the layman, that its elevation above sea level is presented 
on the map (PI. I, in pocket). 

LITHOLOGIC CHARACTER. 

In its outcrops the St. Peter is a massive homogeneous bed of sand, 
so loosely cemented that it is readily excavated with the spade. 
Hand specimens of any size are difficult to obtain. No traces of 
lamination or oblique stratification appear, and the few ill-defined 
bedding planes are 10 to 15 feet apart. 

The individual grains are exceptionally uniform in size. They are 
of clear quartz, worn no doubt from the crystalline grains of acidic 
igneous rocks and representing the survival of the hardest. In this 
respect they differ from the varicolored grains of the Dakota sand- 
stone and the sand beds of the drift. They are also remarkable for 
the perfection of their rounding. The smoothness of these spherules 
and their "millet seed" appearance suggest that they had suffered 
long attrition under the winds of ancient deserts before they were 
deposited in the sea. Their shape distinguishes them from the sub- 
angular sands of the coal measures and from the faceted grains of 

1 Sixth Bienn. Rept. Nebraska Commissioners Public Lands and Buildings, 1888, pp. 59-84. 

2 The St. Peter sandstone has been found recently at Nebraska City, Nebr., at 2,783 feet below the 
surface. 



72 trisTDEEGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

the New Richmond, as well as from those Cambrian sandstones that 
are composed of minute angular particles of quartz. 

The transition from the St. Peter, either to the beds above it or to 
those below, is not everywhere abrupt. Arenaceous shales may- 
intervene between it and the Shakopee dolomite, and still more 
commonly the Shakopee seenas to include thin beds of sandstone. 
These sandy beds were noted in the field by McGee, and led him to 
classify the Shakopee as a part of the St. Peter.^ To recognize such 
sand beds in the drillings of deep wells is far more difficult, but 
probably the considerable amount of quartz sand m many wells, 
mingled with dolomitic chips from the Shakopee, comes from inter- 
calated sandstone beds rather than from above or from sand dis- 
seminated throughout the limestone. At Boone and Sabula the St. 
Peter apparently includes intercalated beds of sandy shale. The 
St. Peter is also in places overlain by transitional sandy shales and 
limestones, the deposition of which in some areas inaugurated the 
Platteville epoch. At Des Moines a brown arenaceous dolomite, 30 
feet thick, is parted from the St. Peter by a hard green shale 10 feet 
thick. (See PI. XIII, p. 526.) At Washington (PL X) the St. Peter is 
overlain by a thin bed of sandy shale. At Charles City (PI. V) a 
stratum, 70 feet thick, of fine-grained argillaceous sandstone rests on 
St. Peter of normal facies. At Mason City (PI. V) a yellow, highly 
arenaceous dolomite 20 feet thick, and at Belle Plaine (PL VIII) a 
thin bed of arenaceous limestone occupy this horizon. At Postville 
(PL V) the St. Peter was apparently encountered at 755 feet above 
sea level; but, after passing through 14 feet of this sandstone, the 
drill entered limestone of PlatteviUe facies, in which it continued to 
689 feet above sea level, when it reached an arenaceous, nondolo- 
mitic limestone, which continued 13 feet to the bottom of the boring. 
If studied in the field, it is probable that some of these arenaceous 
transition beds would be classed with the St. Peter, but for the 
purposes of this investigation it has seemed better to place them with 
the superjacent or subjacent formations. 

ROCKS BETWEEN THE ST. PETEK SANDSTONE AND THE 
MAQUOKETA SHALE. 

SUBDIVISIONS. 

Upon the St. Peter sandstone rests a series of limestones, shales, 
and dolomites which extends upward to the base of the Maquoketa 
shale. The upper dolomitized beds of this series have long been 
knov,rn as the Galena dolomite, while the lower limestone and shales 
have usually been termed the " Trenton. '^ In the report of the 

1 McGee, W J, Pleistocene history of northeastern Iowa: Eleventh Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, 
pt. 1, 1891, p. 332. 



OEDOVIClAlSr SYSTEM. 73 

senior author on the artesian wells of Iowa ^ the entire series was 
treated as a single formation, called the ''Galena-Trenton/' whose 
strata were shown to be affected by dolomitization to varying depths 
at different places. Since the publication of this report an interme- 
diate formation, the Decorah shale, has been discriminated. The 
calcareous beds which overlie the Decorah shale are now known as 
the Galena dolomite, and the limestones and shales which inter- 
vene between the Decorah shale and the St. Peter sandstone are 
termed the Platte ville limestone. These formations rise to the 
surface in northeastern Iowa in a very broken and irregular area, 
which extends from the northvv^estern part of Winneshiek County as 
far south as Bellevue in Jackson County. 

PLATTEVILLE LIMESTONE AND DECORAH SHALE, 

In weU sections the Platteville is singularly persistent. It embraces 
a shale bed immediately overlying the St. Peter — the Glenwood shale 
of the Iowa State Survey — and an overlying body of limestone. Few 
well sections in Iowa reach the horizon of the St. Peter without finding 
either this basal shale of the Platteville or the higher Decorah shale, 
although in many wells the three divisions can not be made out. 

The shales of the Platteville limestone and the Decorah shale are 
typically rather harder, darker, and a brighter green than the Maquo- 
keta shale. Even where no record or sample of them is preserved, char- 
acteristic chips, evidently fallen from above, are sometimes brought up 
from lower levels. At Manchester (PI. VI) both the Decorah shale 
and the basal shale of the Platteville were found, the Decorah being 
5 feet thick and carrying Orthis ferveta Conrad, Stroijhoraena trenton- 
ensis W. and S., and several Bryozoa. A body of typical earthy blue- 
gray Platteville limestone, 72 feet thick, here intervenes between the 
two beds of shale, the lower one of which is only 7 feet thick. In 
northern Iowa, at Hampton, the basal shale of the Platteville is 40 
feet thick; at Charles City (PL V) 70 feet of arenaceous shales are 
overlaki by 90 feet of more typical shale; at Waverly (PI. VII), 
Sumner, Maquoketa (PI. X), and Clinton (PI. XI), the Platteville lime- 
stone and the Decorah shale are well exhibited, their total thickness 
in the last two places measuring about 100 feet, including the shale 
at the base of the Platteville. In northwestern Iowa the basal shale 
of the Platteville reaches 50 feet at Sanborn (PI. XVII), 95 feet at 
Emmetsburg (PL XVI), 110 feet at Mallard (PL XVI), and somewhat 
less than 50 feet at Cherokee and Holstem (PL XVII). At Des 
Moines the basal shale member of the Platteville is also present, and 
the Platteville and the Decorah have a combined thickness of 50 feet 
(PL XVI), but the limestone of the Platteville is exceptional in that 

1 Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 6, 1897, pp. 145 fE. 



74 UIsrDBEGBOUN"D WATER EESOUKCES OF IOWA. 

it is dolomitic. In southeastern Iowa the Platteville reaches a thick- 
ness of 90 feet at Pella and of 100 feet at Burlington. (See PL XIII.) 

The Decorah shale extends to the extreme southwest corner of the 
State; for in the deep boring at Nebraska City, Nebr., it was found 
at a depth of 2,754 feet, and its identification by stratigraphic and 
lithologic characteristics was amply confirmed by Ulrich's determi- 
nation of the distinctive fossils Stictoyora angularis and Balmanella 
subsequata var. minneapolis (?). 

In a number of places the Platteville limestone includes a brown 
bituminous shale from which the drill chips fragments that readily 
give forth long flames when ignited. This is the case at the Platte- 
vUle outcrops near Dubuque. In southeastern Iowa this bituminous 
shale occurs at PeUa, Letts, Washington, and Burlington. Its pres- 
ence is of special interest, for it is from this horizon that the natural 
gas and petroleum of some large fields in other States rise to be stored 
in the reservoirs of overlying rocks. The presence of bituminous 
shale or other bituminous rock as a source is but one of the condi- 
tions for the accumulation of these illuminants in paying quantities. 
As no oil or gas has been found in the weUs which reach the Platte- 
vUle, even where the formation is bituminous, it is evident that some 
of the other equally necessary conditions do not exist in Iowa in any 
area yet explored. 

The limestone of the Platteville is typically compact, blue or gray, 
more or less argillaceous, and in many places f ossUif erous ; under the 
drill it is broken to rather large flaky chips of earthy luster. The 
magnesian content is not sufficient to prevent brisk effervescence in 
cold dilute hydrochloric acid. 

In places the Decorah shale is lacking or unreported, and here no 
definite boundary can be drawn between the Platteville limestone 
and the overlying Galena dolomite. 

GALENA DOLOMITE. 

The Decorah shale is overlain by a heavy body of limestone or 
dolomite, known as the Galena dolomite, which extends upward to 
the base of the Maquoketa shale. In its outcrops in Dubuque County, 
where it is a marked cliff maker along the bluffs of Mississippi River 
and its tributaries, the Galena is known as the lead-bearing rock, and 
is a rough, vesicular buff cherty and crystalline dolomite. More or 
less of the formation is completely dolomitized in other counties of 
its outcrop in northeastern Iowa, but doiomitization is by no means 
universal. In well sections the formation varies, at the same horizons, 
from a rather soft nonmagnesian limestone similar to the Platteville 
to a crystalline dolomite entirely similar to those of its outcrops near 
Dubuque. Thus in passing from Dubuque 40 miles west to Man- 
chester the Galena changes from a homogeneous body of heavily 



OKDOVICIAN SYSTEM. 75 

bedded dolomite fronting the Mississippi in a wall 250 feet high to a 
series of thin-bedded earthy blue and gray limestones. Dolomite is 
absent also at Waterloo and Waverly. Where only a part of the 
formation is dolomitized, as at Sumner, Charles City, and Hampton, 
it is generally the upper portion. Dolomitic beds are present at 
Anamosa, Monticello, Clinton, Cedar Rapids, Tipton, Boone, and 
Fort Dodge. West of Des Moines River only dolomites occur in the 
samples of the drillings of this terrane. In central Iowa the formation 
is wholly dolomitic and in southeastern Iowa either the entire forma- 
tion or the great bulk of it is either dolomitized or is crystalline and 
strongly magnesian. 

THICKNESS OF THE PLATTEVILLE, DECORAH, AND GALENA FORMATIONS. 

In northeastern Iowa the Galena, Decorah, and Platteville forma- 
tions have a combined thickness ranging from 300 to 350 feet. At 
Vinton their combined thickness is 401 feet and at Waverly it is 420 
feet. In northern Iowa these formations persist far to the west. 
At Charles City (PL V) they together measure 380 feet, at Mason 
City (PL V) 405 feet, at Mallard (PL XVI) 375 feet, and at Emmets- 
burg (PL XVI) hardly less than 300 feet. At Osage (PL VII) they 
appear to be about 500 feet thick, but the apparent increase is prob- 
ably caused by including dolomitic portions of the Maquoketa. At 
Holstein magnesian limestones at this horizon aggregate 500 feet in 
thickness, and at Cherokee they measure 300 feet. (See PL XVII.) 
In the extreme northwestern part of Iowa the formations appear to 
thin and may feather out. At Sanborn (PL XVII) the driller's log 
places a bed 50 feet thick of "shale with streaks of rock" imme- 
diately above the St. Peter, and this bed may represent the entire 
thickness of the three formations, Galena, Decorah, and Platteville. 
In central Iowa the combined thickness probably attains its maxi- 
mum, measuring 410 feet at Boone and 508 feet at Des Moines. (See 
PL XVI.) In southeastern Iowa it thins markedly. At PeUa the 
beds measure 350 feet, at Burlington 273 feet, and at Mount Pleasant 
256 feet. (See PL XIII.) 

MAQUOKETA SHALE. 
DISTRIBUTION. 

The heavy bed of dark bluish-gray clay shale overlying the Galena 
dolomite is known as the Maquoketa shale. It forms a thin surface 
cover over the Galena in a broad but broken belt across Winneshiek 
and Clayton counties, and it outcrops here and there along Mississippi 
River and its tributaries as far south as Clinton. It disintegrates so 
rapidly as to allow the massive overlying Niagara limestone to form a 
bold mural escarpment extending along the entire length of Turkey 



76 trNDEEGEOXJND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

River on the western side — an escarpment that clearly marks not only 
the south and west limits of the Maquoketa as country rock but also 
fixes the western boundary of formations of the Cambrian and 
Ordovician rocks. 

The Maquoketa varies greatly along its narrow outcrop from Clinton 
northw^est to the Minnesota line. To the southeast it is a heavy body 
of shale. Thickening to the northwest, it comes to include an upper 
shale 125 feet thick, a medial bed of cherty magnesian limestone in 
places 50 feet thick, and lower beds of shales and shaly limestones 
which may locally attain a thickness of 100 feet; in well sections this 
triple division, which was perhaps first observed in this investigation, 
is well demarked. Again, in many wells the formation may appear as 
asingleundividedbodyof shale, as in its outcrops in Jackson and Clinton 
counties. The tripartite division obtains in northeastern Iowa and 
extends west at least as far as Ackley. Thus at Sunmer the upper 
Maquoketa measures 80 feet, the middle 70 feet, and the lower 50 feet. 
At Manchester (PL VI) the median bed is represented by a thin bed of 
limestone situated about 50 feet from the bottom of the terrane. Afc 
Waterloo (PL VI) the upper beds are 160 feet thick, the middle 75 feet, 
and the lower 30 feet. At Charles City (PL V) the middle Maquoketa 
is 30 feet thick, and at Acldey 21 feet (PL VI). At Hampton the 
main body of shale is as usual the upper Maquoketa, and below it are 
ranged alternately two beds of limestone and two of shale, each about 
20 feet thick. At Fort Dodge also beds of limestone occur at several 
horizons within the supposed limits of the formation. Southward 
from northeastern Iowa the Maquoketa appears as an undivided body 
of shale, as might have been expected from the disappearance of its 
median limestones along its southern outcrops. 

LITHOLOGIC CHARACTER. 

The shales of the Maquoketa are both softer and paler than the 
Cambrian shales, and they lack the arenaceous content found in many 
places in the latter. Their bluish rather than greenish tint helps to 
distinguish them from the Decorah shale. They are not arenaceous, 
as are some of the Mississippian shales, and the absence of carbon and 
the presence of lime serve to distinguish them from many of the 
Pennsylvanian shales. They resemble most nearly the shales of the 
Kinderhook group (lower Mississippian). Drillers know them by the 
forcible and not inappropriate term of ''mud-rock" shales, since they 
appear in the slush bucket as a blue mud. Drillings are preserved in 
hard molded masses of concreted clay, gritless but calcareous and 
magnesian. In places the Maquoketa is highly pyritiferous. It 
includes in some areas bituminous brown shales. These are found 
near the base of the formation in the wells at Monticello, Tipton, and 
Anamosa, and in the drill hole near Maquoketa sunk for oil. This 



SILURIAN SYSTEM. 77 

drill hole was sunk because a show of oil was found on the surface 
of a spring, or sink-hole pool, near the site where the well was after- 
wards drilled, and if this crude petroleum was derived from any 
subterranean source it probably came from the Maquoketa shale. 
At Grinnell (PI. XV, p. 670) bituminous shales 20 feet thick occur 
70 feet below the assigned top of this formation. 

SILURIAN SYSTEM. 

NIAGARA DOLOMITE. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

Among the best water-bearing rocks of eastern Iowa must be ranked 
the Niagara dolomite, the only formation of Silurian age that out- 
crops in the State. Beginning at the prominent Niagara escarpment 
which borders Turkey River along its entire course, filling the great 
eastern bend of Mississippi River to Davenport, and lying east of a 
slightly irregular line drawn from West Union to Muscatine stretches 
the area over which this limestone outcrops or wherein it lies imme- 
diately below the drift. 

LITHOLOGIC CHARACTER. 

Except at one or two localities the Niagara is completely dolo- 
mitized. Chert is not uncommon, especially in the lower beds. 
Minor differences in color and texture characteristic of the subdivis- 
ions of the Niagara can seldom be discriminated in well drillings. 
Lithologically, the Niagara of wells situated near its outcrops and for 
some distance west is a light-bufi, gray, or bluish dolomite, commonly 
subcrystalline and vesicular. Under the drill it may be crushed to 
sparkling sand and drillers may therefore report it in well logs as 
"sand rock." 

Field surveys have shown that the Silurian pinches out in northern 
Iowa until the Devonian overlaps upon the Maquoketa shale, and the 
same condition is found in wells. The formation at the Tipton out- 
crop is 325 feet thick, but at Waterloo it has thinned to 107 feet and 
at Waverly to 50 feet. (See PI. VII.) At Osage (PI. VII) but 150 
feet seems to be left for the combined thickness of both Silurian and 
Devonian. At Hampton but 80 feet can be allowed for the Niagara. 
At Charles City (PL V) the Silurian may reach 180 feet, but as the 
rocks assigned to this horizon are not lithologically characteristic the 
estimate may be a good deal too large and may include some rocks 
properly belonging either to the Maquoketa or to the Devonian. 

West of its area of outcrop the Silurian suffers lithologic changes 
which make its boundaries in many places difficult to determine. 
Thus, at Charles City (PL V) it is supposed to include a considerable 



78 UNDERGEOU]SrD WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

amount of more or less argillaceous limestones that can hardly be 
assigned to the Maquoketa, because they would increase its thick- 
ness beyond probable measures. West of Cedar Rapids, along the 
line of the Chicago & North Western Railway, the Niagara facies is 
retained at Belle Plaine, where the formation measures 345 feet. 
(See PL XI.) At Marshalltown the Silurian is diminished to about 
300 feet and includes brown magnesian limestones and nonmagnesian 
cherty limestones; several samples show more or less gypsum. At 
Ames and Boone the Silurian includes dolomites, thin shales, and more 
or less magnesian sandstones and limestones, the upper limit being 
drawn with great uncertainty, chiefly on stratigraphic evidence. At 
Ackley the Niagara comprises about 180 feet of dolomite, but at Fort 
Dodge, farther west, the strata have so changed lithologicaUy that the 
summit of the Silurian is very uncertain. (See PL VI, p. 258.) 

In southeastern Iowa the SUurian includes a calciferous sandstone, 
which at Washington is reported to be 100 feet thick. At Des Moines 
(PL XVI) arenaceous beds occur near the base of the terrane; at 
Centerville they are 50 feet thick and are composed of fine grains of 
clear quartz, moderately well rounded and sorted, many grains show- 
ing secondary enlargements whose facets give a peculiar sparkle to the 
drillings. Beneath this sandstone lies 60 feet of sandy limestone. At 
Ottumwa a sandy limestone is reported at about this horizon. 

SALINA (?) FORMATION. 
LITHOLOGIC CHARACTER. 

West and south of its outcrops the Silurian comprises an assem- 
blage of limestones and in places red, ferruginous gypsiferous marls 
and beds of anhydrite, which seem best tentatively referred to the 
SaUna, although this terrane has not been positively identified west 
of the Great Lakes. Gypsum and anhydrite are uncommon in the 
rocks of Iowa. Isolated crystals of selenite are present in some of 
the shales, and beds of gypsum occur in the Permian deposits of 
Webster County and in the "St. Louis" strata of Appanoose County. 
Both of these horizons are too high to be correlated with the gypsum 
deposits found in the deep wells. Apart from these two horizons 
drillings from Iowa wells have shown gypsum or anhydrite only at 
the horizon attributed for good stratigraphic reasons to the Silurian. 
In tliis system, however, these minerals are in places too conspicuous 
to escape notice. Bits of white gypsum or of the harder anhydrite 
are readily noted among the limestone chips. The whole content of 
the slush bucket may be a whitish mud concreting to tough masses 
quite unUke marls of similar color. Under the microscope many 
specimens show a field largely occupied with broken crystals of gyp- 
sum or anhydrite, whose identity is recognized unmistakably by their 



SILUEIAN SYSTEM. 79 

brilliant colors under polarized light and by their distinctive cleav- 
ages. Chemical tests confirm these observations. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

These deposits are assuredly Silurian at Marshalltown, where the 
Niagara outcrop is but 75 miles to the east. In central and southern 
Iowa the presence of the Kinderhook above these beds and of the 
Maquoketa shale below them limits their horizon to either the Devo- 
nian or the Silurian. It is most unlikely that they can belong to 
both, and between the two the choice is not difficult. The absence 
of such beds from the Devonian elsewhere, their common presence in 
the Salina of the eastern United States, and other stratigraphic 
reasons leave little doubt that the beds in question belong to the 
Silurian and are of Salina age. The presence of a bed of gypsum 
may therefore be used as a means of correlation. At Des Moines, 
for example, where 588 feet of limestone lies between the base of the 
Kinderhook and the summit of the Maquoketa, the presence of 
gypsum 80 feet from the top and of well-marked beds below leaves 
not more than 80 feet to the Devonian and more than 500 feet to the 
Silurian. (See PI. XV.) On the same assumption, the Silurian at 
Grinnell is assigned 414 feet, the gypsum beds being confined to the 
upper 247 feet; at Pella it is assigned 255 feet (PI. XIII), and at 
Mount Pleasant, where the anhydrite beds are especially well marked, 
about 100 feet. The uncommon tliickness thus allotted to the Silu- 
rian at Des Moines and Grinnell leads to drawing the boundary 
between the Silurian and Devonian higher at neighboring points, as at 
Boone and Ames, than might otherwise be done. (See PL XI, p. 382.) 

If the sub-Mississippian gypsum of central and eastern Iowa is 
considered Silurian, the horizon of the gypseous beds found in south- 
western Iowa below the Carboniferous may also be referred to the 
Silurian ; but the area is so remote from the outcrops of the terranes 
below the Pennsylvanian, and deep wells are so few, that the geologic 
sections in the few deep drill holes that pass below the floor of the 
Pennsylvanian can be made out only with the greatest difficulty. 
In the well at Glenwood (PI. XVIII) a 70-foot bed of gypseous lime- 
stones and shales was struck at a depth of 1,924 feet. If 262 feet of 
superjacent dolomites and magnesian limestones and an included 
bed of sandstone are added, the Silurian will have a probable thick- 
ness of 332 feet. At Bedford, 60 miles southeast of Glenwood, beds 
of gypseous marl and limestone begin at 2,005 feet from the surface 
and continue to at least 2,350 feet. It is interesting to note that 
here ferruginous red and pink limestones occur above the gypseous 
beds, tending to confirm the suggestion that these beds represent the 
deposits of the arid climate of the Salina epoch. At Council Bluffs 



). 



80 UISTDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

fiiagnesian limestones referred to the Silurian and destitute of gypsum 
form the chief bed. 

Though the Silurian as a whole thins out in northeastern Iowa, it 
thickens toward central Iowa, maintaining a thickness of more than 
300 feet to the southwestern border of the State. 

In southeastern Iowa the local upwarp of the lower Ordovician 
strata causes a notable thinning of the Silurian beds toward the dome. 
Thus the Silurian at Davenport, 345 feet thick, thins to some undeter- 
mined part of the 180 feet allotted to the combined Devonian and 
Silurian at Burlington and to a probable 60 feet at Keokuk. (See 
PI. XII.) At Pella the thickness of the combined Silurian and 
Devonian is 420 feet, at Mount Pleasant it is about half that measure, 
and at Burlington it is compassed within 180 feet. (See PI. XIII.) 
The thicloiess of the Silurian and Devonian at Centerville is nearly 
400 feet (PI. X) ; 80 miles east of Centerville, at Fort Madison, it 
measures only 142 feet (PI. XII, p. 514). 

DEVONIAN SYSTEM. 

The Devonian limestones and shales occupy a wedge-shaped area 
whose wide base lies along the northern boundary of the State from 
Winnebago County to Howard County. Pointing southeastward 
and gradually narrowing, it comes to an apex in Scott and Muscatine 
counties. The Devonian includes rocks formed during three princi- 
pal epochs. The uppermost formation, the Lime Creek shale, which 
is of Upper Devonian age, is typically exposed in Cerro Gordo and 
adjoining counties, where it comprises blue and yellow shale (the 
Hackberry substage of the Iowa State Survey) 70 feet thick, overlain 
by dolomite and shale (the Owen substage of the Iowa Survey) 
exceeding 50 feet in thickness. 

In other parts of the State the uppermost Devonian formation is 
known as the Sweetland Creek shale, and in still other areas it is 
represented by the State Quarry limestone of the Iowa Survey 
reports. These three formations have been regarded as more or less 
contemporaneous. Each rests unconformably upon the Cedar 
Valley limestone. The medial formation of the Devonian — the 
Cedar Valley limestone — is of Middle Devonian age, and is the inost 
widely distributed of the three. It comprises an assemblage of lime- 
stones varying widely in color and texture and argillaceous content, 
and in the northern counties includes dolomitic beds, but over most 
of the area the magnesian content falls far short of that requisite for 
dolomite. The thickness of the Cedar Valley limestone in Johnson 
County is estimated at 104 feet by Calvin. The lowest Devonian 
formation — the Wapsipinicon limestone — is also of Middle Devonian 
age. It consists of blue and yellow shales, cherty argillaceous lime- 
stones, local beds of coal and coaly shales (the Independence shale 



SrLUEIAN SYSTEM, 81 

member), gray lithographic Umestones, and breccia beds along with 
limestone of other types. The lowest beds of the Wapsipinicon are 
dolomitized and can not always be distinguished in drillings from the 
Silurian dolomites. 

These Devonian formations can be distinguished from each other in 
some deep wells, but as a rule they can not be separated, and it is with 
considerable difficulty that even the limits of the Devonian as a whole 
are drawn. Thus the highest shale of the Devonian may be imme- 
diately overlain by shale of the Kinderhook group. Wlaere this occurs 
and fossils are absent, the discrimination has been found impracticable 
even in outcrops. Certain shales in a well at Hampton are classified 
as Devonian rather than Enderhook, owing to their stratigraphic 
correspondence with certain heavy shales, apparently Devonian, that 
outcrop at Sheffield. At Belle Plaine the highest shales of the section 
are placed with the Devonian only because of the general dip of the 
strata of the region. (See PI. XL) Apparently there is in central 
Iowa a strong development of the Lime Creek shale, but it can be 
separated from the Kinderhook only by more or less arbitrary lines, 
drawn by the accepted areal distribution and the supposed dip of the 
strata. 

In discriminating the dolomitic beds of the Devonian from those of 
the Silurian, the Silurian beds, except those of northeastern Iowa, are 
generally considered the more persistent and the heavier. Though 
the area of outcrop of the Devonian is wide, measuring about 75 miles 
on the north from east to west, the tliickness of the terrane at any 
point on the area of outcrop is not large. At Waverly (PI. VII) a 
well section shows a total thickness of only 70 feet of Devonian 
rocks, above which the natural outcrops rise some 50 feet higher. 

The greatest thickness attributed to the Devonian is at Marshall- 
town (PL XI), Ackley (PL VI), and Hampton, where it seems to 
reach 300 feet. At Grinnell (PL XV) it is given as about 200 feet and 
is largely shaly. At Homestead (PL XV) heavy shales below the 
drift lie at the Devonian horizon, but if there is here a downwarp, the 
shales may be Kinderhook instead. In southeastern Iowa the Devo- 
nian nowhere reaches more than 175 feet in thickness. At Washington 
(PL X) 100 feet can be assigned to it with some certainty. At Letts 
(PL XIV), Mount Pleasant (PL XIII), and Burhngton the Devonian 
somewhat exceeds 100 feet, and at Pella and Sigourney (PL XIV) it 
reaches about 170 feet. In several places, however, the rocks ascribed 
to the Devonian may include more or less of the basal portion of the 
heavy shales whose main body is unquestionably Kinderhook. 
36581°— wsp 293—12- 6 



82 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM. ^ 

MISSISSIPPIAN SERIES. 
OUTCROPS AND SUBDIVISIONS. 

Mississippian (lower Carboniferous) rocks outcrop along a belt of 
varying width extending from. Kossuth and Winnebago counties on 
the north to Mssissippi River on the southeast, and along the river 
from Louisa County to the Missouri State line. The series embraces 
a wide variety of rocks. With two or three exceptions its formations 
are not thick, and in well sections hthologic change is comparatively 
rapid. 

The Mississipian of the Iowa State Survey reports, and as used in 
this report, comprises three major subdivisions which, from the base 
upward, are known as the Kinderhook group, the Osage group, and 
the "St. Louis limestone." The Osage group of this report, how- 
ever, is not exactly the same as the Osage group of the United States 
Geological Survey, since, for convenience, the former includes at the 
top the lower part of the Warsaw hmestone, the upper part of the 
Warsaw being included in the overlying "St. Louis limestone," as that 
formation is defined in this report. 

KINDERHOOK GROUP. 

The Kinderhook group embraces a median heavy shale with lime- 
stones above and below. In central Iowa the upper nonargillaceous 
beds are strongly developed and furnish the white oolitic and the buff 
magnesian lunestones of Tama, Marshall, Franklin, and Humboldt 
counties. In most well sections it is quite impossible to discruninate 
any basal lunestones from those of the Devonian, and it is in many 
places equally impracticable to discriminate the upper limestones of 
the Eonderhook from the overlying limestones of the Osage group. 
The main body of shale, however, is one of the best-defined in the 
State, especially in southeastern Iowa. At Burlmgton, Mount Clara, 
and Mount Pleasant it runs from 300 to 370 feet in thickness; at Fort 
Madison it is 268 feet thick, and at Keokuk about 225 feet. (See PI. 
XII, p. 514.) North and west from its outcrops in the extreme south- 
east of Iowa, the shales thin somewhat. At Ottumwa (PI. X) they 
measure 165 feet, at Grinnell (PI. VIII) 170 feet, at Sigourney (PI. XIV) 
198 feet, at Pella and at Oskaloosa less than 125 feet. (See PI. XIII.) 
In central and northern Iowa, as on the uplands of southeastern Iowa, 
the shales of the Kinderhook generally fail of exposure, as in preglacial 
time their outcrop formed a belt of weak rock wasting to lower levels 
than the area of stronger rock adjacent, and during the Pleistocene 
this trough was deeply filled with drift. The absence of rock expo- 
sures along a belt of considerable width bordering the line of the 
westernmost Devonian outcrops may thus be explained. 



CAEBONIFEEOUS SYSTEM. 83 

In central Iowa the chief beds of the Kinderhook which reach the 
surface are limestones. The section at Marshalltown (PI. XI) dis- 
closes a thickness of 145 feet for this division of the Kinderhook and 
of 175 feet of underlying shales. At Ackley (PI. VI) 207 feet of shale 
seems to belong to the Kinderhook. At Hampton the 108 feet of 
shales immediately below the drift falls into two divisions and, accord- 
ing to Wnhams/ the same beds occur at several points in the eastern 
part of the county, giving rise to a line of springs. 

West of a line passing through Marshalltown, Ackley, and Hamp- 
ton the shales of the Kinderhook greatly diminish in thickness. They 
are so scant at Ames, Boone, and Fort Dodge that the boundaries of 
the Kinderhook are drawn with greatest difficulty. At Dayton they 
are wholly absent so far as the record shows, although it is possible 
that th6 well may have failed of reaching them by a few feet. Both 
at Boone and at Fort Dodge the base of the Kinderhook is arbitrarily 
drawn at a bed of thin shales lying underneath argillaceous limestones. 
(See PL XVI, p. 672.) 

In southwestern Iowa, at Glenwood, shales 134 feet thick occur at 
the supposed base of the Mississippian, and at Bedford shales 30 feet 
thick are found at this horizon. (See PI. XVIII, p. 898.) 

OSAGE GROUP. 

The rocks of the Osage group immediately overlie the Kinderhook. 
The basal limestones of the Osage are well known to all drillers in 
southeastern Iowa as the Burlington limestone. Under the drill they 
break into flaky chips, many of which are intensely white. Close 
examination shows that the apparent crystalline structure of many 
specimens is due to the crystalline cleavages of the broken plates and 
stem joints of crinoids. In places the stone is made up almost wholly 
of crinoidal fragments, and where finer cementing material is wanting 
the rock becomes full of interstices and permeable to water. The 
lower strata of the Burlington are somewhat thickly bedded with thin 
partings. Toward the top they include chert and brown siliceous 
shales. The overlying beds of the Burlington are less massive and in 
many places parted by shaly layers. These beds pass upward into 
cherts (the Montrose cherts of the Iowa Geological Survey), which 
form the top member of the Burlington and which outcrop along the 
bed of the Mississippi, giving rise by their hardness to the Des Moines 
Rapids, which extend from Montrose to Keokuk. Hard and resistant 
to the weather as these cherts are, they present no special difficulty 
to the experienced driller, for they are brittle, breaking easily under 
the stroke of the drill, and their angular white chips do not pack. 
They occur either irregularly bedded in shattered seams or so disposed 

1 Williams, I. A., Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 16, 1906, p. 482. 



84 UNDEKGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

in nodules that the solution of the limy content of the strata leaves 
them highly permeable and serviceable as water beds. 

On account of their purity the limestones of the Burlington are 
highly soluble. Sink holes along the outcrops indicate where the 
run-off flows rapidly down to subterranean channels excavated by 
solution along bedding planes and joints. 

Above the Burlington limestone the Osage group includes cherty 
coarse-grained limestone and limy shales (Keokuk limestone), which 
at their outcrop abound in geodes — hollow shells of chalcedony or of 
lime carbonate lined with crystals of quartz or calcite. The presence 
of this formation is in some places indicated to the driller by chips of 
milky chalcedony and pieces of broken crystals of clear quartz brought 
up in the slush bucket in some abundance. For convenience the 
lower part of the Warsaw limestone is included in the Osage group of 
this report. 

"ST. LOUIS LIMESTONE." 

The ''St. Louis limestone," the uppermost division of the Missis- 
sippian as here differentiated, forms an important part of the country 
rock over Keokuk, Washington, Henry, and Lee counties, over minor 
areas in adjacent counties, and over Story, Webster, and Humboldt 
counties. Its lowest division consists of shale and shaly limestones, 
wliich properly belong to the Warsaw limestone, but which for con- 
venience are included in the "St. Louis." A median division consists 
of gray sandstones, shales, and brecciated limestones, the sandstones 
predominating. The upper division is made up largely of heavily 
bedded impure magnesian hmestones with some marls. These differ- 
ent subdivisions are distinguished in the shallower wells of the region 
of outcrop, but have not been traced to any distance from their out- 
crop by means of the deeper wells. 

THICKNESS OF OSAGE GROUP AND "ST. LOUIS LIMESTONE." 

The geologic sections (Pis. V-XVIII) show that the combined 
thickness of the Osage group and the ''St. Louis limestone" as differ- 
entiated in this report varies witliin wide limits. The upper surface 
of the Mississippian is everywhere a surface of erosion, not only along 
its outcrops, but also where it is parted by a strong unconformity 
from the overlying Pennsylvanian, and for this reason inequalities of 
hundreds of feet are not unexpected. The change of the Kinderhook 
from shale to limestone in passing north and northwest from its out- 
crops in southern Iowa increases the thickness of the Mssissippian 
above the shabs, but here the upper limestones of the Kinderhook 
can seldom be discriminated from those of higher terranes. Along 
the eastern part of the belt of outcrop the terrane is naturally thin 
because of the absence of the superior members. 



CAEBOmFEROUS SYSTEM. 85 

The thickness of the Mississippian above the Kinderhook amounts 
to about 300 feet in the southeastern part of the State (PL XIV) 
where it passes beneath the Pennsylvanian rocks, measuring 270 feet 
at Pella, 300 feet at Newton, 306 feet at Sigourney, and 320 feet at 
Dayton. Farther west it apparently thickens, and at Centerville 
(PL XVI) it measures a httle more than 500 feet. A hke tliickening 
is observed in central and north-central Iowa. At Ames a tliickness 
of 445 feet is assigned to the Osage and the "St. Louis," at Boone 
(PL XI) 485 feet, and at Fort Dodge 500 feet, although at each of 
these places the base of the Osage is by no means certain. In north- 
western Iowa the Mississippian maintains a thickness of more than 
200 feet at Cherokee. In southwestern Iowa (PL XVIII) it is given 
355 feet at Bedford and 280 feet at Glenwood. At Lincoln, Nebr., 
it seems to have nearly or quite disappeared. 

PENNSYLVANIAN SERIES. 
SUBDIVISIONS. 

Rocks belonging to the Pennsylvanian series (or "Coal Measures") 
lie at the surface or immediately beneath the drift in most of southern 
Iowa and immediately beneath the Cretaceous rocks in western Iowa. 
(See fig. 6, p. 898.) The series is divided into two groups, the Missouri 
and the Des Moines. The Missouri group ("Upper Coal Measures") 
occupies the southwestern part of the State and consists of shales and 
hmestones. The Des Moines group ("Lower Coal Measures") out- 
crops to the east of the Missouri group, and is composed predomi- 
nantly of shales, with some sandstones and a few beds of hmestone. 
Drill cores and natural sections show in each group a rapid vertical 
hthologic alternation, and not infrequently the slush bucket brings 
up from the cutting of the churn drill samples of tliin alternating 
layers of several different kinds of rock. Field exposures show rapid 
horizontal changes in the strata. Thick lenses of sandstone, for 
example, thin out in a few miles and are replaced by argillaceous 
beds. 

DES MOINES GROUP. 

The Des Moines group occupies a belt 50 to 80 miles in width, 
extending from the southern part of Humboldt and Wright counties 
southeastward to the eastern half of the Missouri State line. An 
outher of about 80 square miles overlies the Devonian along Mis- 
sissippi River in the southern part of Muscatine and Scott counties. 

At the base of the Des Moines is a sandstone which though not 
everywhere present deserves special mention. In the deep wells of 
eastern Iowa as far west as Des Moines this sandstone is absent from 
the deeper weUs; in southwestern Iowa it occurs in aU weUs which 



86 XJN-DEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

reach its horizon. At Atlantic it is 50 feet thick, the uppermost 
half being a gray sandstone of finest grain, succeeded by 5 feet of 
sandy limestone, 6 feet of brown sandstone, and 15 feet of gray sand- 
stone. At Glenv/ood gray sandstone of imperfectly rounded grains 
107 feet thick, including 25 feet of chert and shale, lies immediately 
upon the cherts of the Mississippian. At Bedford the sandstone 
attains 160 feet in thickness. (See PL XVIII, p. 898.) 

The Des Moines group in southeastern Iowa consists at the base of 
shales with some sandstones and singularly persistent thin limestone 
beds rarely exceeding 1 or 2 feet in thickness. These beds are over- 
lain by a series of persistent limestones with shales and coal seams. 
At the top is the conglomerate to which Bain applied the name 
Chariton. On the whole, the well sections of the Des Moines show a 
large predominance of shales, for the most part gray or blue in color, 
though heavy beds of dark drab and blackish shales are not uncom- 
mon, and red shales occur in many places. In composition they 
range from pure clay shales to limy, or sandy, or carbonaceous 
shales, and these may shade off horizontally into limestones, sand- 
stone, or coal. 

MISSOUEI GROUP. 

The upper group of the Pennsylvanian, known as the Missouri, 
occupies the southwest corner of Iowa, extending from the middle 
of the southern boundary to the middle of the western, but the 
hypothenuse of the triangle thus formed is overlain in the north- 
central part by a very broken and irregular extension of the Creta- 
ceous. The sediments are chiefly calcareous shales interbedded with 
heavy and persistent beds of limestone. The latter are remarkably 
evenly bedded and extend over wide areas. Individual beds of lime- 
stone are much thicker than those of the Des Moines group, in places 
reaching a thickness of 50 feet or more. About 11 divisions of the 
Missouri group have been plausibly discriminated by students in 
the field, but as no attempt has been made to identify them in the 
deep-well records they need no detailed mention. 

PERMIAN (?) SERIES. 

The strata tentatively referred to the Permian occupy so smaU an 
area that their effect upon the distribution and quality of under- 
ground waters is insignificant. The gypsum deposits in the vicinity 
of Fort Dodge and the associated red sandstones and shales which 
have been tentatively referred to the Permian on lithologic and strati- 
graphic grounds are imfossiliferous. They lie unconformably upon 
strata of the Des Moines group or, where these have been removed 
by erosion, upon the ''St. Louis limestone." An erosion interval of 
considerable length thus separates the period of their deposition 
from the Des Moines epoch. 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 87 

CRETACEOUS SYSTEM. 
DAKOTA SANDSTONE AND COLORADO GROUP. 

The latest terranes of the country rock of Iowa belong to the Upper 
Cretaceous. They cover the northwestern part of the State and 
extend a ragged and broken arm southward almost to the Missouri 
line in Page County. Over much of the area they occur in more or 
less isolated patches whose borders can seldom be determined on 
account of the heavy cover of drift and the infrequent outcrops. On 
the geologic map of the State the Cretaceous is indicated as a con- 
tinuous formation over the area embraced by its scattered outcrops. 

The Cretaceous rocks of western Iowa belong to the Dakota sand- 
stone and the Colorado group. They overlie the Paleozoic forma- 
tions with pronounced unconformity. The Dakota is a coarse- 
grained, ferruginous sandstone, very poorly cemented and locally 
interbedded with seams of clay. In places it includes beds of very 
fine incoherent sand. It is of the same age as the great aquifer of 
the South Dakota artesian slope, but being separated from that area 
by outcrops of the Sioux quartzite it does not show the high artesian 
pressure which characterizes the formation in the South Dakota field. 

Overlying the Dakota sandstone occur shales and calcareous beds 
of the Colorado group. Drillers in western Iowa should take special 
pains to discriminate these from the pebbly clays of the drifts. 

TERTIARY SYSTEM. 

In a few locahties patches of gravel and sand discovered beneath 
the drift have been tentatively referred to the Tertiary system. 

In Tertiary and other preglacial periods the long disintegration 
and decay of the country rock produced a deep mantle of residual 
material, which was not wholly swept away by the invasions of the 
Pleistocene ice sheets. Over the driftless area residual clays remain 
continuous and heavy. Elsewhere they have been largely removed 
by glacial erosion and are now found in thin and scattered patches 
occupying depressions in the rock surface underneath the drift. 
Formed of the insoluble constituents of the country rock, they spread 
over the limestone and shale areas of the State as stiff, plastic, and 
impervious clays colored deep red or brown by iron oxides. Where 
cherts are present in the parent rock their insoluble fragments may 
form a large part of the deposit. 

Decay and disintegration, no doubt in large part preglacial, have 
affected the country rock in another way which directly concerns 
the distribution of ground water. Sandstones have been broken down 
into beds of incoherent sand by the removal of their cements, and 
heavily bedded limestones have disintegrated into a surface zone of 
thin spalls by the detachment and fracture of their constituent 
laminae. Thus has been opened up beneath impervious residual 
clays and tiU sheets a zone of ready passage for ground water. 



88 XJFDEEGROUND WATEE RESOUECES OF IOWA. 

QUATERNARY SYSTEM. 

PLEISTOCENE SERIES. 

The Pleistocene series in Iowa comprises the deposits of five distinct 
glacial stages and of four interglacial stages. The deposits of the 
glacial invasions consist of stony clays — the ground moraines of 
ancient ice sheets — together with beds of sand and gravel sorted and 
laid by the waters of the melting ice. The stratified and unstrati- 
fied deposits together constitute the drift. The deposits of the 
interglacial epochs include old soils, marsh, and forest beds, and 
sands and gravels laid by the rivers of the time. (See PL III, in 
pocket.) 

NEBRASKAN DRIFT. 

The oldest and lowest glacial deposit is that of the Nebraskan or 
sub-Aftonian stage. It embraces both sands and gravels laid down 
on rock by streams deploying in front of the advancing glacial ice, 
and also a ground moraine of blackish till bearing a large number of 
greenstone pebbles. 

AFTONIAN GRAVEL. 

The Aftonian interglacial epoch derives its name fronf Afton Junc- 
tion, Union County, Iowa, where heavy deposits of sands and gravels 
were found lying between the Nebraskan drift and that of the 
succeeding glacial stage — the Kansan. These type deposits were at 
first supposed to have been laid down by floods of the melting ice of 
the Nebraskan glaciers, but the recent discovery at a number of 
localities in western Iowa of Aftonian gravel carryuig a rich mam- 
malian fauna proves that they were laid down during an interglacial 
time whose climate was far from boreal.^ 

On the uplands these gravels are generally thin and in places are 
entirely wanting; in the lowlands they form extensive beds, in many 
places filling the preglacial valleys to depths of 50 to 60 feet. To the 
same stage belong old soils and forest beds developed on the 
Nebraskan drift sheet. In the southwestern part of the State these 
layers bear decaying organic matter known by drillers as ''sea mud," 
''stinking clay," and "black muck," which not infrequently renders 
the waters of deep-bored wells obnoxious. 

KANSAN DRIFT. 

The deposits of the second ice invasion consist largely of a clayey 
till, dense, tough, and difficult to excavate, charged with many small 
pebbles and sparse bowlders. Little stratified material is inter- 
mingled or associated with the Kansan drift. The till is blue drab in 

1 Calvin, Samuel, Bull. Geol. Soc. America, vol. 20, 1909, pp. 341-356. 



QUATEEKARY SYSTEM. 89 

color where unweathered, but so great is its antiquity that it is 
reddened by oxidation to a considerable depth. The Kansan drift 
was spread over all the State outside of the driftless area, and to it 
belongs the larger part of the stony clays pierced by the drUl in any 
county. 

DEPOSITS OF THE YARMOUTH STAGE. 

In eastern Iowa, where the Elinoian drift sheet overlaps the Kansan, 
there are found old soils and weathered surfaces belonging to the 
interglacial stage called the Yarmouth, from the village of that name 
in Des Moines County. The gravel, that is widely spread over the 
Kansan drift in Buchanan and other counties of northeastern Iowa 
overrun by the lowan ice and hence termed the Buchanan gravel, 
was probably laid down in Yarmouth time. Two phases are discrim- 
inated by the Iowa State Survey — an upland phase, heavUy rusted 
and decayed, and a valley phase of sands and gravels more quartzose 
in character. 

ILLINOIAN DRIFT. 

Within the narrow belt of its occurrence along Mississippi River 
in southeastern Iowa the Illinoian drift consists mainly of a clayey 
till differing from the Kansan till in the larger proportion of 
dolomite pebbles which it carries, in a shghtly less compact structure, 
and in a weathered zone of lesser depth. The upper surface of the 
drift sheet underneath its cover of loess is marked by a leached gray 
soil and vegetal deposits of the Sangamon interglacial stage. 

lOWAN DRIFT. 

The lowan drift, as discriminated by Calvin, is recognized most 
readily by the characteristic topography already described (pp. 51-52). 
It is exceptionally thin. It consists of a light-yeUow clayey till and 
numerous large superficial bowlders, generally of granite. 

WISCONSIN DRIFT. 

The latest ice invasion of the State laid down a ground moraine of 
clayey till containing a notably large proportion of limestone pebbles. 
The slight extent to which it has been oxidized and leached of lime 
marks its recency. The drainage of Wisconsin time was exceptionally 
vigorous. Gravel hills called kames mark the places where glacial 
streams reached the margin of the ice and threw down their loads. 
Outwash sands and gravels cover whole townships in continuous 
sheets, and deep gravel deposits were laid down by swollen rivers 
along all waterways leading outward from the area of this drift. 



00 UFDEKGEOUND WATEK RESOUECES OP IOWA. 

LOESS. 

Loess is a gritless loam intermediate in size of particles between 
sand and clay. Because of its loose texture it is lughly permeable. 
Much of the surface yellow loess is underlain by a blue-gray loess 
supposed by some to be of greater age. In other places it may grad- 
uate into a reddish loam intermediate in texture and color between 
loess and the red residual clays or the red weathered clays of the 
drift on which it rests. ^ 

About the lowan border and also over wide areas of the Illinoian 
drift the loess passes downward into sand by interbedded alternate 
layers of the two deposits. Such deposits are sometimes referred to 
as subloessial sands. Loess is widely distributed in Iowa, covering 
practically aU the State except the areas of the lowan and the Wis- 
consin drift sheets, and being found even upon these in some smaU 
patches. 

ALLUVIUM. 

Alluvial deposits consisting of many feet of sand and gravel alter- 
nating with clay and covered with silt and loam fill the valleys of 
most of the larger streams to a considerable depth. Much of this 
material belongs to deposits already described, but is indistinguishable 
from the more recent beds. 

1 Norton, W. H., Geology of Scott County: Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 9, 1899, pp. 486-487. 



CHAPTER III. 
GEOLOGIC OCCURRENCE OF UNDERGROUND WATER. 



By W. H. Norton, Howard E. Simpson, and W. S. Hendrixson. 



CLASSIFICATION OF UNDERGROUND WATERS. 

In a prairie region of uniform and abundant rainfall, such as pre- 
vails throughout Iowa, the permanent ground-water level may be 
found at no considerable distance below the surface, and water suit- 
able both in quality and quantity for domestic, farm, and village 
supplies may generally be obtained from shallow wells. Many such 
shallow waters are too meager or too liable to pollution to meet the 
needs of industrial plants and of towns and cities. Where large 
suppUes of the purest ground water are needed it has been necessary 
to resort to artesian waters of the deeper zones of flow reached by 
wells hundreds and in some places thousands of feet in depth. 

The underground waters of Iowa fall, therefore, into two groups. 
The first group, comprising those available for home, farm, or village 
supply, commonly lie less than 100 feet and rarely more than 500 feet 
below the surface, and are usually obtained from bored, driven, or 
drilled wells, or in a few^ districts where the valleys are cut beneath 
the ground- water table, directly from springs. These waters are 
frequently termed shallow or local waters, as they are fed directly 
by local rainfall absorbed through the soils above. Wells drawing 
their supply from these sources penetrate only the drift or super- 
ficial deposits and the country rock — the rock terrane outcropping in 
the area or immediately underlying the superficial deposits. 

The second group of waters, those belonging to rock strata buried 
below the country rock and circulating through the more permeable 
lawyers under greater or less pressure, are termed artesian waters, and 
wells deriving their supply from such waters are termed artesian 
wells whether they flow at the surface or not. Many cities and 
industrial plants resort to these waters, whereas others utilize groups 
of shallow weUs in alluvial deposits or the surface waters of streams. 

The line of separation between the country-rock waters and the 
artesian waters can not be sharply drawn. In the driftless area 
in northeastern Iowa the deep artesian rock systems rise and 

9i 



&2 TJNDEEGROtJND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

become country rock, and practically all the common wells are of the 
artesian class, though few exceed 500 feet in depth. Artesian wells 
are also found in both the drift and the country rock immediately 
under the drift, many of them at depths much less than 500 feet. 
And again in some portions of the State ordinary wells pass through 
the shallow drift and country rock into formations not exposed near 
the surface. 

WATERS OF THE ROCK FORMATIONS. 

ARTESIAN FIELD. 
OCCURRENCE OF WATER. 

The artesian field of Iowa is but a part of an extensive area of the 
upper Mississippi Valley where artesian conditions prevail — an area 
embracing southern Wisconsin and Minnesota, northern Missouri, 
and a large part of Illinois. The chief water beds, or aquifers, of the 
artesian system of this large area outcrop in southern Wisconsin and 
Minnesota, so that these States include the gathering ground from 
which the artesian waters are collected. On account of the very 
gentle inchnation of the strata and the thickness of the chief aquifers, 
the collecting area is exceptionally large, and this, together with the 
abundant rainfall of the region, insures the artesian field as a whole 
against exhaustion. 

From the intake area, or area of outcrop, the strata of the artesian 
system have a general southward inchnation. They do not, however, 
show a uniform artesian "slope" but lie in the form of a shallow 
trough open to the southwest. The axis of the trough enters the 
State from the north about midway between the eastern and western 
borders and leaves it at the southwest corner. In southeastern Iowa 
the lower beds of the Paleozoic rise in a dome now covered and con- 
cealed by later Paleozoic formations. It is possible also that in 
southern Iowa begins the upward rise of the lower Paleozoic strata 
disclosed in deep weUs in north central Missouri. As the strata of 
southeastern Nebraska dip also toward the axis of the trough, the 
Iowa field is somewhat spatulate, and needs only to be closed by a 
rise of strata to the southwest in order to form an artesian basin. 

So gentle is the inchnation of the strata that the Cambrian and 
Ordovici-in water beds remain within reach of the drill and may be 
profitably exploited over all except the southwestern part of the 
State, where the dip of the trough carries them so deep that so far no 
well has reached them. Here, however, higher water horizons of the 
same system are able in part to take their place. 

The map (PI. I, in pocket) showing the distribution of artesian 
wells in Iowa roughly indicates the nearness of the chief aquifers to 
the surface. Thus, in eastern and northern Iowa, where wells are 



WATEES OF THE EOCK FOEMATIONS. 93 

numerous, the depth to the aquifers is sKght, and toward the south- 
west, where they are fewer, the distance to the water beds is steadily- 
increasing. 

The Cambrian and Ordovician systems contain a number of thick 
water-bearing sandstones which supply the deep wells in the north- 
eastern part of the State. These are, in downward succession, the 
St. Peter, New Richmond, Jordan, Dresbach, and the older Cambrian 
sandstones. The Paleozoic formations above the St. Peter also con- 
tain water-bearing members, chiefly limestones and sandstones, but 
these can scarcely be compared with the sandstones already men- 
tioned for the quality and quantity of their water. 

The Cretaceous system contains considerable water in the Dakota 
sandstone, which is its basal formation and supphes many wells in 
the western part of the State. 

The Pleistocene deposits, especially the beds of sand and gravel, 
yield supplies to innumerable shallow wells in nearly all sections and 
are the most important source of water in the State. 

QUALITY OF WATER AS RELATED TO GEOLOGIC SOURCE. 

To determine with accuracy the quality of water supplied by the 
different geologic formations seems well-nigh impossible from the 
data at hand. This is due to several facts: 

In very few, if any, deep wells are the waters known to be derived 
from a single stratum. Many wells from 1,000 to 2,000 feet deep are 
cased only to rock. Some are cased for a few hundred feet; few are 
cased more than 1,000 feet; scarcely a single very deep well is cased 
to the lowest water-bearing formation. It is evident that the output 
of most of the deep wells, therefore, represents a mixture of all flows 
below the casing. This is true, for example, of the wells at Cedar 
Rapids, cased to 85 feet; of the well at Hampton, cased to 200 feet; 
of the well of the Murray Iron Works at Burlington, whose water, 
according to the owner, represents all flows; and the same may be 
said of many others. 

Casings in many Iowa deep wells are short-lived. The casings of 
well No. 1 at Grinnell, of No. 2 at Centerville, and of the wells at 
Cedar Rapids (pp. 447-449) illustrate the destructive action of the upper 
waters on iron tubing. It seems probable that the life of such casing 
when exposed to the action of the heavily mineralized waters of the 
Carboniferous may be only 5 to 10 years, and therefore waters shut 
out when the well is drilled may later enter the well. 

Casings are often faultily put down and do not shut out the waters 
they were intended to exclude. Though the wells at Grinnell have 
been cased with as much care as others, they are good illustrations 
of faulty casing. In well No. 1 there was known to be a break in 



94 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

the casing at about 400 feet, and the well always yielded water con- 
taining about 2,000 parts per million of solids. The water had the 
characteristics of the water from several shallower wells in the 
neighborhood, which are known to derive their waters from the drift 
just above solid rock and from the Carboniferous. Well No. 2 was 
provided with a continuous casing for about 840 feet, and while the 
casing remained in good condition its water contained less than half 
as much mineral matter as well No. 1, the best analysis showing 881 
parts total solids, though even then a small flow of very hard water 
surely entered at about 1,530 feet. Several years after this well 
was drilled it was found that the shale had caved, filling the well to 
1,700 feet, or just above the St. Peter sandstone, and an analysis 
at the time, mainly of the flow at 1,530 feet, showed about 5,000 
parts of solids. Though several analyses have been made of water 
from well No. 3, which was drilled and cased to the same depth as 
well No. 2, none of them have been as low in solids as the 860 parts 
found in No. 2, the lowest for No. 3 being 1,147 parts. It is prob- 
able that the casing of this well is not perfect as far as it goes, and 
it is certain that none of these wells have yielded water from only 
the St. Peter and the New Richmond sandstones. 

The water in one stratum may find access to another through 
fissures or more slowly by seepage. The similarity of the waters 
from the sandstone strata of the Cambrian and the Ordovician gives 
some support to tliis view. 

Though the stratum supplying the greater part of the water can 
be determined in many wells, the entrance of a small amount of 
water from another stratum may render such information valueless 
in a region like Iowa, where many waters are so liighly mineralized. 
For instance, 90 per cent of a well's yield might come from a forma- 
tion supplying excellent water, but the other 10 per cent, coming 
from a formation furnisliing salt water, might render the supply 
nonpotable. 

Though the characteristics of the waters from the several aquifers 
can not be made out with scientific accuracy in all parts of the State, 
much may be learned of these waters from the data at hand, and there 
is little doubt as to their quality in general. 

WATER IN PRE-CAMBRIAN ROCKS. 

SIOUX QUARTZITE. 

The close joints which appear in the Sioux quartzite at its outcrops 
and some little-indurated sandy layers which it includes permit it to 
contain a considerable quantity of ground water. These joints, 
however, may be expected to decrease rapidly with increase in depth. 
It should be clearly understood, then, that the drilling of deep wells 



WATEKS OF THE EOCK FOEMATIONS. 95 

below the summit of the pre-Cambrian of Iowa is not only difficult 
and costly, but also futile. In no place within the limits of the State 
can it be encouraged. When the drill reaches these crystalline rocks 
the work should cease. But the question whether the pre-Cambrian 
rocks have really been reached can not be left to either the workman 
or to the citizen untrained in the determination of rocks. It must 
be decided by an experienced geologist. 

The Sioux quartzite is known to yield small quantities of water/ 
and at Sioux City about 3 gallons a minute is reported to be obtained 
from schist at a depth of 1,480 feet, but it is needless to say that such 
small supplies do not repay deep drilling through hard rocks. 

WATER IN CAMBRIAN AND ORDOVICIAN ROCKS. 

CAMBRIAN SYSTEM. 
DRESBACH SANDSTONE AND UNDERLYING CAMBRIAN SANDSTONES. 

Wells. — The porous saccharoidal Dresbach and underlying Cam- 
brian sandstones yield freely an excellent water in northeastern and 
eastern Iowa. It is these sandstones which supply the many flowing 
wells of the valley of upper Iowa River and furnish a large part of 
the flows of the deeper wells of the immediate valley of the Mississippi 
as far south as Davenport. West of the Mississippi it has seldom 
been necessary to drill to these horizons. No water was reported in 
these sandstones at Cedar Rapids and Anamosa, although this fact 
does not make it certain that none was found. At Boone these 
sandstones supply the major portion of the flow. With increasing 
depth to the west and southwest they become less and less pervious 
as their pore spaces are increasingly filled with cements, and the 
water which they contain becomes more and more highly mineralized. 

Springs. — These sandstones outcrop so slightly as to produce few 
springs. The high artesian pressure, however, supplies water for a 
goodly number which flow from joints in the overlying St. Lawrence 
formation. 

ST. LAWRENCE FORMATION. 

The shales and, as a rule, the calcareous beds of the St. Lawrence 
formation are dry. At Waterloo, however, the latter are said to yield 
water. In general, the impermeable beds of this terrane serve to 
separate the water of the Dresbach and underlying sandstones from 
that of the Jordan sandstone, allowing each to maintain its indivdual 
characteristics. 

As already stated, many springs originating in the Dresbach and 
underlying sandstones find exit through the shales of the St. Law- 
rence formation. 

I Hall, C. W., and others, Geology and water resources of soutliera Minnesota; Water-Supply Paper 
U. S. Geol. Survey No. 256, 1911, p. 49. 



96 UNDEKGEOXJND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

JORDAN- SANDSTONE. 

Wells. — The Jordan sandstone is one of the chief, if not the chief, 
of the aquifers of the Iowa artesian system. It is reported as a 
water bed at Dubuque, Chnton, Davenport, Waverly, Waterloo, 
Vinton, West Liberty, Ames, and Ottumwa. It no doubt furnishes 
large yields in many other wells whose water horizons are not 
recorded. The rather coarse, smooth, well-rounded uncemented 
grains of quartz afford large pore spaces which permit the ready per- 
colation of artesian water, and the absence of soluble constituents 
leaves the water with comparatively low mineral content. At few 
places have any accurate tests been made of the capacity of the 
Jordan as compared with that of other water beds. At Ames the 
ability of the Jordan to contribute to the general supply was found 
to be nearly four times that of the New Richmond and 15 times that 
of the St. Peter.i 

In the valleys of the main rivers and their tributaries where the 
Jordan outcrops it supplies many ordinary wells, some of which give 
constant flows, but the head is not strong because of the leakage 
through the many outcrops along the valley walls. The formation 
is tapped by many upland wells in the northern and eastern portion 
of Allamakee County, but the head is so low that the wells are com- 
monly continued down into the Dresbach or underlying sandstones, 
where no better water is found but where a stronger head is obtained, 
owing to the presence of the overlying shaly limestones of the St. 
Lawrence formation, wliich prevent the upward dispersal of its 
artesian waters, and the very small area of outcrop from which leak- 
age in the form of springs may occur. Farther from the numerous 
outcrops the head of the Jordan rises, and many wells in the north- 
eastern portions of Winneshiek and Clayton counties pass through 
the Oneota limestone to procure the excellent water of the Jordan. 

Springs. — Springs are very numerous in the Jordan sandstone 
owing to the large pore space between its grains and the lack of inter- 
stitial filling. Many flow freely from the rock where it overlies the 
limestone of the St. Lawrence formation and from above the scattered 
shaly or limy bands. 

Wherever the Jordan outcrops on the valley walls its waters drain 
away freely in seeps and springs, and wherever its contact with the 
underlying shaly limestones of the St. Lawrence is exposed the water 
collected over this impervious floor flows out, frequently in powerful 
streams. 

1 Beyer^ S. W.. Iowa Agricultural College water supply, 1897, p. 11. 



WATERS OF THE ROCK FORMATIONS. 97 

ORDOVICIAN SYSTEM. 
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN GROUP. 

Wells. — The Prairie du Chien group is one of the most important 
of the aquifers of Iowa. Underground waters have no doubt opened 
passages along joint and bedding planes through their solvent action 
on the limestone. The sandy intercalated layers, although neither 
thick nor persistent, offer easy paths for ground water and, communi- 
cating as they must with the channels of solution, form water beds 
which the drill seldom fails to tap. The New Richmond sandstone 
especially is a water carrier and adds materially to the supply at 
Dubuque, Waterloo, Vinton, Grinnell, West Liberty, Ames, and Des 
Moines. A still larger number of wells find water in the lower lime- 
stone, the Oneota dolomite, these being so far as reported, the deep 
wells at Waterloo, Clinton, Sumner, Anamosa, Cedar Rapids, Home- 
stead, West Liberty, Ottumwa, Des Moines, and Centerville. A few 
wells, such as those at Waverly, Waterloo, and Grinnell, are reported 
to obtain water from the Shakopee dolomite, and as this formation 
has many sandy layers the number of wells which receive accessions 
to their supply from this source is probably larger than the records 
show. 

The Prairie du Chien in many places seems to offer no impervious 
floor to the St. Peter, and there appears no reason why the waters of 
the two should not in general freely mingle; some wells, however, 
have found shaly beds which lie between the two terranes and locally 
keep their waters separate. 

Springs. — Owing to its many open joints and bedding planes and 
even large solution caverns, the Oneota produces many large springs. 
The strongest of these are near the base, where its openings permit 
the escape of artesian water from the Jordan sandstone. From this 
horizon flow many of the powerful springs of the Mississippi and 
Oneota valleys in Allamakee County. 

The New Richmond sandstone gives rise to many small flows and 
much seepage along its contact with the underlying Oneota. 

ST. PETER SANDSTONE. 

Wells. — The St. Peter is easily distinguished by drillers and is per- 
haps the best known of Iowa's geologic formations. It never fails to 
yield some water and in many places yields abundantly. The head 
of the water differs from that in overlymg terranes, so that the inflow 
of water into the tube at this horizon is readily marked, whereas 
lower flows, with about the same head as that of the St. Peter, may 
either escape the observation of the driller or be thought not worthy 
of record. The list of wells which are reported as drawing water from 
36581°— wsp 293—12 7 



98 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

the St. Peter is too long for mention, including as it does a large num- 
ber of the deep wells of the State. 

The pore spaces of the St. Peter are large, owing to its "millet- 
seed" structure, and the moderately large, well-rovmded grains, fairly 
uniform in size, do not pack so closely as do sandstone grains more 
diverse m size and in shape. The pore spaces are unfilled. No clay 
was laid down along with the quartz grains on the ancient sea floor. 
Since the uplift of the formation ground water has seeped freely 
through it, and, if interstitial deposits were ever made by mechanical 
or chemical processes, they have long been dissolved and washed 
away. The smoothness of the grains brings the friction of water in 
transmission to a minimum. For all these reasons the capacity of 
the St. Peter for storage and transmission of water must equal that of 
a bed of ordmary mcoherent sand. 

On account of the well-nigh complete absence of soluble materials 
in both the constituent grains and the interstitial cements of the St. 
Peter, the water seeping through it has little opportunity to take 
minerals into solution, and it therefore remains of exceptional purity 
for long distances from its sources. 

The St. Peter is within reach of farm wells in all of Clayton County, 
the southern and western portions of Allamakee County, the northern 
and eastern portions of Winneshiek County, and the eastern portion 
of Dubuque County. (See PI. I, in pocket.) Throughout this area 
one of its strikmg characteristics is its low head in comparison with 
overlying terranes, especially near the areas of outcrop. Wells sunk . 
through overlying strata with a high head of little water immediately 
lose 100 or 200 feet of this head on penetrating the St. Peter but find 
at the same time an abundance of water. The reason may be found 
in the freedom with which water flows through this very permeable 
rock both to outcrop and to well holes giving a constant supply but 
little pressure; whereas in the overlying rocks with small storage and 
transmission capacity the pressure is relieved and the water is drawn 
away immediately on pumping. 

Springs. — The massiveness and the lack of stratification planes and 
crevices are not favorable to the gathermg of the abundant water of 
the St. Peter into definite channels and its discharge in copious springs. 
Nevertheless small springs from it are common and seepage universal, 
and it is an important contributor to the flow of all streams over its 
area of outcrop. 

PLATTEVILLE LIMESTONE AND DECORAH SHALE. 

The shale of the Platteville limestone and the Decorah shale yield 
no water and in many borings must be cased to prevent caving. They 
serve an important office m maintaining the head of the waters of the 
St. Peter sandstone, whose upward leakage they prevent, and also in 
separating them from the waters of the Galena dolomite. 



WATERS OF THE EOCK FORMATIONS. 99 

GALENA DOLOMITE. * 

Wells. — Sealed between two shales, either the Decorah shale or 
the shales of the Platteville limestone below and the Maquoketa shale 
above, the Galena forms a water bed of no little value. Where 
dolomitized and nonargillaceous, it is porous, not indeed sufhciently 
to permit free percolation, but enough to give rise to incipient 
waterways along joints, bedding planes, and specially porous layers, 
and these have developed by solution into definite channels capable 
of a large yield to wells. Though no assurance can be given that 
the drill will strike one of these channels, it has done so in a good 
many of the Iowa wells, as at Clinton, Davenport, Fort Madison, 
Sumner, Osage, Mason City, Hampton, Webster City, Holstein, Grin- 
nell, and Pella. At Davenport the Galena water is so nearly identi- 
cal with that of the St. Peter in quality and head that a rise of the 
latter through the crevices of the Galena is strongly suggested. The 
yield from the Galena and Platteville is in some places abundant, 
amounting in some of the wells in Davenport and Rock Island to 
300 or 400 gallons a minute. At Mason City the entu-e city supply 
is drawn from these formations. 

In shallow wells the Galena affords excellent water throughout its 
area of outcrop. Its base at least is saturated, and southward and 
westward, where it dips under the Maquoketa shale, it continues 
waterlogged. Thus it remains the chief source of farm wells in 
large areas of Winneshiek, Clayton, and Dubuque counties, where 
wells penetrate the Maquoketa shale and are drilled to depths of 300 
to 400 feet to reach it. The waters are hard, from limestone dis- 
solved in passage, and may be in places contaminated by surface 
drainage, through the numerous sink holes opening into fissures 
which everywhere traverse the rock. The freedom of circulation 
and the potency of the Galena waters to carry materials in solution 
for long distances is shown in the deposits of lead and zinc ores 
which are found in abundance in the old crevices, fissures, and caverns 
of the Galena about Dubuque. In West Dubuque there is an area 
so cut up by labyrinthme passages underground and so full of water 
that it is known as the McPoland Pond. On one occasion a small 
skiff was taken down a shaft and used in exploring this ground. 

Springs. — The springs issuing from the Galena dolomite are among 
the most copious in the State. This is a direct result of the many 
channels, some cavernous in size, that have been opened by solution 
along bedding planes and intersecting joints. The chief horizon is 
that at the base of the formation, immediately above the impervious 
Decorah shale. Over the wide areas where the Galena is the country 
rock, large numbers of sink holes pit the surface and lead the storm 
waters directly into the fissures and thus furnish a ready supply of 
water. In some places storm waters are led so directly to a near-by 



100 UNDEEGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

valley that they form a large part of the supply of some spring, which 
readily responds to every rainfall by showing a proportional increase 
in volume and turbidity. Such springs, however, should be avoided, 
as they are very liable to pollution by organic impurities washed 
into the sink holes with the water. 

MAQtrOKETA SHALE. 

Wells. — The thick impervious clay shale known as the Maquoketa 
shale not only prevents the rise of Cambrian and Ordovician artesian 
waters into higher terranes but also forms an impermeable floor for 
the Niagara waters above it. In this respect it is of especial value 
over the large area of the Niagara outcrop in eastern Iowa, Avhere, 
by preventing the downward leakage, it causes the water of the 
Niagara to accumulate sufficiently for the supply of small towns and 
villages. The dolomites of the middle Maquoketa, which occur in a 
few counties of northeastern Iowa, are water bearing, as was found 
in the deep wells at Sumner and Green Island. 

Springs. — Although springs from the contact of the Maquoketa 
and the overlying Niagara derive their water from the latter, their 
value inures almost entirely to the Maquoketa areas. They are of 
greatest importance in Clayton, Dubuque, and Jackson counties, 
where they supply many perennial streams with water, such, for 
instance, as Little Maquoketa River, which never ceases to bear its 
contribution to the Mississippi just north of Dubuque, whereas its 
neighbor. Catfish Creek, which parallels it immediately to the 
south but is not spring fed, responds to every drought. Two miles 
north of Strawberry Point a mill is operated by a turbine wheel run 
by a strong stream piped from a spring of this horizon to the wheel pit. 

SPRINGS FROM CAMBRIAN AND ORDOVICIAN ROCKS. 

The area over which Cambrian and Ordovician strata form the 
country rock is especially noted for its springs. No other part of 
Iowa is so well supplied, and perhaps in all the other provinces of 
the State taken together there will not be found so large a number of 
strong streams of pure water flowing from the bedrock as are found 
here. The conditions which are so favorable to spring formation 
in this area a.re these: (1) Several he&Yj, porous beds of sandstone 
and creviced limestone with large capacity for both storage and 
transmission of water; (2) beds of impervious clay and shale which 
check the downward movement of the ground water, causing it to 
collect in large quantities; (3) many deeply carved vaUeys and 
innumerable ravines, the bottoms of which are well below ground- 
water level; (4) a slight dip, which facilitates the movement of the 
water along the surface of the impervious layers to the outcrops on 
the sides of the valleys; since tliis dip is to the southwest, springs are 
commonl}^ found on the north and east sides of the valleys; (5) an 



WATEKS OF THE EOCK FORMaTIOjSTS. 101 

ample rainfall (over 30 inches annually) ; and (6) the exjiosure of the 
porous beds over a relatively flat surface unsealed by drift, thus 
permitting them to absorb the rainfall. 

The chief spring horizons in the Cambrian and Ordovician, named 
from oldest to youngest, are the contacts of the Dresbach and St. 
Lawrence, the St. Lawrence and Jordan, the Jordan and Oneota, 
the Oneota and New Richmond, the Shakopee and St. Peter, the 
Decorah and Galena, and the Niagara and Maquoketa. All except 
the first and third are contacts between heavy porous sands or 
creviced limestone and underljdng impervious shales. The two 
exceptions, the Dresbach-St. Lawrence and the Jordan-Oneota 
contacts, occur at the base of heavy limestones that overlie sandstone 
aquifers, the waters of which are under artesian pressure, the lower 
beds not outcropping. The open joints of the limestone connect 
with the porous sandstone over large areas and admit the waters 
from below, and they flow out through crevices in copious and at 
times even powerful streams. Owing to the fact that many of the 
springs emerge through talus and washed soil at the foot of the bluffs 
and on the valley sides, it may be impossible to determine the forma- 
tion from which they come. Again, many springs, some very strong, 
come from local beds Ijdng above shaly layers in the heavy aquifers. 
Many are, however, readily identified. 

The economic value of these springs to the residents of the fertile 
valleys of northeastern Iowa can hardly be estimated. The water 
power of the many small springs wliich in many places issue a hun- 
dred feet above the base of the bluffs and fall in cascades has been 
but slightly utilized. Here and there, however, a mill is operated, 
and at some of the many farmhouses whose location has been deter- 
mined by the presence of a spring the stream is so piped as to generate 
power for separating the cream, churning the butter, and driving small 
labor-saving machinery about the farm. In a few places, too, a por- 
tion of the power of the flowing water is utilized in a ram to drive 
another portion into a system of waterworks for home and farm. 
The possibilities in these lines have as yet been but slightly developed, 
but even in its simplest use, where the pure, clear, cold stream flows 
through the tanks of the spring house, giving the most wholesome 
kind of water for home use, passes through the simple refrigerator, 
cooling the milk and preserving the butter, and then flows through 
the barnyards and pasture, supplying the stock with water that is 
cool in summer and warm in winter, its value in health and comfort 
is difficult to estimate in dollars and cents. 

Because of the large number and the great size of the springs of the 
area of outcrop of the Cambrian and Ordovician rocks in the north- 
eastern counties of the State, the streams of this area are exceptional 
in the constancy of their flow and the purity of their waters. 



102 UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

QUALITY OF THE CAMBRIAN AND OKDOVICIAN WATERS. 

The four great sandstone layers of the Cambrian and Ordovician may 
be discussed together, since there is generally no essential difference in 
the quality of their waters. These layers are the water bearers for all 
the deeper wells in the northeastern part of the State within the area 
of good water, so often mentioned, extending south and west to about 
the line of the Mssissippian. With the exception of the very deep 
park well at McGregor, all deep- well waters within this area have low 
solids, rarely exceeding 500 parts and averaging about 400 parts per 
million. In this part of the State there are no formations later than 
the Devonian, and in a considerable portion of it rocks of the Cam- 
brian and the Ordovician underlie the drift. Except perhaps in the 
drift there are no objectionable waters to be cased out or to con- 
taminate the waters in the sandstones below. 

Some examples may be given to illustrate the fact that the waters 
are about the same whether from the St. Peter or from lower strata. 

On page 142 are given analyses of seven deep waters in Allamakee 
County, six of which are supposed to be derived from the Dresbach 
or underlying Cambrian sandstones, and one at Postville from the 
St. Peter. The six have about the same total solids and their averag-e 
solids are about the same as those of the water from the Postville well. 
In Clayton County the 1,006-foot well at McGregor is exceptionally 
deep and reaches salt water. A much shallower well at the same place 
also shows the influence of the salt. Six other wells in Clayton County 
(p. 143) show about the same amount of solids, though their depths 
are greatly different, and their footings are believed to range from the 
Dresbach or the underlying Cambrian sandstones to the Galena. In 
Cerro Gordo County six analyses of well waters show about the same 
total solids, though two of the wells are supposed to draw from the 
St. Peter, three from the Platteville, and one from theDevonian (p. 146) . 
The wells are cased only to rock. No inference can safely be drawn 
from the analyses of water from the 1,473-foot well as to the character 
of the water below the St. Peter at this point, as it is doubtful whether 
the sample of water was collected while the well was in active use. 
The analysis of water from the well at Hampton shows that the soft- 
ness of the waters from the lower sandstones is preserved as far south 
and west as Franklin County. This well is cased only 200 feet, foots 
in the Jordan, and may draw water from all strata from the Jordan 
to the Mississippian. 

The water of the St. Peter is soft as far west as Emmetsburg, for 
the well at that place owned by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul 
Railway foots in the St. Peter and gives excellent water. In the same 
county two shallower wells in the Dakota sandstone give hard water. 
The low solids in the well at Emmetsburg may be ascribed to the 



WATEES OF THE EOCK FOEMATIONS. 103 

successful casing out of a strong flow of hard water from the Dakota 
sandstone which probably finds access to the deep well at Mallard, also 
footing in the St. Peter. Successful casing to preserve from contami- 
nation the waters of the St. Peter or lower strata has not been accom- 
plished so far as known in wells located where the surface rock is later 
than the Mississippian. Owing to the similarity of the waters of the 
lower sandstones one might be inclined to infer that the waters of 
these strata mingle, and this may be true. Numerous wells, however, 
reaching higher levels show, as at Grinnell and Emmetsburg, that 
strata not far removed from one another in geologic succession may 
contain very different waters. 

V WATER IN SILURIAN ROCKS. 

NIAGARA DOLOMITE. 

Wells. — ^The Niagara dolomite, like the Galena dolomite, is trav- 
ersed by irregular channels of solution through which water flows with 
considerable freedom, and includes porous beds through which it 
seeps with some difficulty. The ground water which the formation 
receives over its outcrop area is held within it by the impervious 
Maquoketa shale beneath and passing down the dip acquires artesian 
pressure and feeds wells as far distant as Burlington, Keokuk, Cen- 
terville, and Des Moines. 

The Silurian sandstones in southeastern Iowa largely increase its 
water resources, and these are drawn upon freely at Washington, at 
Ceuterville, and probably at Ottumwa. 

Throughout its area the Niagara is the almost exclusive source of 
supply for shallow rock wells, as it ranges from 200 to 400 feet in 
thickness and overlies the Maquoketa, a bed of impervious shale 
whose thickness is more than 100 feet. To the south and west, 
where the Devonian is the country rock, the Niagara is the source of 
many wells, for the overlying Devonian limestones feather out 
eastward. 

The Niagara transmits water very freely, not only through many 
small cavities, but especially through a large number of joints, cracks, 
bedding planes, and open crevices formed by solution in the soluble 
rock, through which an active circulation obtains. In number and 
size, however, the open cavities are small compared with those of the 
Galena. 

The water absorbed over the large intake area of this formation is 
held by the impervious shale beneath from passing downward, so that 
at least the base of the limestone is waterlogged and the contact with 
the shale forms a strong well and spring horizon. 

The margin along the bold eastern escarpment is so well drained 
that in many places it is difficult to secure good wells. Farther back 



104 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

the ground-water level rises until along the margin of the overlying 
Devonian the formation is almost entirely saturated and wells obtain 
an abundance of water soon after penetrating it. Though rarely 
dry at the base, it is subject to the disadvantage common to other 
limestones — the possibility that the drill may go a long distance, even 
through the formation to the shale, without striking one of the crev- 
ices or water passages. Perhaps the most constant water-bearing 
bed of the formation is an especially porous, granular stratum lying 
some distance above the base. 

The Niagara is commonly saturated immediately below the drift 
and it is from this part of the formation that many of the large farm- 
stock wells of its country-rock area draw their supply. The upper 
portion of the rock is very generally broken and shattered by the 
glacial ice and the fragments are mingled with the old residual soil 
and with gravels deposited by waters flowing out in front of the 
advancing ice. The whole makes a good waterway and a remarkably 
strong source for wells. The water is perhaps more truly that of the 
drift than that of the rock, but all drilled wells which draw from it 
should have casings driven into the rock and should draw from the 
many crevices therein. 

The water from the Niagara is usually copious enough for the 
public supply of towns of 1,000 or 2,000 population or for minor 
industrial purposes, though in some places it may be unsatisfactory 
as a boiler water on account of its hardness. Unless it is desired to 
seek the deep artesian supplies it is not advisable to attempt to drill 
below the base of the Niagara, as the Maquoketa shale is dry. If 
the shale is reached without the drill's having found a water crevice 
and it is decided not to penetrate the artesian aquifers an attempt 
may be made to open the drill hole to a water-bearing crevice by 
torpedoing the well with nitroglycerin. This, however, should be 
done only after it is fully decided to abandon the hole if water is not 
found m this way, as drilling can not be resumed after the shooting. 
The drill hole should be filled up to the base of the Niagara and the 
shot fired on the top of this filling. If this course fails it will be neces- 
sary to try a new hole. 

Springs. — Springs are very numerous along the base of the Niagara 
escarpment and in the heads of the narrow ravines which deeply 
notch it all the way from the headwaters of Turkey River in Wione- 
shiek County along the blufts overlooking Volga and Mississippi 
rivers as far south as Clinton. Owing to the numerous thin shaly 
layers interbedded with the limestone, springs are abundant well 
up within the formation. Many are found in Delaware County 
along Maquoketa River and all its tributaries, which have cut their 
channels well into the limestone. Among the most notable are 
the group about the "Backbone," in Richland Township, and the 



WATEES OF THE KOCK FOEMATIONS. 105 

many that supply Spring Creek, in Delaware and Milo townships. 
The purity and abundance of the waters poured into Spring Creek are 
attested by the location here of a large Government fish hatchery 
controlled by the United States Bureau of Fisheries. 

SALINA (?) FORMATION. 

The Silurian beds which are tentatively regarded as representing the 
Salina formation are, wherever found, distinctly deleterious to 
underground waters owing to their content of lime-sulphate minerals. 
The presence of sulphate m the form of anhydrite indicates that it 
has been hermetically sealed from all underground waters since its 
deposition and can increase their mineraUzation only when new 
channels are opened by the drill. But the high content of lime sul- 
phate in deep-well waters when these strata are penetrated indi- 
cates that much of the gypsum lies in the path of artesian waters. 
The analyses of the water of the deep city well at Bella show that it 
contains 4,678 parts per million of SO4 and 444 parts per million 
of calcium and is entirely unfitted for municipal supply. At Nevada 
the very heavily sulphated water suggests that the Silurian here, as 
at Marshalltown, 28 miles east, is gypsiferous, although this can not 
be proved as no samples were preserved. At Mount Bleasant any 
seleniferous waters from the well-marked gypsum beds were suc- 
cessfully cased out from the later wells drilled at the State hospital 
for the insane. At Grinnell the first well drilled for the city showed 
an abnormally high lime-sulphate content, but with better casing 
the quaUty of the waters of the later wells was very much improved. 
At Glen wood the water veins occur above the gypseous beds, which 
are apparently dry, as the water contains little calcium sulphate. 
At Bedford the waters from the supposed Salina horizon showed an 
enormous increase m lime sulphate and were pronounced unfit for 
city supply. The presence of these strata in southern Iowa con- 
stitutes a distinct discouragement to artesian drilluig in that part 
of the State, though otherwise the Silurian might prove valuable, for 
it is much more accessible than the Cambrian and Ordovician beds. 

QUALITY OF SILURIAN WATERS. 

A number of wells of very moderate depth foot in the Silurian 
where it is overlain only by the drift or by the Devonian and the 
drift. Examples are wells at Covington, Mount Vernon, and Lisbon, 
in Linn County; Morley and Onslow, in Jones County; and Grand 
Mound, in Clinton County. All except the Covington well have 
ughtly minerahzed waters, and that well contains only about 700 
parts per milhon. All other wells footing in the Silurian are deep, 
such as Mrs. Ruber's at Tama and the city wells at Farmington, 



106 UNDEKGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Centerville, and Bedford. They penetrate water-bearing strata 
above the Silurian, which are probably not cased out, and their 
waters can give little indication as to the real character of the Silurian 
water at those places. 

WATER IN DEVONIAN ROCKS. 

ARTESIAN CONDITIONS. 

Wells. — The Devonian rocks can not be classed among the impor- 
tant water beds of Iowa, although they contribute somewhat to the 
general deep-well supply in several places, as at Vinton, Cedar Rapids, 
Davenport, Webster City, and Ottumwa. In many places they 
yield sufficient water for hotel and small factory wells, but they can 
not be relied on to furnish public supplies. In deep wells the 
Devonian waters should be cased out because their head is lower 
than that of the Cambrian and Ordovician artesian waters, which 
will otherwise leak out through the channels opened by solution in 
the Devonian limestones. 

In the southern portion of the Devonian area large fissures and 
crevices exist in many of the heavier layers. Though the limestone 
itself is compact and impervious, the drill usually reaches some one 
at least of the many openings which bring the well into communica- 
tion with the entire system of circulation and supply it with fresh 
water at a rapid rate not affected by any drought. 

Throughout the larger northern portion of the Devonian area the 
overlying drift is generally thin, and very many of the best wells end 
in the lime rock. Plenty of water of the best quality may be obtained 
by going a short distance into the rock for it, and a driller should not 
stop before limestone is reached unless the supply coming from the 
drift is satisfactory in every respect. The rock water of the whole 
area is under some degree of artesian pressure and rises within easy 
pumping distance. The expense of pumping and maintenance is 
slight, so that it is more and more resorted to for a pure and perma- 
nent supply. 

Springs. — The Devonian area is so heavily mantled with drift that 
springs from the country rock are of little importance. They are 
not uncommon in the rock-cut valleys in the limestone, but are rarely 
utilized except for watering stock in the pastures that occupy most 
of the valley land. For such purposes some of them have been walled 
and piped out to a tank, but even this care is seldom exercised. 
Probably the strongest springs of this region are found in Howard 
and Winneshiek counties, where, owing to the absence of the Niagara, 
the Devonian limestones overlap on the Maquoketa shale, giving vent 
to many good streams that feed the headwaters of Oneota and Turkey 
rivers. 



WATERS OF THE ROCK FORMATIONS. 107 

A spring from the Devonian worthy of special mention is that 
from which the pubhc supply of Cedar Falls was until recently derived. 
It is located just south of the city in the valley of Dry Run, a small 
intermittent tributary of Cedar River. It flows perennially from one 
of the open channels in the rock common to the Devonian in this 
region, and was sufficient to meet all the demands of the city, with a 
waste of many times the amount used. Marion is another city simi- 
larly supplied by a spring from the Devonian. Water from springs 
from the Devonian is sold to customers in Cedar Rapids. 

QUALITY OF DEVONIAN WATERS. 

Perhaps the best evidence of the good quality of the Devonian 
water is the fact that many wells located where the Devonian imme- 
diately underlies the drift and deriving their main supplies from lower 
strata do not require casings to shut out the hard water of the 
Devonian. In fact, the Devonian water, as separately known, differs 
little from the waters of the deep-lying sandstones (pp. 102-103). 
Several wells footing in the Devonian, as at Jesup, Lake Mills, and 
Hanlanton, supply water of good quality. They are, however, 
shallow and probably reach only short distances into the Devonian 
and may derive their waters largely from the drift. Farther south 
wells in the Devonian yield hard waters, as at Gowrie, Grundy Center, 
and Burlington. At all these places the Devonian is deeply overlain 
by later formations, which may supply the major portion of the hard 
waters. This source is directly indicated for the city well at Gowrie 
by the fact that it supplies essentially the same quality of water as 
the well at Dayton, which is located only a few miles south and foots 
in the Mississippian. It is not certain that the well at Grundy Center 
reaches below the Mississippian. Regarding the water from the 
Devonian, therefore, it may be said, as of the water from the Silurian, 
that there is little or no evidence to show that it is essentially more 
heavily mineralized than that of the great sandstone layers of the 
Cambrian and the Ordovician. 

WATEH IN CARBONIFEROIIS ROCKS. 

MISSISSIPPIAN SERIES. 

GENERAL CONDITIONS. 

The limestones of the different formations of the Mississippian 
series no doubt absorb large quantities of ground water along their 
wide belts of outcrop and carry these beneath the cover of the coal 
measures as they sink toward the west. Thus, confined between thick 
beds of shale, the water is under artesian pressure that is sufficient in 
places to bring it to the surface. The flow, however, is meager, and, 
as with all limestones, is not rehable. The drill may strike or may 



108 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

fail to strike the water channels. The white limestones of the Bur- 
lington, the lower formation of the Osage group, seem to yield the 
greatest quantity of water. The only deep wells which report 
definite water beds in the Mississippian are at Cherokee, Ottumwa, 
Mount Pleasant, Mitchellville, Des Moines, Bedford, Council Bluffs, 
and Logan. The two cities last named are situated in an area where 
the Mississippian yields an exceptionally abundant supply. 

KINDERHOOK GKOUP. 

Over the entire north end of the area in which the Mississippian 
series forms the country rock the Kinderhook is a fuie-grained, heavy- 
bedded limestone, an excellent water carrier in which all rock wells 
end and in which they rarely, if ever, fail to secure a large qupntity 
of excellent hard water under sufficient artesian pressure to place it 
within easy pumping distance of the surface. In some counties, as 
Kossuth, Humboldt, and Wright, the artesian head in the Kinderhook 
is so well developed beneath the impervious clay of the drift that many 
wells flow (pp. 650, 654, 665). The shale beds of the Kinderhook, so 
unpromising for wells along their outcrop, are of distinct advantage 
as they sink below the surface and form part of an artesian system. 
They prevent the upward escape of waters from the underlying strata 
and conduct down their dip the waters of the limestones of the 
Mississippian along their impermeable floor. 

OSAGE GROUP. 

Wells. — The drill on penetrating the Osage group (Keokuk and 
Burlington limestones) rarely fails to find water in some crevice, 
especially near the base, before reachmg the dry shales of the Kinder- 
hook. Should the driller reach the latter he has the alternative 
already presented in the discussion of the Niagara-Maquoketa con- 
tact (p. 104). He may continue to drill in search of the deep artesian 
supplies, though this is impracticable for the ordinary farm or village 
well, or he may make another boring some distance away in the hope 
of better success in striking some crevice in the limestone. Before 
beginnmg a new boring it is advisable to fill the hole to the base of 
the limestone and shoot the well with nitroglycerin in an attempt to 
so shatter the rock that connection may be made with water-bearing 
crevices and to enlarge the area of intake. By such means excel- 
lent wells have been secured from holes practically dry in the Osage. 

Springs. — Springs are not uncommon throughout the Mississippian 
area where the valleys have been cut into the country rock. They 
are commonly small and are miimportant except for watering stock 
in the valley pastures. The most important in southeastern Iowa 
come from the base of the Burlington limestone, of the Osage group, 
where the imper^dous shales of the underlying Kinderhook check the 
downward movement of the circulating water and cause it to coUect 



WATERS OF THE ROCK FORMATIONS. 109 

in large quantities in the open spaces in the limestone, whencs it flows 
through some passage to an outcrop. Such springs are common 
along the base of the Mississippi bluffs in Des Moines and Lee counties 
and on the lower course of Skunk River, and are of still greater impor- 
tance farther south in the vicinity of Louisiana, Mo. These springs 
are frequently used for household and stock purposes. 

"ST. LOUIS LIMESTONE." 

The median bed of the ^'St. Louis limestone" is an important 
water carrier in Keokuk, Washington, Henry, and Lee counties, 
where it forms the country rock, and in Monroe, Mahaska, Wapello, 
Jefferson, and Van Buren counties, where it is reached by the drill 
after passmg through Pennsylvanian rocks at depths ranging from 
200 to 500 feet. It is penetrated in many places in the Pennsylvanian 
areas on account of the dryness of the coal measures or the mineral- 
ized condition of their waters. It is in this area that it is known as 
the "white-water sand rock" and is sought for by aU driUers of deep 
farm weUs when a satisfactory sandstone water is not found above. 
Farther north it is drav/n on by a few wells in Hamilton, Webster, 
and Story counties. Locally it produces flowmg wells. The upper 
and lower portions of the "St. Louis" are, on the whole, very indif- 
ferent water carriers. 

PENNSYLVANIAN SERIES. 
DES MOINES GROUP. 

Wells. — Owing to the presence of impermeable shales the Pennsyl- 
vanian is almost dry. Water is commonly found in the seams of 
coal but, owing to the abundance of iron and sulphur compounds it 
carries in solution, is never potable. In fact, it is characteristic of 
the waters of this division that they are strongly impregnated with 
mineral matter and in most places are unfit for use. 

The chief water bed of the Des Monies group is the basal sandstone, 
which has its greatest development in southwestern Iowa. At 
Council Bluffs it is apparently this terrane which supplies the deep 
wells of the city, but the yield of these wells is by no means large com- 
pared with that of wells tapping Cambrian and Ordovician v/ater- 
bearing beds in eastern Iowa. At Glen wood water from this sandstone 
rises to a height of 1,006 feet above sea level and overflows at the sur- 
face in the lowest parts of the town, but the yield is not large. At 
Bedford the water from the same terrane rises to 1,008 feet above sea 
level. On the whole, it can not be recommended that deep wells be 
sunk to this sandstone with the expectation of obtaining any con- 
siderable amount of water, such as would be required by even a 
small town. 

Small amounts of water may also be fomid in the sandstone lenses 
of the Des Moines and Missouri groups, but as these lenses are not 



110 UNDEEGEOUISTD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

continuous over any considerable area, and as their vertical position 
can not be predicted, no local forecasts can be based on them. They 
give rise to numerous small flowing wells. One of the best known 
lenses of tliis type is the Red Rock sandstone, which outcrops at the 
village of Red Rock, in Marion County, in a brilliant red cliff 100 feet 
in height overlooldng Des Moines River. This sandstone occupies 
less than 30 square miles, but within this area it lies near the surface 
and furnishes an abundance of good water to all wells penetrating it. 
It is, however, missed in many wells where it might be reasonably 
expected, owing to the effects of erosion, which is in part at least 
contemporaneous . 

The rapid alternation of impervious shales and porous sandstones 
underlymg heavy drift clays produces conditions favorable to the 
formation of small artesian basins which frequently give rise to 
flowing wells. Especially in the larger and deeper valleys like those of 
the Des Moines and its major tributaries where the '' bottoms" are 
depressed well below the upland surface, flowing wells with a head 
of but a few feet above the surface and a delivery of but a few gallons 
a minute are not uncommon. Stronger flows may be had from the 
"St. Louis" and the KJnderhook. The most notable wells of this 
type are the Colfax Mineral Sprmgs of Jasper County. These are 
supplied by a ''St. Louis" aquifer. 

Springs. — Throughout the area where the Pennsylvanian forms 
the country rock springs are of little importance. Seeps from shales 
are common but are small and highly mineralized. A few crevices 
in outcrops of sandstone lenses produce small springs of exceUent 
water for domestic purposes, but these are rarely strong. 

MISSOURI GROUP. 

Wells. — In some places in the area where the Missouri group forms 
the country rock a scant supply of hard water is found in the lime- 
stone below 100 to 300 feet of drift. The risk of a dry hole is probably, 
greater than in any other area, since below the Mssouri group hes the 
very uncertain Des Moines group, and rock well& in this area are 
therefore comparatively few. There are some excellent exceptions to 
these general conditions, but the wells of the region are chiefly in 
overlying drift. The beds of shale are invariably dry. The heavy 
hmestones carry a scant supply of water between the shale beds and 
tills is always hard. The overlying drift is very deep over much of 
the area, especially on the great Mississippi-Missouri divide, and 
comparatively few wells reach bedrock. 

Cities and towns in the western portion of the province are largely 
located in the broad river valleys, where an abundance of water may 
be found at slight depths in the gravel. In the eastern part the inter- 
glacial gravels furnish water most copiously. There is little need to 



WATERS OF THE ROCK FORMATIONS. Ill 

resort to the deeply buried rock save on the great divide itself, where 
in many places any ground water is hard to obtain. 

Springs. — Small springs are common along the deeper valleys at 
the contact of hmestone and shale, but the only rock horizons of 
importance noted in the Missouri group area he along the ragged 
eastern edge, where the Hmestone rises almost in an escarpment and 
is thickly overlain with drift. Here in eastern Madison and Clarke 
counties good stock springs are numerous. 

QUALITY OF CARBONIFEROUS WATERS. 

No general statement can be made as to the quality of the waters 
from the Carboniferous or any of its divisions, save that the quality 
seems to vary greatly from one locahty to another. In a general 
way it may be stated that the waters of this system are usually more 
highly mineralized than those of lower ones, and that the mineral 
matter is greatest in the upper beds of the Carboniferous. A reason 
for the waiit of uniformity may possibly be found in the fact that no 
extensive sand layers or other strata with high power of transmission 
of water are found in the Carboniferous. It follows that the waters 
of this system are more local in origin; they are not transmitted from 
far-away sand plains, as in the lower sandstones, but are derived from 
the Iowa rainfall, perhaps from the immediate vicinity, and must pass 
through the drift, in some localities through hundreds of feet of it. 
There is thus every opportunity for the water to take up any soluble 
matter that may exist in the drift or immediately under it. (See 
PL IV, p. 178.) 

In the area where the Mississippian is the surface rock all wells foot- 
ing in this series supply soft to only moderately hard water, as far south 
as Hardin County. Even those in Hamilton County, to the west of 
Hardin, give hghtly minerahzed waters, though in Hamilton County 
the Mississippian is overlain by the Pennsylvanian. Farther south, 
however, well waters from the Carboniferous are hard to very hard. 
Several good examples are found in Tama County. Their waters are 
not very different from those of the flowing drift wells of the Belle 
Plaine district, but the hardness of their waters can not be credited to 
the drift, as the mineral content seems to increase with the depth. 
Near Grinnell, in Poweshiek County, all the wells in the Carbonifer- 
ous which have been investigated supply hard water contaiaing about 
2,100 parts per million of total sohds. There are other centers of 
hard water from this system in Jasper and Polk counties. Wells 
footing in the Carboniferous in other parts of the State apparently 
always yield hard waters. It is apparent that wells footing in or 
passing through the Pennsylvanian yield more liighly mineralized 
water than most those that are in the Mississippian only (in areas 



112 UISTDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

where the Pennsylvanian is absent), though the wells of Tama 
County, a Mississippian area, yield very hard water. It seems fair 
to conclude that the waters of the upper Carboniferous are, on the 
whole, harder than those of the lower Carboniferous. 

WATEK IN CRETACEOUS ROCKS. 
DAKOTA SANDSTONE. 

Wells. — The Dakota is everywhere a good water carrier, yielding 
copious and permanent supplies, but the water is commonly mineral- 
ized — as a rule liighly minerahzed. In the northwestern portion of 
the provuice the overlying drift is very deep and the sandstone water 
head, though under slight artesian pressure, is so far below the surface 
as to make pumping difficult. General difficulty throughout the 
northern end of the Dakota area is found in the very fine incoherent 
sand wliich enters the well, cements itself in the screens, and wears 
out the pumps. In the central and southern portions, however, no 
such difficulties have been reported, and on the whole the Cretaceous 
sandstone may be regarded as the best shallow-rock water carrier 
in the western part of the State. 

Shght artesian pressure is common throughout the Cretaceous area 
and in the deeper valleys weak flowing wells are not uncommon. 

Springs. — Sand-rock water strata like the Dakota are prohfic 
sources of seeps and springs wherever outcrops are found, but as there 
are few outcrops in the Cretaceous area, because of the deep drift, 
springs are correspondmgly scarce. The most important spring 
horizon is at the base of the sandstone formation where it overhes the 
shales of the Missouri group. The contact is exposed in places in 
the deep valleys which trench the area in the southwest. It gives 
rise to strong springs in the vicinity of Lewis, in Cass County, and of 
Red Oak, in Montgomery County. 

QUALITY OF CRETACEOUS WATERS. 

Of the Cretaceous little need be said. Apparently all wells pene- 
trating it deeply yield hard v/aters. A few wells in the northwestern 
part of the State which penetrate the Cretaceous for a few feet yield 
fairly good water, but this water is probably from the drift. As a 
matter of fact, it has been stated and reiterated by those who have 
been over the ground that experience does not encourage drilling 
deeply mto the rock in the northwestern part of the State. 



UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 113 

WATERS OF UNCONSOLIDATED DEPOSITS. 
QUATERNARY DEPOSITS. 

The water-bearing beds in the Quaternary are numerous and their 
positions are extremely variable. Yet many localities have what 
the drillers recognize as "first water bed/' "second water bed/' and 
m some places even "third water bed/' above the country rock. 
These water beds may in some places be identified by certain well- 
known sand or gravel beds in the drift, but they vary greatly with 
locality and in many places are either dry or wanting. 

The Quaternary water carriers most frequently recognized and 
reported are as follows, in order of age from the top downward: 
Alluvium, Wisconsm drift, loess (including subloessial sands), lowan 
drift, lUinoian drift, Buchanan gravel, Kansan drift, Aftonian gravel, 
Nebraskan or sub-Aftonian drift, and preglacial residual soU. 

PRE- KANSAN DEPOSITS. 
RESIDITAL SOIL. 

The residual soU, which occurs in the driftless area and which 
immediately overlies bedrock in the drift area, is not a good water 
bearer, but is drawn on in some places on the broad, fiat uplands as 
a source of shallow wells. The supply of water is scant and uncertam 
and is probably derived in part from the sandy base of the overlying 
loess. 

NEBRASKAN DRIFT. 

The Nebraskan or sub-Aftonian till is of no particular value as a 
water bed and the old soil and forest beds that accompany it render 
the waters offensive in some places. The sand and gravel layers, 
however, buried many feet beneath the surface of the ground, form 
very valuable aquifers, the water being under artesian pressure 
beneath the relatively impervious till. 

AFTONIAN GRAVEL. 

The water of the Aftonian gravel is generally pure, wholesome, and 
abundant. In some local areas the presence of decaying organic 
matter in the old soU and peat beds associated with the gravel 
imparts a disagreeable odor and taste to the water; in other areas, 
as in the Belle Plaine artesian basin, the water carries sulphates and 
other salts m solution in such quantities as to be unsuitable for either 
boiler or domestic use. Such occurrences, however, are exceptional. 
Wherever the gravel outcrops in the valleys, as in the vicinity of 
Afton, it gives rise to springs of no mean proportions. On the whole 
the Aftonian gravel is probably the strongest Pleistocene water 
bearer in the State. 

36581°— wsp 293—12 8 



114 UNDERGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

KANSAN DRIFT. 

The great thickness of the Kansan drift over large areas necessitates 
its use for domestic and farm wells and it probably supplies more wells 
than any other water bed in the State, whether of the drift or of the 
country rock. The supply of many of the shallower wells comes from 
the sands at the base of the overlying loess and from the gravelly 
phase in the upper portion of the Kansan, but this supply is extremely 
uncertain in quantity and generally f aUs in dry weather. The deeper 
wells are supplied by the many small sandy lenses and layers and the 
''veins" in small, more or less open tubular channels scattered 
through the heavy till. The deep-well water is of good quality, 
provided care is taken to prevent surface contamination, but it is 
variable in quantity. Though deep wells in the Kansan are not 
likely to be affected by drought, neighboring wells may differ very 
greatly in yield. On the flat divides of the Kansan, where ground 
water stands high, dug wells are not uncommon, and these are 
constructed of so large a diameter that a large surface for seepage 
and an ample reservou" for storage are secured. 

Over the much more extensive area of the dissected Kansan dug 
wells have been superseded by drilled or bored wells, the greater 
depth more than compensating for the smaller diameter. The wind- 
mill or the gasoline engine forms part of the necessary equipment of 
every farm. 

ILI.INOIAN DRIFT. 

The lUinoian drift is penetrated by many wells but is not clearly 
distinguished from the Kansan, which it resembles in its water- 
bearing qualities. 

BUCHANAN GRAVEL. 

Within the area of the lowan drift the Buchanan gravel lies 
between the lowan and Kansan drift sheets and forms a most valu- 
able water carrier, supplying innumerable shallow wells and giving 
rise to numerous springs wherever it outcrops. Its greatest impor- 
tance, however, is in the lowlands and in the old filled valleys. On 
the uplands it is thin and scattered. 

The Buchanan gravel has been of great importance in the develop- 
ment of manufacturing in the northeast quarter of the State. Owing, 
however, to its slight depth and its open texture its waters are easily 
polluted by organic matter from the surface. They frequently have 
a slight taste and leave a brown stain due to compounds of iron in 
solution. 

lOWAN DRIFT. 

Water occurs in the lowan drift in small sandy layers and lenses 
and in the small ''veins" of the till. From these it seeps into the 
wells slowly but constantly, supplying them with a moderate amount 



WATEKS OF THE QUATERNAKY DEPOSITS. 115 

of hard water, which will be pure provided care is exercised to pre- 
vent the entrance of surface water and its accompanying contami- 
nation. Owing to the tliinness of the drift and the strength and 
purity of the country-rock aquifers below, rock wells are very com- 
monly replacing wells to the lowan drift. 

LOESS. 

The loess was formerxy an important source of supply for farm 
wells throughout the State, but drainage and cultivation have so 
lowered the ground-water level as to greatly lessen its importance. 
The subloessial sands lying beneath the loess and over the till near the 
lowan margm yield a somewhat more plentiful but very uncertain 
supply. Many shallow wells dug in sloughs and other moist places 
still utilize this source for stock water. Both the loess and the sub- 
loessial sands are extremely liable to contamination from surface 
waters, cesspools, etc., and should be avoided for domestic purposes, 
especially in towns or villages and in the neighborhood of barnyards 
on the farms. 

WISCONSIN DRIFT, 

In the Wisconsin drift shallow wells are general, the supply being 
obtained, as in the other drifts, from sandy layers and ''veins" in 
the till, but they are especially liable to pollution owing to the preva- 
lence of surface waters. The better drift wells go below the base of 
the Wisconsin and draw their supply from underlying beds of the 
loess or lower horizons. 

ALLUVIUM. 

The sands and gravels of the alluvium yield an inexhaustible sup- 
ply of good water at depths ranging from 15 to 100 feet. They may 
be reached throughout the ''first bottoms" and in places on the 
"second bottoms" of the larger rivers and tributaries. Water is 
generally obtained at slight cost by means of open or driven wells 
and in larger quantities for city supplies through infiltration beds 
and collecting galleries. These deposits furnish the chief under- 
ground water supply for several large cities witliin the State. 

In towns and cities these alluvial waters are generally contami- 
nated from the surface or through cesspools. The public supply 
should always be taken at some point above the city and private 
wells should be closed. All such supplies, when used for drinking or 
domestic purposes, should be carefully tested and guarded. 

UNDERGROUND-WATER PROVINCES OF THE QUATERNARY. 

The regional differences between the waters of the different drifts 
are not so characteristic as to form well-defined provinces. The 
limits of the several water-bearing strata are, however, determined 



116 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA, 

by the limits of drift sheets to wliich they belong or are related as 
interbedded deposits. These limits do not comcide with those of 
the districts into which the State has been divided and for specific 
consideration of drift waters it seems advisable to redivide it on the 
basis of drift sheets coextensive with the topographic areas already 
described (pp. 46-53), and known as the Wisconsin, lowan, lUinoian, 
and Kansan drift provinces aiid as the driftless province. 

In the driftless province water is obtained from the alluvium, the 
loess, and the residual soU. The loess and the residual soil supply 
shallow wells on the broad, flat uplands, but the 3deld of both is so 
scanty that most good wells are sunk to one of the numerous and 
excellent country rock horizons, which may there be reached at 
comparatively little expense. On the flat valley floors shaUow weUs 
draw an abundance of good water from the gravel and sands under- 
lying the alluvium. Springs from the outcropping rocks of the 
vaUey sides are so numerous as to greatly decrease the number of 
wells necessary. 

In the Kansan drift province water may be obtained from the allu- 
vium, the loess, the Kansan drift, the Af tonian gravel, and the Nebras- 
kan drift. The great thickness of the Kansan drift and the presence 
of Pennsylvanian rocks immediately underneath a large part of this 
area causes the Kansan drift to be one of the most fully utilized water- 
beds of the State, even though its yield is scanty. Owing to the 
depth of the drift and the scanty yield, deep-bored wells are now 
becoming common, especially in the vicmity of the Mississippi- 
Missouri divide. Many wells in the southeastern district penetrate 
the Af tonian gravel and are abundantly supplied. The base of the 
drift, where this is sufficiently shallow to be reached by ordinary 
farm wells, is a favorite source of supply; it probably includes the 
Nebraskan as well as the Aftonian horizon. 

Under the broad floors of the vaUeys the flow is ample for the 
cities of several thousand people located thereon. The waters are 
obtained by v/ells fitted with drive points and Cook stramers. On the 
broader uplands many of the shallowest weUs draw a smaU supply 
from the sandy layer in the base of the loess immediately overlying 
the impervious tfll. 

In the Illinoian drift province water is obtainable from the loess, 
the HHnoian drift, the Kansan drift, and the Aftonian gravel. The 
Illinoian and Kansan drifts are not clearly differentiated in the weUs; 
both are used indifferently by wells, and even the loess affords a 
meager supply for many wells. The better drift wells draw from 
basal gravels, probably those of Aftonian age. 

In the lowan drift province water is obtained from the lowan drift, 
the Buchanan gravel, the Kansan drift, and the Aftonian gravel. 



WATEES OF THE QUATEENAEY DEPOSITS. 117 

The lowan and Kansan drifts are both generally used; but the strongest 
wells draw from the Buchanan or Aftonian gravels. Such wells are 
generally best developed on lowlands and in old stream channels. 
The loess supplies some shallow wells on the margin of the area where 
it overlies the edge of the lowan drift. 

In the Wisconsin drift province water is obtainable from the Wis- 
consin drift, the loess, the Buchanan gravel, the Kansan drift, and the 
Aftonian gravel. The porous loess is very generally recognized 
where present and is the best shallow-well aquifer in the area. Owing 
to the immaturity of the topography the ground-water level is high, 
wells are generally shallow^ and all not well guarded are liable to sur- 
face pollution. 



CHAPTER IV. 
ARTESIAN PHENOMENA. 



By W. H. Norton. 



DEFINITION OF ARTESIAN WATER. 

The term '^ artesian" has been used with several meanings, but, 
in accordance with the usage now prevailing, artesian waters include 
not only the water of flowing wells but also well waters that rise to a 
considerable height within the tube under hydrostatic or artesian 
pressure. Thus, in the deeper river valleys of Iowa, the head of the 
water from the Paleozoic aquifers is higher than the valley floors, 
and the water overflows in natural fountains, many of which are of 
considerable height. On the uplands, however, water from the same 
water beds, rising through the same strata, under the same driving 
force, and with the same head, fails to reach the surface of the ground. 
The important and definite fact is that under hydrostatic pressure 
the water rises to or nearly to the surface. In classifying ground 
waters it is comparatively unimportant whether the surface of the 
ground at an.y given point is slightly above or below the level to 
which the water from the deep source rises. 

HEAD OF ARTESIAN WATERS. 

DEFINITION. 

The water beds of the Iowa artesian slope dip southward from 
their outcrop on the high lands of the States adjacent on the north. 
The water confined within these beds is therefore under hydrostatic 
pressure, much as is the water in a city's mains from the weight of 
the column of water in the standpipe. Under this artesian pressure 
it rises in deep wells far above the level of the water bed. It may fall 
short of reaching the surface of the ground, or it may overflow and in 
an open tube connected with the well may even rise and maintain itself 
at a considerable height above the well mouth. The height at which 
artesian water stands under hydrostatic pressure is called its static 
level or head. It may be expressed in its relation to sea level, to the 
level of the water bed, or to the level of the well mouth. As artesian 
118 



ARTESIAK PHENOMENA. 119 

wells may head either above or below the well mouth, they are 
divided into two classes, flowing and nonflowing. 

MEASTJIIEMENT. 

The head of flowing artesian wells may be measured in two ways. 
The pressure may be measured at the well mouth, in pounds per 
square inch, by means of a gage, and the head may then be computed 
in feet. As a column of water 1 inch square and 2.3 feet in height 
weighs 1 pound, the number of pounds pressure at the well multiphed 
by 2.3 equals the head in feet. Somewhat less conveniently the head 
of flowing wells may be measured by tubing coupled water tight and 
carried up until the water stands at the top but does not overflow. 
The size of the tube is immaterial. The test is most easily made with 
a hose of any convenient diameter, carried up a ladder or trestle, since, 
owing to its flexibihty, it may be lifted or lowered until the exact 
head is obtaiaed and the cuttings and coupling needed with metal 
pipe are obviated. 

To obtain the true hydrostatic balance a day or even several days 
may be necessary, and for this as well as for other reasons the test 
is most conveniently made with the pressure gage. 

FACTORS AFFECTING HEAD. 
ELEVATION OF AREA OF SUPPLY. 

The head or static level depends on several conditions, chief among 
them being the elevation of the intake area, or area of supply, where 
the water bed or beds outcrop and gather their water from the rain- 
fall. The area of supply of the principal water beds of the Iowa 
artesian system — the Cambrian and Ordovician sandstones — Ues for 
the most part in southern Minnesota and Wisconsin, where it com- 
prises about 14,500 square miles. The area presents a considerable 
diversity in elevation but in few places is more than 1,200 feet above 
sea level. With a gathering ground whose altitude is relatively so 
low, the water beds of Iowa furnish only a moderate pressure to their 
artesian waters. The enormous pressure of the South Dakota 
artesian wells, for example, due to the high gathering ground on the 
flanks of the Black Hills — pressures which equal heads of 400 feet in 
places and which can be utilized for power in manufacturing plants 
or to supply fire protection for a city — are not to be expected in Iowa. 

ELEVATION OF SURFACE AT THE WELL. 

The highest heads, relative to the top of the well, are found where 
the elevation of the ground surface above sea level is least. From 
Des Moines Eiver eastward the artesian wells situated in the deeper 
valleys are flowing weUs, and the wells of the deepest valley, that of 



120 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



the Mississippi; register the greatest pressure. The following table 
exhibits the maximum initial head reported from the wells in the 
Mississippi Valley in Iowa from north to south : 

Maximum initial head of wells in the Mississippi Valley ir. lo^'.afrom north to south. 



Town. 




Head 

above 

sea level. 



Lansing 

McGregor 

Dubuque 

Sabula 

Green Island 

Clinton 

Davenport 

Fort Madison 

Burlington (on blufls) 
Keokuk 



Feet. 



690 
694 
740 
656 
665 
632 
643 
638 
647 
667 



On the other hand, on the uplands of the State the water generally 
fails to rise to the top of the wells, although it generally rises higher 
(above sea level) than it does in the valleys. 

AGE OF WELL. 

Owing to various causes, some remediable and some irremediable, 
the artesian head in any given well commonly decreases with lapse 
of time. Any plans to utilize the pressure for fire protection, as 
at Sabula, or for running dynamos for city lighting, as at Keokuk, 
should take account of this fact. 

After the first wells are drilled in any locaUty, it is often difficult 
to determine the true head. Leaks are liable to develop by wliich 
more or less of the water escapes laterally from the drill hole, and 
the head of the water is correspondingly reduced. As other wells are 
drilled from time to time and are left to discharge freely, the head is 
further lowered and it is difficult to determine the pressure in any 
given well, unless all the other wells can be closed for the occasion. In 
many places the flow of a new well on lower ground has drawn 
down the head of other wells in the neig-hborhood. 



HYDRAULIC GRADIENT. 

Most water-bearing formations are cut at greater or less distances 
from their outcrops by river valleys, into which more or less of their 
water escapes. Such leakage necessarily reduces the pressure, or 
head, of the water, the effect increasing as the point of escape is 
neared. It has been found that, owing to this and to certain other 
factors (such as the friction of the rock particles through which 
the water jiercolates), the height to which artesian water will rise 



AETESIAN PHENOMENA. 121 

above sea level declines more or less uniformly from the intake area 
to the point of escape. This decline is known as the hydraulic 
gradient. 

GROUND-WATER LEVEL. 

Under certain conditions the height of the ground-water level 
of the area and the head of minor and higher artesian aquifers tapped 
by the drill may affect the head of a well.^ The effect of these 
agencies is illustrated in the map (PL I, in pocket). In Iowa the 
hydraulic gradient declines from Boone eastward to Clinton on 
Mississippi River, 310 feet in 190 miles, the surface of the ground 
falling 550 feet in the same distance. (See PI. XI, p. 382.) 

RELATIVE HEADS OF IOWA AQUIFERS. 

When a deep well is being sunk, the question is often asked whether 
water under greater pressure, giving a higher head, will be found 
at greater depths or whether the deeper water will be under less 
pressure, causing the well perhaps to lose its flow. It is greatly to 
be regretted that the data at hand so seldom permit a conclusive 
answer to tliis question. When a deep well penetrates several 
different water beds, the head of each bed should be tested as the 
drilling is in prog:^ss, but as this testing of flowing wells involves 
considerable trouble and some expense it is seldom if ever done. 
In nonflowing artesian wells the fluctuation of water in the drill hole 
due to the different heads of different aquifers can be readily observed, 
but in few wells have such observations been made and placed on 
record. When the head of a well is given, it is seldom known by 
what particular water vein the pressure is determined or to what 
extend the head has been lowered by the discharge of other wells. 

The chief aquifers of the Iowa water system, the St. Peter sand- 
stone, Prairie du Chien group, Jordan sandstone, and Dresbach 
sandstone and underlying Cambrian formations, afford considerable 
evidence that the lowest water beds give the highest head. Thus at 
Dubuque the original heads of the wells endmg above the Dresbach 
sandstone seem to have been from 700 to 740 feet above sea level, 
whereas the head of wells wliich tapped the Dresbach or underlying 
Cambrian sandstone reached perhaps 753 feet. At Waterloo the head 
of the water from the St. Peter is given at 865 feet above sea level, 
and that from the water beds between the St. Peter and the Dresbach 
at 867 feet, but at Davenport the beds below the St. Peter seem to have 
a somewhat greater head. In the deep wells at Holstein the waters 
from the liigher formations, including the St. Peter and probably 

1 Chambeilm, T. C, Requisite and qualifying conditions of artesian wells: Fifth Ann. Kept. U. S. Geol. 
Sui-vey, 1885, pp. 125-173. 



122 tflSTDEEGEOUlfD WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

the Jordan, stood 325 feet below the curb ; when the Dresbach was 
struck, the water rose to 270 feet below the curb. On the other hand, 
in some nonflowing artesian wells, as at Pella, Centerville, Burlington, 
and Anamosa, the water seems to have maintained about the same 
level while the drill was passing through the various Cambrian and 
Ordovician water beds. At Ottumwa the aquifers of the flowing 
wells seem to have a common head at about 700 feet above sea level. 
At Boone, on the other hand, the head of the water of the St. Peter 
is 1,080 feet above sea level, but that of the main vein in the deeper 
sandstone is 940 feet above sea level, 140 feet lower. 

The head of the water beds above the St. Peter may be either 
higher or lower than that of the Cambrian and Ordovician beds. 
In upland wells of northeastern Iowa the head of the water from the 
Niagara, the middle part of the Maquoketa, the Galena, and the 
Platteville is higher than that of the water from lower aquifers. 
Thus at Sumner the waters from the middle Maquoketa and the 
Galena stood 18 feet below the curb, and those from the Cambrian 
and Ordovician beds 144 feet below. This difference is especially 
marked in the extreme northeastern counties, where the main river 
valleys dissect the St. Peter and even the Jordan and permit water to 
escape. Thus at Calmar the water from the Galena and Maquoketa 
rises 76 feet higher and at Postville 170 feet higher than the water 
from the St. Peter. In wells outside of this area and in valley wells 
within it the water from the Cambrian and Ordovician aquifers 
usually rises higher than that from superior terranes. Thus at 
Vinton the water from the St. Peter rises 38 feet higher than that 
from the Devonian, and at Davenport it rises 10 feet higher than that 
from the Galena. At Holstein the water from the St. Peter rose 40 
feet and at Osage about 10 feet above that from higher water beds. 

The head of the Dakota sandstone in northwest Iowa seems to 
be higher than that of lower water beds, exceeding that of the St. Peter 
at Cherokee by 120 feet. In fact, the reported high head of many 
deep wells in this part of the State may be largely due to the 
Dakota waters. 

The map showing artesian head (PL I, in pocket) presents the 
scanty data at hand, but forecasts must not be based on it with 
undue assurance. The head of any well depends on a number of 
factors and is perhaps the least predictable matter connected with 
the subject. In a number of the wells the head probably depends 
on that of waters of drift or country rock. The map presents, how- 
ever, the salient facts of the decreasing head with increasing distance 
from the area of supply and the heightening influence of the ground 
waters of the uplands in central and northwestern Iowa. 



AKTESIAN PHENOMENA. 123 

YIELD OF ARTESIAN WELLS. 

MEASUREMENT. 

No deep-well data are more unreliable than those relating to yield. 
The reported discharge of flowing wells is seldom more than a loose 
estimate and often, no doubt, a gross exaggeration. For pumped 
artesian wells, the amount delivered by the pump can and should be 
calculated with considerable accuracy and may be assumed to be the 
capacity of the well when the latter does not exceed the capacity of 
the pumps. The yield of flowing wells may be estimated by the 
flow over a weir, by a current meter set in the pipes or by the time 
necessary to fill a receptacle of known capacity. If the yield is 
moderate, measures as small as hogsheads may be used for this pur- 
pose. Slichter ^ describes a very simple method of determining the 
yield of a flowing well devised by J. E. Todd. Pumping tests should 
last at least 24 hours and should be conducted with pumps of adequate 
capacity. 

PERMANENCE OF YIELD. 

FACTORS AFFECTING PERMANENCE. 

The length of time which an artesian well may reasonably be 
expected to remain in service, the causes which impair or ruin it, and 
their remedies are questions of vital importance on which some light 
should be shed by the collated history of the hundreds of deep wells 
of the Iowa field, some of which have been in operation for a quarter 
of a century. 

It may naturally be expected that, like any other mechanism, 
this apparatus for bringing water from its subterranean sources to 
the surface is liable to deteriorate with age, to need from time to 
time repairs of various kinds, and, indeed, to break down from one 
cause or a,nother and to become altogether useless. To laiow the 
points of weakness in this mechanism, which is not quite so simple 
as it at first view may seem, and to know the dangers which threaten 
it is absolutely necessary if the well is to be so constructed and so 
cared for as to insure its permanence. 

A deep well drilled in Iowa for a quarter or half a mile, straight 
toward the center of the earth, passes through rocks of various 
kinds. Some are strong and unyielding ; and some are mobile or plastic, 
creeping under the enormous weight of overlying rocks they carry 
and thus constricting or closing the drill hole. Some are brittle and 
fragile, and from such rocks movements of water in the well dislodge 
fragments which, on falling, leave cavities along the bore hole and, 
accumulating at the bottom, choke the discharge of the water beds 

1 Slichter, C. S., The motions of underground waters: Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 67, 
1902, pp. 90-93. 



124 tJNDESGKOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

situated there. Some are close textured; some are spongy and 
porous; and some are creviced. Some are dry, and some are water 
logged, and of the latter class some contam good water and some 
water so higldy mineralized as to be unpo table or injurious to the 
health. Of the good waters, some may be under so little pressure 
that another flow under higher pressure will drive them back and 
escaj)e through their channels if left free to do so. 

The main water bed may consist of loose and crumbling sandstone, 
which with time breaks down and forms a chamber; roofed, perhaps, 
with shale, which, when left unsupported, caves m and closes the 
waterway. 

For some distance from the surface the well commonly penetrates 
incoherent material incapable of standing in a solid wall. A casmg 
is therefore inserted and bedded in solid rock. But unless the junc- 
ture of casing and rock is water tight, the ascending water of a flowing 
well will in time find a way through it out of the drill hole. 

Finally, even if the well is perfectly constructed and the supply in 
the water bed is large, the yield may be diminished through over- 
draft by other wells put down in the vicinity. 

Permanence of an artesian jdeld, therefore, depends (1) on the 
construction and care of the well itself; (2) on the character of the 
water bed from which it draws; and (3) on the combined draft on 
the water bed by all the wells in the vicinity. 

FACTORS RELATING TO THE WELL. 
CASING AND PACKING. 

Heavy iron casing is inserted where the well passes through weak 
rocks liable to cave or creep and where it passes through aquifers 
containing salt or bitter water or good water under so low head as 
to permit lateral escape of the main flow. The upper casing is care- 
fully packed at the base to prevent any escape of water. Where 
the water bed is of weak rock it is protected with strong casing 
perforated to admit the entrance of water. 

All these precautions are taken if the job is thoroughly done. But 
as casing is costly, as the nature of the rocks to be penetrated is 
in many places not well known, as the heads of the various water 
veins are not tested— for all these and for less excusable reasons it is 
not seldom that some of these points of danger are left unguarded. 
The upper casing is left unpacked but is simply grounded on bed- 
rock, which in Iowa is usually limestone. This soluble rock gradually 
decays about the base of the casing, a thin thread of water escapes 
into the surrounding overljdng sands or shattered rock, and the open- 
ing is enlarged by solution until the leakage is sufficient to stop the 
flow of the well. 



AETESIAN PHENOMENA. 125 

Uncased shales, although to all appearances at first sufficiently 
firm, may yield to the action of the water passing over their exposed 
surface and cave withm a few years after the completion of the well. 
Limestones, although strong enough to stand indefinitely, may con- 
tain crevices, openings, and porous beds of which the drUler is entkely 
unaware. Water from other pervious beds under heavy pressure is 
driven into these 2:>assages until most of it escapes through these 
leaks and the well ceases to flow. 

The main water bed may be a loose-grained sandstone, which, if 
not cased, gradually breaks down and tends to fill the well with its 
detritus. It may be a fme-grained as well as a loose-grained sand- 
stone, and even when the well is cased the grains may be fine enough 
to pass through the perforations of the casing and the strainers, 
likewise causing the drill hole to fill. Where casing is sunk to pre- 
vent leakage the pressm'e under which it is driven down may split 
or break it at the joints, and through these breaks the water may 
escape. 

DIAMETER OF DRILL HOLE. 

Very obvious causes of difference in the yield of artesian wells are 
differences in the capacity of the drill hole or its casing. The cross 
section of a tube varies as the square of the diameter; thus, disre- 
garding other factors, an 8-inch pipe would carry 16 times as much 
water as a 2-inch pipe. But the larger the diameter the less the 
frictional resistance; hence the dift'erence in favor of the larger pipe 
is still greater. Taking into account both cross section and frictional 
resistance, the discharge of pipes varies as the 2. .5 power of the 
diameter.^ 

The 5deld of a deep well is controlled, not by the maximum diame- 
ter of the bore hole — that at the well mouth — but by the diameter 
of the hole at the water-bearing stratum. In sinking deep wells it 
is necessary from time to time to reduce the diameter of the drill 
hole. The first deep well at Boone, for example, which began with 
a diameter of 8 inches, was reduced foiu" times, and reached the bot- 
tom at 3,010 feet with a diameter of 3 inches. The Greenwood Park 
well at Des Moines, 3,000 feet deep, beginning with 10 inches, reached 
the bottom with 3 inches. For this reason and because of the rapid 
increase in the cost of drilling with increase of depth, it may be 
concluded that the limit of profitable drilhng lies under rather than 
over 3,000 feet. The cost of tapping a water bed at this distance 
from the surface with a drill hole large enough to carry its waters is 
so great that the outlay is seldom warranted. 

Large holes also have an advantage in that they offer a larger sur- 
face of transmission within the water rock, and thus give a more 

1 Slichter, C. S., op. cit., p. 84. 



126 UNDEKGROUND WATEE EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

generous yield, but this increase is comparatively slight. Thus, of 
two wells, each sunk 100 feet in water beds presenting similar con- 
ditions of pore space, pressure, etc., a 6-inch well 3d elded 36 cubic 
feet a minute and a 12-inch well only 41 cubic feet a minute, although 
its carrying capacity is four times as large.^ Several small wells 
will secure a larger inflow than one large well. Furthermore, to 
secure the maximum efficiency of a number of wells, they should be 
spaced as widely as practicable so as to interfere as little as possible 
with one another. 

FACTORS EELATING TO THE WATER BEDS. 
PRESSURE. 

The yield of flowing wells from beds of equal porosity varies with 
the pressure of the water at the point of discharge, or with the differ- 
ence between the surface level at the point of discharge and the 
level to which the water will rise by artesian pressure. The rela- 
tively large yield of the deep wells of the valley towns of Iowa com- 
pared with that of upland wells is explained by then* greater head, 
and the assumption made by some persons that natural cracks and 
fissures of great extent coincide with river valleys is quite gratuitous. 
The law is well illustrated in a test made of a flowing well at Hitch- 
cock, Tex., whose water rose about 30 feet above the curb, the point 
of discharge bemg taken at different heights and therefore at differ- 
ent distances below the static level. Wlien the point of discharge 
was 25.35 feet above the curb the well yielded in a given period 
8,022 gallons, and when it was 0.76 foot above the curb it yielded 
in the same period 95,000 gallons. This change, which was equiva- 
lent to mcreasmg the head from 4.65 feet to 29.24 feet, increased the 
flow of the well nearly twelvefold. In the location of wells this law 
of pressure variations should be considered. Other things being 
equal, the lowest ground available should be chosen as the site of 
the well, for here the head and discharge will be the greatest. 

To the same law is due the greatly increased flow when pumps 
or air lifts are used. Thus, at Charles City, the yield of the city 
well, whose estimated natural flow was 200 gallons a minute, was 
increased by a vacuum of 7 pounds to 900 gallons per minute. At ' 
Mason City, Waterloo, and Dubuque greatly increased flows are 
obtained by means of air lifts. Advantage is taken of the same 
principle when the pumping cylinder is set low in nonflowing wells. 
At Ames a test made with the cylinder set 270 feet below the ground 
gave a maximum discharge of 7,400 gallons an hour; at 149 feet, 
below the surface it gave 5,000 gallons an hour; and 105 feet below 
the surface it gave only 3,525 gallons an hour. 

1 King, F. H., Principles and conditions of the movements of ground water: Nineteentli Ann. Rept. ' 
U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 2, 1899, p. 285. ' 



AETESIAN PHENOMENA. 127 

Pressure is a controlling factor in the transmission of water through 
porous rocks. Experiments have sliown that the yield of porous 
sandstones varies with the pressure, but doubling the pressure 
usually more than doubles the amount of water transmitted. The 
moderate pressures of the Iowa artesian basin suffice to overcome 
the frictional resistance and to drive the water on its way but are 
not sufficient to force such immense yields as are reported from wells 
of the Dakotas. The moderate pressure may also result in a com- 
paratively rapid lowering of the head in any local area, for the slower 
the transmission the more rapidly will the area be depleted under a 
given draft. 



THICKNESS. 



Few if any wells yield as much water as would be indicated by the 
theoretic capacity of their pipes and the velocities due to their pres- 
sures. This is because the water is delivered to the pipe through 
porous rock through which water seeps from distant sources under 
great frictional resistance. The yield depends, therefore, on a num- 
ber of conditions relating to the rock constituting the water beds. 
It depends on the amount of surface exposed in the drill hole within 
the water bed. When the bottom of the hole barely touches the 
water bed, or an unperforated casing extends to the bottom of the 
well, this surface is at a minimum and gives a minimum yield, for 
it is then merely the area of the circle whose diameter is the diameter 
of the bore. Wlien the entire water bed is penetrated and the hole 
is uncased, the surface of transmission is at a maximum and gives a 
maximum yield, for it is then the surface of a cylinder whose height 
is the thickness of the water bed. Thus a thick water bed will not 
only hold and carry more water than a thin one, but may also deliver 
more water to a well. Several water beds will yield more than a 
single water bed of less than their combined thickness. The thick- 
ness and the number of the Iowa aquifers therefore constitute 
one cause of the large flow of the wells. It follows that a deep 
well should be sunk completely through any given water bed, and 
that the more water beds it traverses the larger will be its 
yield, provided of course that certain beds do not drain away the 
waters of others because of differences in head. Several Iowa wells 
that have stopped in the St. Peter sandstone would have obtained a 
much more copious yield if they had been carried through the Prairie 
du Chien and the Jordan. 

■ On the other hand, there are places where the lower waters should 
be left undisturbed even though the yield would be increased by 
drilling to them. At Cedar Rapids and at McGregor the first wells 
drilled encountered salty and corrosive waters in the Cambrian sand- 
stones^ and wells drilled later in these towns were, therefore, stopped 
before they reached the horizons at which the deleterious waters 



128 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

were obtained. In northeastern Iowa, along the Mississippi Valley, 
the lowest of the aquifers, the Dresbach and, underlying Cambrian 
sandstones, is drawn upon^ freely ; but outside of this area the ex- 
pense of reaching it, and the probability of finding its waters highly 
mineralized, are so great that it is generally advisable to stop the 
drill at the base of the Jordan sandstone. 

In loose, friable sandstone it may be necessary to case through the 
water bed. In such wells the casing should be perforated through 
the entire thickness of the water bed. 

TEXTURE AND POE.OSITT. 

"field depends very largely on the texture and porosity of the 
water rock. Gravel 3delds its store of water more freely than coarse 
sand, and coarse sand than fine sand. Doubling the effective size 
of grain quadruples the yield. Stratified rocks transmit water most 
readily parallel to their bedding planes, and this fact gives an addi- 
tional reason for the large yield of wells which penetrate water beds 
deeply and are fed from the sides by horizontal currents, as compared 
with the yield of wells which touch only the upper surface of the water 
bed and are fed from the bottom by currents rising transverse to the 
bedding planes. 

The main sandstone aquifers of the Iowa artesian system include 
many highly porous beds tlirough which water seeps freely into wells. 
Their grains are moderately large, are exceptionally smooth and well 
rounded, and are fairly uniform in size, thus increasing the pore 
space, as few minute grains are packed in the interstices of the larger 
grains. Cements filling the pore spaces to a greater or less extent 
are practically absent in many of these water-bearing beds. In con- 
sequence of these conditions, the sandstone aquifers of Iowa yield 
exceptionally abundant supplies. 

With increasing distance from outcrop and v.dth increasing depth 
and slackening of the ground-water circulation clogging and filling of 
pore spaces may be expected in any water-bearing terrane accom- 
panied by restriction of the water channels to special horizons kept 
open after the remainder of the rock of the terrane has become 
impervious by cementation. The yield of aquifers, such as the St. 
Peter and the Jordan, can not be expected to be as great where they 
reach great depths in central Iowa as it is in northeastern Iowa, where 
they lie much higher and their circulation is far more active.^ 

CREVICES. 

The yield of the artesian wells of Iowa is increased by the fact that 
the waters flow not only through the pore spaces of sandstones and 
loose-textured limestones but tlirough the fissure cracks and crevices 

1 The St. Peter struck at Nebraska City, Nebr., at a depth of 2,783 feet, although 64 feet thick, was 
found dry. 



AETESIAN PHENOMENA. 129 

that are common in limestones and occur even in many sandstones. 
The existence of these passages might be inferred from general con- 
siderations and from experience elsewhere, but in the Iowa field it 
has frequently been proved by the sudden drop of the drill, by the 
deflection of the drill, and by the underground disappearance of 
drillings. Many of these passages through limestone are in connec- 
tion with the sandstone aquifers. 

Between the St. Peter and the Jordan sandstones lies a heavy 
body of creviced limestone, more or less arenaceous and in places 
interleaved "with layers of porous sandstone, and below the Jordan 
sandstone lie the limestones of the St. Lawrence formation. Through- 
out this entire body of rock, from the base of the Platteville to the 
summit of the impervious beds of the St. Lawrence, artesian waters 
may participate in a common movement. Water sinks or rises from 
sandstone to limestone, and vice versa. Where its course lies in the 
solution passages in limestone its velocity is greatly increased, and 
where the drill penetrates such crevices the flow is -proportionately 
abundant. Even the delivery of the sandstone is no doubt increased 
by communication with the more open ways of the limestones. 

CLOGGING. 

The yield of some wells diminishes because the water bed becomes 
clogged. Fine material in the rock is carried little by little toward 
the well and accumulates immediately about the drill hole in the 
interstices between the larger grains, thus lessening the porosity and 
the transmission capacity of the aquifer and lessening correspond- 
ingly the yield of the well. The danger is believed to obtain espe- 
cially with incoherent sandstones which have large diversity in size 
of grain and contain material of siltlike fineness, either interleaved or 
disseminated through it. In the main water beds of Iowa — the 
Cambrian and Ordovician sandstones — clogging to any noticeable 
extent from this cause should be rare. In the artesian wells at 
Savannah, Ga., an effectual remedy for clogging was found in forcing 
a strong flow down the well by means of fire engines. 

Clogging may be the result of the growth of microscopic plant life 
and gelatinous deposits of iron, as in the Linwood Park deep well at 
Dubuque, where the obstruction was a fibrous growth, probably of 
Crenothrix, and where churning an iron rod in the well doubled the 
diminished flow. 

OVERDRAFT. 

Artesian weUs may fail because of overdraft. In many large towns 
and cities the fact that a copious supply of water, whose purity is 
above suspicion, can be obtained at moderate cost, leads to the multi- 
36581°— wsp 293—12 9 



130 UNDEEGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

plication of wells beyond the local transmission capacity of the 
aquifers. The head of old wells gradually diminishes and that of the 
new weUs drilled from time to time fails to reach the initial head of the 
wells first drilled. The opening of a well of unusually large yield, 
resulting from its exceptionally large diameter or from its location on 
low ground, may cause a sudden fall of pressure in all the wells of the 
locality. 

Finally, the artesian head in a locality may be so reduced that all 
the wells cease to flow and all require pumping. The cause of this 
lowering of artesian head is simply that more water is being drawn 
from the water beds at this place than can flow in. The storage 
capacity of the artesian basin is not overdrawn, nor is there a defi- 
ciency in the rainfall and absorption over the area of supply of the 
artesian system. The limiting factor is the transmission capacity of 
the water-bearing strata at that locality. For such a condition there 
is obviously no remedy. The most that can be done is to guard 
against any waste of the water, either above ground or by leakage 
below the surface. The real overdraft may be due not to necessary 
consumption but to leakage from a number of wells. 

In the towns and cities of Iowa where many weUs have been 
drilled loss of pressure has been noted too generally to be accounted 
for by deterioration of individual wells. Such a loss, for instance, has 
occurred at Dubuque, Clinton, Davenport, Burlington, Keokuk, and 
elsewhere (pp. 132-133). In none of these places has the decrease 
been sufiicient wholly to prevent artesian flow, though in several 
pumps are used to increase the yield. 

REMEDIES FOR DECREASED YIELD. 

The first step in remedying decreased yield is to discover whether 
the error is not in the well itself. Even when properly constructed 
the mechanism of a deep well can not be expected to last indefinitely. 
Packing may deteriorate with age and leaks develop about the lower 
end of the uppermost casing. Casings in time rust out, and under 
the chemical action of certain waters this deterioration may be rapid. 
The casing may be attacked at the joints, the screw threads becoming 
so rusted that when the casing is drawn to recase the well each joint 
has to be lifted separately; or the water may corrode the sides of 
the casing, perforating it with holes as large, sometimes, as a 5-cent 
piece, thus causing leakage. The remedy here is to recase the well. 

In a number of Iowa wells where this has been done the initial yield 
has been restored. Thus the Atlee well, at Fort Madison, used for a 
public fountain in the street and for a private fountain on the grounds 
of the owner, which lost its head of 55 pounds, is said to have had this 
entirely restored by recasing. Unfortunately a well may be drilled 
a httle out of vertical and the insertion of a casing is impossible when 



ARTESIAN PHENOMENA. 131 

a need of repairs arises. An example is afforded by the deep well at 
Monticello, one of the oldest artesian wells of the State, which fur- 
nished excellent water but had to be abandoned because the crooked 
bore hole prevented the essential repairs. 

In wells ending in sand the screen at the foot may become incrusted 
and the flow of the water stopped. The remedies for this are discussed 
on pages 192-195. 

In many oil wells an increase in yield has been obtained by torpedo- 
ing with nitroglycerin. This method has not been attempted with 
the Iowa artesian wells, nor, indeed, can it be recommended except 
as a last resort where drill holes would otherwise be failures. In close- 
textured limestones the shattering of the rock under the torpedo may 
not extend to any passageways. It must be remembered that an 
artesian well is expected to be far more permanent than an oil well. 
Torpedoing a well usually not only makes it impossible to sink it 
deeper but also to repair it at any time. 

Still less excusable is the use of nitroglycerin in repairing drill 
holes. At Vinton in 1910 two adjacent deep wells needed repairs of 
the same nature and extent. In attempting to pull a corroded casing 
in the north well several shots of high explosives were fired and the 
drni hole was so damaged that the total cost of the repairs exceeded 
$7,400, whereas the repairs on the south well made by an experienced 
company cost but $1,600. 

STATISTICS OF DECREASED YIELD. 

The following tables present aU the information which has been 
gathered concerning the deep wells of Iowa which have been aban- 
doned or whose yield has decreased : 



132 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 






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134 



UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



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CHAPTER V. 
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEKGROUND WATERS. 



By W. S. Hendrixson. 



INTKODUCTION. 

NATURE OF ANALYSES. 

The analytical work of this investigation has been confined to 
determination of those mineral or inorganic constituents that are com- 
monly found in nearly all ground waters and that have an important 
bearing on the suitability of the waters for municipal and industrial 
uses. The following: are the substances determined: 



Silica (SiOa). 
Iroii(Fe). 
Aluminum (Al). 
Calcium (Ca). 
Magnesium (Mg). 
Sodium (Na). 



Potassium (K). 
Carbonate radicle (CO3). 
Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3). 
Sulphate radicle (SO4). 
Nitrate radicle (NO3). 
Chlorine (CI). 



In calculating the averages of the analyses potassium has been 
included with sodium, as potassium was separately determined in only 
a few of the waters. In most of the analyses not made by the writer 
iron and aluminum were determined together as oxides. In a few 
analyses silica was included with those oxides. It is, therefore, 
impossible to find true averages of iron and aluminum, and these are 
omitted from the tables. The proportion of the analyses giving 
silica separately is large enough to justify including its average in 
the table, though the average can not be rigidly construed. Where 
considerable quantities of nitrate were indicated the nitrate radicle 
(NO3) was determined. 

Many deep-well waters contain amounts of ammonia that would be 
sufficient to cause suspicion of pollution if they were found in waters 
from shallow weUs. The presence of ammonia in water from deep 
wells is probably due to the reduction of nitrates by pyrite or other 
reducing substances. Whatever the cause, both the ammonia and 
the nitrate are to be regarded as due to fermentation long since 
completed and therefore as without significance from the sanitarian's 
point of view. 

135 



136 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Eleven waters are included for which only total solids were obtain- 
able from the analyses. These are waters analyzed only with a view 
to their use in boilers, and only the total solids, incrusting matter, 
and chemicals necessary for softening them are given; they are 
included in the general tables because there are few available analyses 
of waters in the regions in which they occur. 

The 400 analyses that are tabulated represent waters from all but 
two of the 99 counties in the State. The majority are analyses of 
waters from weUs of the northeastern part, or deep-well district, of 
the State. Some counties have no wells of considerable depth which 
enter sources of water of more than local character. In some this 
may be due to the absence of easily available sources of large water 
supplies, as is apparently true in some parts of southern Iowa. In 
others the existing deep-water resources have not been developed; 
for example, six counties — Worth, Howard, Chickasaw, Butler, 
Grundy, and Buchanan — all favorably located in the artesian dis- 
trict, have, so far as known, no wells penetrating the lower sand- 
stones. Five others — Mitchell, Floyd, Franklin, Black Hawk, and 
Delaware — ^have only one such well each. In these counties there 
are few large towns, and most of the small towns having water 
systems procure supplies to meet present needs from shallow wells 
or from streams. As they grow and their demands increase a large 
development of the deep-water resources may be expected. 

STATEMENT OF ANALYTICAL RE STILTS. 

FORM OF ANALYSES. 

In the statements of results of analyses by other chemists the 
mineral constituents are frequently expressed in the form of salts and 
oxides. As the oxides of aluminum and iron are commonly weighed 
together, it is impossible to separate the iron and aluminum in the 
recalculated analyses and their combined oxides are therefore given in 
this report unchanged. The same applies to silica when it was 
weighed with the oxides of aluminum and iron. 

Until recently it was customary to represent the results of analyses 
of water in terms of hypothetical compounds as they were supposed 
to exist in solution. Many have been the discussions, not to say 
controversies, as to whether, for example, calcium would combine with 
the sulphate radicle rather than with chlorine, according to inherent 
selective affinity. All such discussions have been rendered irrelevant 
by general acceptance of the ionic theory, for it is now well known 
that the mineral matter in such dilute solutions as the average well 
water exists almost entirely as free radicles, with the exception of 
silica, which is given as SiOj. There is no longer any scientific 
reason why the results should be represented as compounds, and 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OP UNDEEGEOUND WATEES. 137 

there is very little in the way of practical convenience to justify 
such practice. It is true that if any given water be evaporated to 
dryness the contained substances separate out as compounds accord- 
ing to the law of least solubility, and in a definite order according to 
the relative amounts of the substances present, but the order would 
scarcely be the same for any two waters. The only logical pro- 
cedure is, therefore, to give the constituents as radicles, though it 
may be a little confusing to those who are unaccustomed to this 
mode of expressing results. 

In the enumeration of radicles that were determined, two forms 
of combined carbonic acid have been given. As a matter of fact, 
Iowa deep-well waters are almost without exception acid to phenol- 
phthalein and contain free carbon dioxide. The carbonate radicle 
is regarded, therefore, as HCO3 and is so given in the tabulated 
results of analyses. It has been thought better m summing up the 
radicles determined to give the total solid matter as it would be 
weighed on evaporation to dryness; that is, with the carbonates as 
normal salts. The change on evaporation is represented by the decom- 
position of acidic calcium carbonate, Ca(HC03)2 = CaC03 + C02-|-H20. 
The ratio of 2HCO3 to CO3 is 2.03 to 1, or, with sufficient accuracy, 
2 to 1. Therefore, one-half the weight of the bicarbonate radicle, 
HCO3, is subtracted from the sum of the radicles as they are in solu- 
tion to obtain a figure representing the probable amount of solids 
left by evaporation to dryness and heating to 180° C, according to 
common practice. 

The amount of mineral matter in solution is given in parts per 
million instead of in grains per gallon. To avoid any confusion at 
this pomt the following considerations may be presented with cer- 
tain simple rules derived from them for changing data in one system 
mto their equivalents in another: 

1. One liter of water weighs 1,000,000 milligrams, and it follows 
that 1 milligram or 0.001 gram of solids per liter of water is equivalent 
to one part per million. 

2. One grain per United States gallon is equivalent to 17.118 
parts per million, or 0.017118 gram per liter. 

To change from one system to another, therefore, the appropriate 
rule may be selected from the following and applied to the data at 
hand. 

To get grams per United States gallon from parts per million, 
divide by 17.1 ; or from grams per liter, divide by 0.0171. 

To get parts per million from grains per United States gallon, 
multiply by 17.1; or to get grams per liter from grains per United 
States gaUon, multiply by 0.0171. 



138 UNDEKGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

RECOMPUTATION OF FORMER ANALYSES. 

Though there is at the present time very little scientific justifica- 
tion for representing the mineral matter dissolved in water in terms 
of compounds, it has been the almost universal custom tUl very 
recently. From such theoretical combinations the temporary and 
permanent hardness of waters have been determined, their power to 
form boiler scale has been calculated, and the nature and amounts 
of the agents necessary to soften them have been decided. It is not 
necessary for any of these purposes to assume the existence of com- 
pounds in waters. (See pp. 136-137.) Many persons, however, prefer 
to have an analysis of water stated in terms of compounds, and it cer- 
tainly is necessary in the comparison of the qualities of two waters 
to have the analyses expressed m the same terms. For these reasons 
it seems desirable to make certain statements regarding the relations 
of the two methods of stating results and to give a logarithmic table 
to facilitate the conversion of the data of one system into those of 
the other. 

In the calculation of the results of analysis to compounds the 
practice is by no means uniform. Perhaps the most common method 
is as follows: Granting that the water contains the usual kinds of 
mineral matter and is acid to phenolphthalein, the bicarbonate 
radicle is calculated to calcium and magnesium in order till it is 
exhausted. The remaining calcium and magnesium, or very prob- 
ably magnesium only, is calculated to sulphate. Any remaining 
sulphate radicle and also the chlorine are calculated to sodium com- 
pounds, and to potassium if that element is separately determmed. 
Silicon, iron, and aluminum are commonly reported as the oxides. 
The calculation must be varied, of course, in accordance with the 
water in hand. This statement applies to a typical Iowa water of 
moderate mineralization. 

In order to facilitate recomputation of analyses of that nature, a 
table of logarithmic factors is given. It contains all the compounds 
that have been found in converting the data of old analyses for use 
in this report. Column A contains the logarithms of the chemical 
factors necessary to find the radicles on the left from their com- 
pounds on the right. For example, the factor for computing the 
amount of calcium in calcium carbonate is 40.1 -^ 100.1, and its 
logarithm is 0.6027. In column B are the logarithms of the chemical 
factors plus the logarithm of the factor necessary to convert grains 
per United States gallon into parts per million. According to a 
recent determination of the Bureau of Standards, this factor is 
17.117967, or, with sufficient accuracy, 17.118, and its logarithm is 
0.23345. The logarithm for computing parts per million of calcium 
from grains per gallon of calcium carbonate is, therefore, 0.8361. 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OP UNDEEGEOUND WATEES. 



139 



As is usual in such logarithmic tables, the characteristics are omitted. 
It is hardly necessary to state that one may obtain logarithms of 
compounds corresponding to radicles by subtrpxting the appropriate 
logarithmic factor from the logarithms of the weights of the radicles. 

Logarithmic factors nece,\ ary for recomputing analyses. 



Amount of— 



Ca. 
Ca. 
Ca. 
Ca. 
Ca. 
Mg 
Mg, 
Mg, 
Mg, 
Mg 
Mg 
Na 
Na, 
Na, 
Na, 
Na, 
K. 
K. 
K. 
K. 
K. 
K. 
Fe. 
Fe. 
Al. 



In- 



CaCOa 

CaS04 

Ca(HC03)2. 

CaCl2 

CaO 

MgCOs 

MgS04 

MgCl2 

Mg(HC03)2. 
MgO 

Na2C03.... 
NaHCOa... 

Na2S04 

NaCl 

NaaO 

K2CO3 

K2SO4 

KCl 

K2O 

KHCO3.... 

K2PtCl6.... 

Fe203 

FeC03 

AI2O3 



Logarithmic 


factors. 


A. 


B. 


0.6027 


0. 8361 


.4691 


.7025 


.3934 


.6268 


.5577 


.7912 


.8542 


.0876 


.4605 


.6940 


.3060 


.5394 


.4077 


.6411 


.2213 


.4547 


.7807 


.0142 


.3399 


.5734 


.6380 


.8714 


.4381 


.6716 


.5109 


.7444 


.5955 


.8290 


.8706 


.1041 


.7529 


.9864 


.6523 


.8858 


.7200 


.9534 


.9193 
.5921 
.2073 


.1528 
.8255 
.4407 


.8449 


.0783 


.6833 


.9168 


.7245 


.9580 



Amount of- 



01... 

CI..., 
01..., 
01..., 

S04., 
S04., 
S04. 
S04., 
S04. 
S04.. 
003., 
0O3. 
0O3., 
003. 
C03. 
003. 
NH4. 
NH4. 

HOO 
HOO 
HOO 
HOO 
HOO 
HOO 



In- 



CaOla . . . 
MgClj... 
NaCl.... 
KCl 

OaS04— 
MgS04.. 
Na2S04.. 
K2SO4... 
BaS04.. 

SO3 

Ca003.. 
Mg003-. 
Na2C03. 
K2CO3. . 
Fe003.. 

CO2 

NH3.... 

N 

Na2C03. 
K2CO3. . 
CaCOa... 
MgCOs-. 
FeOOs-. 
CO3 



Logarithmic 
factors. 



0.8053 
.8717 
.7825 
.6769 
.8485 
.9018 
.8298 
.7411 
.6143 
.0791 
.7777 
.8520 
.7524 
.6373 
.7141 
.1347 
.0248 
.1091 
.9393 
.0545 
.9140 
.8397 
.9777 
.6918 



0.0388 
.1052 
.0159 
.9103 
.0819 
.1353 
.0632 
.9745 
.8478 
.3126 
.0112 
.0855 
.9859 
.8708 
.9475 
.3681 
.2583 
.3426 
.1727 
.2879 
.1474 
.0731 
.2111 
.9251 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF WATER BY DISTRICTS. 

To facilitate the study of well waters in relation to geographic dis- 
tribution, the State has been subdivided into eight arbitrary districts 
(see fig. 2), known as the northeast, north-central, northwest, east- 
central, central, southeast, south-central, and southwest districts. 
The composition of the waters will be discussed according to these 
districts, the analyses within each being arranged alphabetically by 
counties. The tables contain both analyses of well waters made 
originally for this report and those received from other sources. 

NORTHEAST AND NORTH-CENTRAL DISTRICTS. 

The northeast and north-central districts contain most of the 
slightly mineralized water of the State. The quahty of the v/aters 
in the two districts is so nearly the same that both may as well be 
considered together. 

With two exceptions — those of the deep wells at Bancroft and 
McGregor — the solids of the deep-well waters do not reach 1,000 
parts per million, and in only three waters do they much exceed 500. 
The McGregor well is unnecessarily deep, for there are several others 
at the same place and at North McGregor which have only about 



140 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 




CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDERGBOUND WATERS. 



141 



half its depth and yet yield an abundance of excellent water. Its 
excess of solids is due to salt, and it is the only well in these two 
districts that shows this substance in considerable amount. 

The following table shows the average amounts of certain con- 
stituents carried by the deep and the shallow wells in these two 
sections : 

Average mineral content of waters in northeast and north-central districts of Iowa. 

[Parts per million.] 



Source. 


Silica 
(Si02). 


Calcium 
(Ca). 


Magne- 
sium 
(Mg). 


Sodium 
and po- 
tassium 

(Na+K). 


Bicar- 
bonate 
radicle 
(HCO3). 


Sulphate 
radicle 
(SO,). 


Chlorine 

(01). 


Total 
solids. 


NORTHEAST DISTRICT. 


10 
15 

11 

18 


63 

89 

87 
99 


31 
32 

33 
32 


28 
16 

20 
253 


321 
347 

328 
418 


38 
83 

92 

68 


24 
12 

14 

8.8 


351 


20 shallow wells 

NORTH-CENTRAL 
DISTRICT. 

7 deep weUs 


388 
439 


37 shallow wells 


454 



a The sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 

The average solids for the deep wells and for the shallow wells of 
the districts are nearly the same. The best wells of each sort contain 
about 270 parts per million of mineral matter. The shallow-well 
waters are as uniformly good as the waters of the deep wells, the only 
two shallow wells approaching or reaching 1,000 parts of solids being 
those at Bancroft and at New Hampton. The waters of a few of 
the best wells of both classes contain about the same amounts of 
solids as the waters of Des Moines, Iowa, and Cedar rivers, which 
rise in these districts. The shallower wells, unlike many in the south- 
ern and southwestern parts of the State, are not commonly located 
in the flood plains of rivers. In fact flood plains are less common in 
this part of the State, the rivers more often flowing between bluffs 
of considerable height. 

With the exception noted at McGregor the waters of the districts 
are entirely normal — that is, they contain for the most part magne- 
sium, calcium, and bicarbonates, and the harder ones contain notable 
amounts of sulphates. They are the best boiler waters of the State, 
as well as the best for general municipal and industrial purposes. 



142 



UNDBKGKOUlSrD WATEK RESOUECES OF IOWA. 






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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEEGEOUND WATEKS. 



143 






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144 



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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEEGROTJND WATERS. 



145 






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146 



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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OP UNDERGEOUND WATERS. 



147 



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148 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



NORTHWEST DISTRICT. 

Hard waters abound in Kossuth and Humboldt counties in the 
western part of the north-central district of the State, and in Emmet, 
Palo Alto, Pocahontas, and Calhoun counties in the eastern part of 
the northwest district. Hard waters are, in fact, the rule throughout 
the northwest district, the average in total solids for all deep wells 
within the district being 1,425 parts, and for shallow wells 857 parts 
per million, as indicated in the following table: 

Average mineral content of waters in the northwest district of Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 



Source. 


SUica 
(SiOs). 


Calcium 
(Ca). 


Magne- 
sium 
(Mg). 


Sodium 
and po- 
tassium 
(Na+K). 


Bicar- 
bonate 
radicle 
(HCO3). 


Sulphate 
radicle 
(SO4). 


Chlorine 
(CI). 


Total 
solids.<J 


9 deep wells 


16 

24 


210 
160 


67 

48 


181 
60 


373 
420 


719 
321 


10 

62 


1,425 
857 


60 shallowwells 



a Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 

The deep wells, unlike those of the northeast and north-central 
districts, contam hard waters as the rule and soft waters as the rare 
exception. The only deep waters containing less than 1,000 parts 
per million of solids are those at Emmetsburg, in Palo Alto County, 
and at Manson, in Calhoun County. The former belongs to the class 
of those considered in the northeast and north-central districts, for 
it contains only 410 parts of solids. The well is in a location where 
the Cretaceous forms the surface rock. The shallow wells in the 
county yield hard water, and the Emmetsburg well is probably one 
in which the casmg was very successfully done, the upper hard 
waters having been effectively excluded. The well at Manson is the 
only deep well in the State whose water was found to contain normal 
carbonates ; the magnesium and calcium in it are very low, the solids 
bemg mostly alkaline chlorides and sulphates. It may be questioned 
whether its comparatively soft water and its alkalinity may not be 
due to contamination by surface water owing to faulty casing. 

There are few deep wells in the northwest district. Out of the 19 
counties only 8 have deep wells. It is, of course, possible that future 
borings may develop the fact that good deep well water may be 
obtained in this section. 

The waters from shallow wells show a very great variation in 
quality, ranging from those comparable with the best well waters of 
the northeast district to those containing more than 2,000 parts of 
solids per million, as in O'Brien County. The wells in the river 
bottoms, such as those at Sioux City, supply waters almost uniformly 
good, but the deeper drift wells usually contain hard water. Of the 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDERGROUND WATERS. 149 

wells which do not enter rock and which supply soft water a large 
proportion are known to derive their water from river alluvium. 
All but two of the remaining wells of this class are located near 
rivers and may get then' water in part or wholly from the same source. 
It may, therefore, fairly be questioned whether any considerable 
number of wells of this district supply slightly mineralized waters 
wholly from the drift. Aside from the two deep wells already dis- 
cussed the well of Henry Steinecke, of Aurelia, which is supposed to 
enter the Dakota sandstone, is the only one in the district so far as 
investigated that enters rock and supplies comparatively soft water. 
Detailed analyses follow. 



150 



UNDEKGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 






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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OP tJNDEKGEOUND WATERS. 



151 



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152 



UJSTDERGKOUND WATEE RESOUEOES OF IOWA. 



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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF XJNDEEGROUND WATEES. 



153 









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154 



XJNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOURCES OP IOWA. 



EAST-CENTRAL DISTRICT. 

The following table of averages is made from analyses showing 
great diversity in the quality of the waters, in both the deep and 
the shallow wells, of the east-central district: 

Average mineral content of the waters of the east-central district of Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 



Source. 


Silica 
(SiOz). 


Calcium 
(Ca). 


Magne- 
sium 
(Mg). 


Sodium 
and po- 
tassium 
(Na-)-K). 


Bicar- 
bonate 
radicle 
(HCO3). 


Sulphate 
radicle 
(SO^). 


Chlorine 

(CI). 


Total 
solids.a 


35 deep wells 


10 
14 


103 

177 


47 

58 


182 
90 


326 
364 


425 
495 


83 
25 


978 


45 shallow wells 


1,031 



a Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 

On the Mississippi at Clinton are many deep wells whose waters 
are among the best, having only 100 parts of solids more than the well 
waters at Dubuque. The Clinton waters are really not harder than 
those at Dubuque, as hardness is ordinarily understood and deter- 
mined by the soap test — that is, their calcium and magnesium are 
no more abundant and their excess of solids is made up of alkalies, 
chlorides, and sulphates. The same is practically true of the wells at 
Davenport, where the watere carry more than 1,000 parts per million 
of solids, but the calcium and magnesium are actually smaller in 
amount, the excess over Dubuque being due to the alkalies. The 
tendency is for the amounts of sodium and potassium in well waters to 
increase down the Mississippi until at Keokuk these radicles amount 
to about 900 parts. The deep wells at Tipton, in Cedar County, at 
Vinton, in Benton County, and at Cedar Rapids, Monticello, and 
Green Island all yield good water. Vinton may be regarded as about 
the western limit of the area of good water, since the well at that 
place yields only lightly mineralized water, whereas those farther 
south at West Liberty and Wilton contain more than 1,000 parts of 
solids. The line from Vinton through Iowa City to Davenport forms 
the southwestern boundary of the district of good deep-well water in 
the district. This line coincides in a general way with the median line 
of the strip of Devonian rocks trending northwest and southeast. 
(See PL I, in pocket; PI. IV, p. 178.) Southwest of this Ime all 
deep-well waters are comparatively higlily mineralized, as shown by 
the analyses from Amana, Homestead, Wilton, West Liberty, and 
Grinnell. The average solids in deep-well water at Grinnell since 
the first well was drilled 15 years ago have been about 1,200 parts 
per million, but well No. 2 at its best contained only 881 parts. It 
is probably true generally that wells penetrating thick layers of Car- 
boniferous and Devonian formations, as at Grinnell, take from them 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDERGEOUND WATEES. 155 

more or less of their waters, owing to imperfect casings, and the 
waters yielded by such wells rarely or never show the quality of the 
water of the deeper sandstone formations which they penetrate. 

The waters of the shallow wells of the east-central district show 
great variation. Generally speaking, those in the eastern and 
especially the northeastern portion have low total solids and are to 
be rated with those of the wells of the northeast district in regard to 
quality; probably they draw their water from drift having the same 
origin and the same general character. On the other hand, wells in 
the western part of the district have, as a rule, hard waters. A well- 
marked area of hard waters from wells in the drift and upper strata 
may be considered to center not far from Tama, in Tama County. All 
waters in Tama County, so far as investigated, are hard with the 
exception of that from the very shallow city well at Tama, which 
probably derives its water from the underflow of Iowa River. The 
area includes numerous wells, many of them flowing, in the noted 
Belle Plaine neighborhood. As far south and east as Marengo flow- 
ing wells deliver very hard water. It is possible that the same area 
may extend as far as Amana and Homestead and may account for 
the hardness of the waters in the deep wells at those places. Farther 
south, at WiUiamsburg, the drift wells yield waters that are compara- 
tively little mineralized. All wells investigated in Poweshiek County, 
save that at Brooklyn, yield hard waters. It is probably true that 
the Brooklyn well is not exclusively a drift well but obtains its water 
in part from river alluvium. 



156 



UNDEEGEOtrND WATER RESOTJECES OF IOWA. 






^« ft 



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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEKGROUND WATERS. 



157 



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158 



UNDEEGKOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEKGKOUND WATERS. 



159 









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160 



UNDEKGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



CENTRAL DISTRICT. 

The central district of Iowa contains few deep wells, but they are 
fairly well distributed. The northeastern part falls within the terri- 
tory of good deep wells. It is an interesting fact that in Hamilton, 
Hardin, Grundy, and Marshall, the four counties nearest the north- 
east corner of the district, in all of which the artesian possibilities are 
probably best, there is only one deep well. There is also a deep gas 
boring at Webster City, but this probably receives water from aU 
horizons and therefore can not be used for purposes of prognostica- 
tion. 

The one deep well in the northeast part of the district is at Ackley, 
in Hardin County. Its water contains 605 parts of solids per million 
and is the best deep-well water in the district, if judged by total solids 
alone. Fort Dodge has the next best deep well in the order of solids, 
but not in the order of softness of water. Though the wells at Ames, 
in Story County, and at Jefferson, in Greene County, supply waters 
containing more than 1,100 parts of solids, these waters are as low in 
calcium and magnesium as the waters from the deep weUs at Daven- 
port, and, as at Davenport, by far the larger portion of their solids 
consists of sodium chloride and sulphates. The waters of all other 
deep wells of the district contain large amounts of solids and are also 
very hard, as rated by their content of calcium and magnesium. 

The average mineral matter in the waters of the shallow wells of 
the central district is about half that in the deep-well waters, the 
ratio being 873 to 1,759. The waters of the shallow weUs are not 
excessively hard save in Marshall and Polk counties and in the region 
immediately surrounding Colfax in Jasper County. There is a rather 
close analogy between the mineral matter of the Colfax waters and 
that of the waters of shallow v/ells at Des Moines, and the weUs at 
both places apparently draw then- waters from the same source, the 
upper Carboniferous or Pennsylvanian. The shallow- well waters of 
Webster and Hamilton counties are moderately hard. All other 
counties of the district show shallow-well waters which could, at no 
great disadvantage, be compared with the waters of shallow wells in 
the eastern part of the State. 



Average mineral content of waters of the central district of Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 



Source. 


Silica 
(SiOs). 


Calcium 
(Ca). 


Magne- 
sium 
(Mg). 


Sodium 
and po- 
tassium 
(Na-l-K). 


Bicar- 
bonate 
radicle 
(HCO3). 


Sulphate 
radicle 
(SOi). 


Chlorine 
(CI). 


Total 
solids.o 


10 deep weUs 


14 
23 


174 
124 


62 

44 


286 
125 


262 
446 


947 
344 


19 

88 


1,759 


69 shallow wells 


873 



a Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDERGROUND WATERS. 161 

The average total solids for the deep wells of the district is 1,759; 
they vary all the way from the 605 parts of solids at Ackley to the 
4,369 parts in the deep well at Newton, which is now abandoned. 
Newton now draws its water supply from driven wells in the valley 
of South Skunk River. 

It is very probable that the four northeastern counties of the 
district should be included with those of the northeast district. They 
have no deep wells but from their location should have good deep 
artesian possibilities, though, of course, as they lie farther to the 
south and west, they can not be expected to possess water of the 
same degree of freedom from mineral matter. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 11 



162 



UNDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEKGROUND WATERS. 



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164 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEEGKOUND WATERS. 



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166 



UKDEKGEOUND WATEE RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



SOUTHEAST DISTRICT. 

Both the Mississippian and the Pennsylvanian series, which Ue 
nearest the surface in the southeast district, as a rule contain highly 
mineralized waters. The waters of the St. Peter and the deeper 
aquifers are niuch better but are "nevertheless more highly mineralized 
than the waters of the same aquifers farther to the north and east. 
In a number of deep wells the higher mineralization of the water may 
be ascribed to defective casing which allows the sulphated waters of 
the country rock to enter. Wlien deep wells are being drilled the 
waters of each aquifer should be analyzed and all deleterious waters 
should be thoroughly cased out. Such precautions and the use of 
inner tubes leading directly to the lower aquifers will probably 
greatly lessen the danger of failure. The least promismg part of the 
area is in Keokuk and Mahaska counties. In quantity, the artesian 
supply of the southeast district is unexcelled within the State. 

Average mineral content of the waters of the southeast district of Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 



Source. 


Silica 
(Si02). 


Calcium 
(Ca). 


Magne- 
sium 
(Mg). 


Sodium 
and po- 
tassium 
(Na-l-K). 


Bicar- 
bonate 
radicle 
(HCO3). 


Sulphate 
radicle 
(SO4). 


Chlorine 

(01). 


Total 
solids.a 


16 deep wells 


15 
27 


143 

165 


56 
82 


463 

188 


285 
367 


998 
1,040 


256 
69 


1,978 


29 shallow wells 


1,931 



o Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 

All deep wells of the southeast district yield hard, heavily miner- 
aUzed waters. The best are the wells at Ottumwa and the very deep 
well in Crapo Park, Burlington. All other well waters at Burlington 
so far as analyzed are very hard. The great amount of solids of the 
wells reacliing onl}^ into the Devonian may come largely from the 
Carboniferous, at any rate in the Clinton-Copeland Co.'s well, for 
this is cased only to a depth of 70 feet. It is evident that this water 
does not sensibly enter into the Crapo Park well, a fact which is 
difficult to understand, as the well is cased to 18 feet only. This 
water is very high in incrusting solids and also contains large amounts 
of sodium and potassium. Water of about the same amount of total 
solids but lower in calcium and magnesium and higher in alkalies and 
chlorides is found in the deep wells at Keokuk. This water as it 
occurs at either place can hardly be called suitable for any purposes 
save for extinguishing fires and sprinkling streets. The waters at 
Ottumwa, Washington, and even at Mount Pleasant, may be used 
if no better can be obtained and if a great deal of mineral matter is 
overlooked for the sake of probable organic purity. 

The wells at Keokuk end in the Silurian and those whose 
waters have been analyzed have about the same depths, 700 to 769 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEEGKOUND WATERS. 167 

feet. The three deepest ones have about the same amounts of soHds. 
The Young Men's Christian Association well is cased only to a depth 
of 56 feet, which is probably to rock, and hence this well, and probably 
the two deeper ones, receive water from all penetrated strata that are 
water-bearing, as the quality of their waters is the same. It seems 
probable also that at both Burlington and Keokuk no serious attempt 
was made to case out upper waters in the wells whose analyses are 
here given, though it ought to be easily practicable in wells of such 
depths. 

Shallow wells from 100 to 300 feet deep seem to be rare in this 
section, for few could be found. Apparently, with the exceptions 
noted, the people are dependent on river water in the larger towns 
and on very shallow wells in the small towns and rural districts. 
The number of shallow wells investigated is too small to permit very 
definite generalizations to be made. With one or two exceptions all 
drift wells of the shallow sort supply soft water, whereas all wells 
which penetrate rock supply hard, usually very hard water. 



168 



UNDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OP UNDEEGBOUND WATERS. 



169 



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170 



UNDEEGKOUISTD WATER RESOUECES OF IOWA. 






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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDERGROUND WATERS. 171 

SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST DISTRICTS. 

There are few deep wells in the southwest and south-central dis- 
tricts, and the waters of these are without exception hard. Some of 
them are too heavily mineralized to be used for any purpose. Three 
wells in Marion County all contain more than 8,000 parts of solids. 
As shown by the well of Thomas Craig, near Knoxville, which is only 
346 feet deep, the hard water probably comes from the upper rock 
strata, though it may come from the lower beds also. This conclu- 
sion is reached by comparing the water of this well with the waters 
from the deep wells at Pella and at Flagler. The similarity of the 
solids in quality and in quantity indicates that the waters have a 
common origin. The character of the water at Pella has been used, 
perhaps justly, to discourage deep drilling in that part of the State. 
It should be said, however, that this water probably comes from 
strata lying very little, if any, deeper than those in the Craig well, and 
not from the St. Peter, in which the well is supposed to have its foot- 
ing. If this is true, it is not impossible that the hard water could be 
shut out and a reasonably good supply obtained by using deep cas- 
ings, carefully put in, in borings of equal or greater depth in this 
vicinity. The St. Peter alone did not seem to yield enough water in 
the Pella well, and the casing was raised so as to admit the harder 
water. 

The best deep wells in the southwest and south-central districts are 
at Council Bluffs and at Dunlap, both near Missouri River. Though 
all are about equally high in mineral content, the wells at Council 
Bluffs have the advantage of containing only small amounts of cal- 
cium and magnesium, and on that account they may be rated as soft 
waters. 

Two deep wells at Glenwood, about 2,000 feet deep, yield highly 
mineralized waters but have long been in use, one to supply the city 
and the other the institution for the feeble minded. The latter well 
is supposed not to go below the Silurian and its water is better than 
that of the cit}^ well, which probably enters the Maquoketa, in con- 
taining less calcium and magnesium. This well has now been aban- 
doned on account of contamination and insufficiency of water, and a 
new supply for the institution has been obtained from shallow wells 
in the alluvium near Missouri River. Tliis water from one of the 
test weUs contained 460 parts per million of solids. 

The latest deep well to be drilled in this part of the State is at Bed- 
ford, in Taylor County, and reaches a depth of 2,000 feet. An analy- 
sis of water encountered at 1,300 feet showed 4,827 parts per million 
of solids, mostly salt, chlorine being 2,545 parts. Another vein of 
very different water was struck at about 2,000 feet. An analysis of 
water at this depth showed about half as much salt, though the total 
solids reached 5,373 parts per million. The lower water contains 



172 



tJNDERGBOUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 



large amounts of calcium, magnesium, and sulphate radicle, and the 
water last analyzed was a mixture in about equal volumes of the flows 
from the two sources. 

From the data now at hand the outlook for good deep-well water 
in the southwest and south-central districts is not encouraging. 
The Bedford well reaches only into the Silurian at 2,000 feet, and its 
bottom is probably several hundred feet above the great sandstone 
formations, which are doubtfully productive of good water in quan- 
tity in that locality. Their depth is certainly at about the limit of 
practicable drilhng, not to mention the great difficulties of putting 
down casings to sufficient depths to shut out the undesirable waters 
that have been encountered at every point where deep wells have 
been drilled. 

Not only are the deep-well waters in this section highly mineral- 
ized, but the same is true of every water analyzed from a well which 
is known to enter rock. The Carboniferous and the Cretaceous cover 
the entire region and seemingly supply hard water. On the other 
hand, no other region of the State is so well supplied with small rivers 
having broad valleys that contain water-bearing sand layers. At 
least a dozen of these rivers or large branches of rivers flow through the 
south-central and southwest districts, generaUy in a southwesterly 
direction and enter into the Missouri. Many towns get their water 
supplies from the sands in the flood plains or valleys of these rivers. 
Notable examples are Red Oak, Efliott, Griswold, and Atlantic, on 
the Nishnabotna, and Clarinda, Villisca, and Corning, on the Nod- 
away. Where obtainable, driven or dug wells in river valleys in this 
part of the State are the best sources of water. Many districts 
away from rivers, in Mahaska, Marion, and Monroe counties, find 
the water problem a serious one. In some localities gravel and sand 
layers in the drift supply abundant water to driven or bored wells, 
and this is true over large portions of Mills, Page, Appanoose, and 
probably Union counties. Union County seems to be particularly 
well supplied with water; at least four branches of Platte and Grand 
rivers flow across it, and C. A. White, of Talmadge, writes that it con- 
tains very many unfailing springs, that there are large areas of sand 
and gravel which supply abundant water, and that there is probably 
not a farm in the county that can not easily have a constant supply 
of good water. 

Average mineral content of waters in the south-central and southwest districts of Iowa. 

[Parts per miUion.] 



Source. 


Silica 
(SiOs). 


Calcium 
(Ca). 


Magne- 
sium 
(Mg). 


Sodium 
and po- 
tassium 
(Na-l-K). 


Bicar- 
bonate 
radicle 
(HCO3). 


Sulphate 
radicle 
(SO,). 


Chlorine 

(CI). 


Total 
solids.a 


13 deep wells 


32 
26 


157 
167 


66 
43 


618 
374 


346 
363 


1,484 
745 


556 
62 


3,657 
1,587 


37 shallow wells 



a Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEEGKOUND WATERS. 



173 



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174 



UjSTDEEGROUND water resources of IOWA. 



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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEEGEOUND WATEES. 



175 









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176 



UNDEEGEOUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 



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CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEEGROUND WATERS. 



177 



s a 



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36581°— WSP 293—12 12 



178 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE KESOUECES OP IOWA. 

SUMMARY. 
WATERS OF THE DEEP WELLS, 
QUALITY. 

In this paper all wells that penetrate at least the St. Peter sand- 
stone and all other wells more than 700 feet deep are considered 
to be deep wells. 

The average mineral content of the deep wells in the various dis- 
tricts is summarized in the following table: 

Average mineral content of waters from deep wells in Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 



District. 


Num- 
ber of 
analy- 
ses 
aver- 
aged. 


Silica 
(SiOz). 


Cal- 
cium 
(Ca). 


Magne- 
sium 
(Mg). 


Sodium 
and 
potas- 
sium 

(Na-l-K). 


Bicar- 
bonate 
radicle 
(HCOs). 


Sul- 
phate 
radicle 

(soo. 


Chlo- 
rine 
(CI). 


Total 
solids.o 


Northeast 


30 
7 
9 
35 
10 
16 
13 


10 
11 
16 
10 
14 
IS 
32 


63 
87 
210 
103 
174 
143 
157 


31 
33 

67 
47 
62 
56 
66 


28 
20 
181 
182 
286 
463 
618 


321 
328 

^■373 
326 

^262 
285 
346 


38 
92 
719 
425 
947 
998 
1,484 


24 
14 
10 
83 
19 
256 
556 


351 




439 




1 425 


East-central 


978 


Central 


1,759 




1,978 


South-central and southwest . 


3,657 



a- Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 

The deep-well waters of the northeast, north-central, and east-cen- 
tral districts are decidedly lower in the amount of mineral matter 
they contain than the waters of the other districts, and it may be 
inferred that increase of mineral content progresses from the north- 
east to the southwest corner of the State. 

The change in mineral content is, however, abrupt and not pro- 
gressive. (See PL IV.) This can be strikingly illustrated by tabu- 
lating the total solids of the deep waters along north-south and 
east-west lines across the State. In the first tabulation figures for 
waters along east-west lines are given with the locations and depths 
of the wells, the sharp transition in amount of dissolved mineral 
matter on each line being indicated by heavy rules. Column A rep- 
resents the waters of wells beginning at McGregor, Clayton County, 
and going west to Missouri River along a line passing through the 
second tier of counties from the north. Column B contains wells 
for the most part in the fourth tier of counties from the north, along 
a line beginning at Dubuque and ending at Sioux City. Column C 
includes wells mostly in the sixth tier of counties beginning at Chn- 
ton and ending at Logan in Harrison County. The figure for Grin- 
nell represents the best deep water found there, that of city well 
No. 4; the water from most of the Grinnell wells contains about 1,200 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE IV 




U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE IV 




MAP SHOWING MINERAL CHARACTER OF UNDERGROUND WATER WITH REFERENCE TO GEOGRAPHY. 

Shading indicates area of lightly mineralized water; figures indicate annount of total solids in parts per million. 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION^ OF UNDERGROUND WATERS. 



179 



parts of solids per million, a great change having taken place since 
the first well was put down in 1894, doubtless owing to the imperfect 
casing of Carboniferous and Silurian waters. Column D represents 
wells in the eighth and ninth (the two southernmost) tiers of counties. 
Fewer wells have been drilled in this part of the State than elsewhere, 
but these are sufficient to show that all the present wells along the 
southern line yield waters of high mineral content. 

Change in total solids in well waters along east-west lines. 



Location of well. 



McGregor 

Calmar 

Charles City. 
Mason City a, 

Algona 

Emmetsburg 

Sanborn 

Hull 



Depth. 



Feet. 

520 
1,223 
1,588 

651 
1,050 

874 



1,250 
1,256 



Total 
solids. 



Parts per 
million. 
488 
306 
295 
370 
647 
410 



2,186 
2,295 



n. 



Location of well. 



Dubuque 6 , 
Manchester 
Waterloo.. 
Fort Dodge 
Manson 

Holstein... 
Sioux City. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
1,200 
1,870 
1,373 
1,827 
1,954 



2,004 
2,011 



Total 
solids. 



Parts per 
million. 
268 
309 
468 
867 
651 



1,436 
1,689 



Location of well. 



Clinton. 
Tipt on. 



Homestead 

Amana 

Grinnell City well No. 2. 

Des Moines <= 

Dunlap 

Logan 



Depth. 



Feet. 
1,065 
2,696 



2,224 
1,640 
2,002 
3,000 
1,535 
821 



Total 
solids. 



Parts per 

million. 

451 

332 



1,016 
1,033 
881 
2,941 
1,374 
1,578 



Location of well. 



BurUngton<i 

Mount Pleasant «. 

Fort Madison 

Ottumwa / 

Centerville 

Leon 

Bedford 

Glenwood g 



Depth. 



Feet. 



2,430 
1,230 

689 
2,200 
2,054 

803 
2,002 
2,000 



Total 
solids. 



Parts per 
million. 



1,066 
1,446 
1,967 
1,179 
2,545 
2,696 
5,273 
2,349 



a City well No. 2. 
b City 8-inch well, 
c Greenwood Park well. 



d Crapo Park well. 

« Well at State Hospital. 



/ Well of J. Morrell Co. 
g City well. 



The same sharp change in the mineral content of the deep waters 
may be observed along north-south lines. Wells yielding soft water 
occur farther south the nearer they are to Mississippi River — that is, 
such wells occur near the river as far south as the parallel of Des 
Moines — but on the meridian of Des Moines only wells near the north- 
ern border of Iowa supply soft water. West of this meridian only 
two or three deep wells have slightly mineralized water. The relations 
of the north and south lines are shown in Plate IV. Column A in the 
next table contains the total solids and depths of deep wells on or 
near Mississippi River, beginning at New Albin and ending at 
Keokuk. Column B shows the mineral content of wells near, but not 



180 



UNDEEGROUFD WATEE RESOUECES OF IOWA. 



on, Mississippi River, beginning at Waukon in Allamakee County and 
ending at Mount Pleasant in Henry County. Column C gives the 
amount of mineral matter in wells beginning at Osage on the north 
and extending south in a line approximately parallel to the eastern 
border of the State and ending at Centerville. Column D leaves much 
to be desired. The well at Tama is only 861 feet deep and probably 
foots in the Silurian, for its mineral content is higher than would be 
expected in the lower sandstones. The region along Iowa River in 
Tama, Benton, and Iowa counties is one having waters high in 
mineral content in the drift and probably for some distance in the 
strata underlying the drift, as the shallow wells penetrating these 
strata show. It may be that the wells of this region are contam- 
inated by the heavily mineralized waters from beds far above the 
strata in which the wells foot. The well at Montezuma, depth 
reported 2,800 feet, had long been unused at the time the sample was 
taken, but the sample was taken only after the well had been pumped 
an hour or more. The lowest geologic formation this well penetrates 
is unknown. Owing to uncertainties regarding the Montezuma well 
the one at Pella was also included in the series. Column E begins 
with the well at Emmetsburg and ends with that at Centerville. In 
general the wells are near Des Moines River. High mineral content 
is found a little farther north on this line than on the next preceding 
line to the east. The line connecting the wells north of Boone marks 
about the western limit of lightly mineralized waters in deep wells, 
and with the exception of the well at Emmetsburg these wells contain 
considerably more mineral matter than the wells in the same latitude 
in the next line east beginning at Osage. 



Change in total solids in well waters along north-south lines. 



A. 


B. 


C. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Total 
solids. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Total 
solids. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Total 
solids. 


New Albin 


Feet. 
500 

668 
750 
520 

1,200 
973 

1,226 


Parts 
per mil. 
343 
451 
372 
488 
268 
298 
420 


Waukon 

PostvilleCity... 
Monona 


Feet. 

600 

515 

420 

1,870 

2,200 

2,606 


Parf^ 

per mil. 
330 
382 
500 
309 
417 
332 


Osage 


Feet. 
780 
1,588 
1,740 
1,373 
1,402 

1,520 
2,224 
2,200 
2,054 


Parts 
per mil. 
460 


Lansing 


Charles City.... 

Waverly 

Waterloo 

Vinton 


295 


Village Creek 


379 


McGregor 

Dubuque 1 


Manchester 

Anamosa 

Tipton 


468 
561 


Sabula 


Belle Plaine 

Homestead 

Ottiunwa 

Centerville 


1,980 
1,016 


Clintons 


West Liberty... 
Mount Pleasant. 


1,768 
1,230 


1,064 
1,446 


Davenport c 

Burlington <« 

Fort Madison... 
Keokuk e 


1,067 

2,430 

689 

769 


1,134 
1,066 
1,967 
3,589 


1,179 
1,228 



a City 8-inch well. 
b Sugar Refining Co. 
c Davenport Ice Co. 



d Crapo Park. 

e Young Men's Christian Association. 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF TJNDEKGROUND WATEKS. 181 

Change in total solids in well waters along north-south lines — Continued. 



Location. 



Mason City 
Hampton . . 

Ackle.Y 

Tama 

Grinnell . . . 

Montezuma 

Pella 

Ottumwa.. 



Depth. 



Feet. 

862 
1,708 
2,032 

861 
2,020 

(7)2,800 
1,803 
2,200 



Total 
solids. 



Parts per 
mil. 
299 
405 
005 
5,532 
900 



1,835 
8,353 
1,179 



Location. 



Emmetsburg 

Algona 

Fort Dodge . . 
Dayton 

Boone 

Ames 

Des Moines . . 

Flagler 

Centerville... 



Depth. 



Feet. 
874 
1,050 

1,827 
GS8 



3,010 
2,215 
3,000 

752 
2,054 



Total 
solids. 



Parts per 
mil. 
410 
647 

867 
C24 



1,711 
1,270 
2,941 
8,831 
o 1,228 



a The water of this well was analyzed five times at intervals of about a year. The total solids were 
1,228 in the first analysis and 2,545 in the fourth. 

DISTRIBTJTION OF HARD AND SOFT WATERS. 

The preceding tables show that the change from Hghtly mineralized 
to very hard waters from north to south and from east to west is not 
gradual, as might be expected, but is sudden, waters containing almost 
as small amounts of mineral matter as any in the State giving place 
to waters containing two or three times as much. The dividing line 
between these two regions of high and low mineralized waters is 
approximately shown on Plate IV. It starts at Davenport, on Mis- 
sissippi River, and runs west to Grinnell, then swings in a wide arc 
northward through Ames, Manson, and Emmetsburg. This location, 
however, should not be too strictly interpreted. Some wells supply- 
ing hard water are north of this line, particularly at Tama and at 
Belle Plaine. Good waters are usually found northeast of the line if 
the wells have been properly cased and are kept in good condition. 
Reference to the geologic map of Iowa (PL I, pocket) and to the 
account of geologic formations (pp. 60-90) brings out the relations 
between the quality of the deep waters and the character of the rocks 
from which they come and makes it clear why the difference in 
mineral content occurs. The part of the State northeast of the divid- 
ing line (PL IV) includes the region where the older sandstones and 
limestones lie immediately under the surface covering of drift. It 
also includes considerable areas of the Carboniferous, whose forma- 
tions yield hard waters in many places. The formations of this sys- 
tem northeast of the line are, however, the older ones, whose waters 
are less objectionable than those of the later deposits, and they lie 
so near the surface that their waters can be cased out, thus per- 
mitting the entrance of only the good waters from the older rocks 
underneath. If the area were restricted so as to exclude the Car- 
boniferous entirely^ — that is, if the line between the Devonian and 
the Carboniferous were taken as the southwestern boundary — then 



182 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

practically no deep wells yielding hard waters would be included. 
With few exceptions the total solids in wells northeast of such line 
are less than 500 parts per million, and in most of, these are less than 
400 parts. A few notable exceptions occur, as at Davenport and 
Amana and at McGregor, where the 1,000-foot well going into the 
basal sandstone yields water containing considerable salt, whereas 
wells about 500 feet deep at the same place yield excellent water. 
The chief difficulty with the Davenport water is salt, but the amount 
is small. Both Davenport and Amana are apparently on the border 
of the Devonian and very near the Carboniferous. 

With the present material used in casings and the methods employed 
in finishing wells, experience shows that outside of the northeastern 
area mentioned above it is very difficult, perhaps wholly impracti- 
cable, to procure from the deep-lying sandstones or any other deep- 
lying stratum water comparable in quality with that yielded by most 
of the deep wells in the northeastern part of the State. The strata 
bearing the very hard waters lie too deep to permit the successful and 
permanent casing out of these waters, and in the southwestern part 
of the State the lower sandstones seem to lie too deep to make it 
practicable to reach them with the drill. This practical difficulty of 
casing out the upper bad waters apparently explains why some wells 
within the Carboniferous area jaeld good water while others yield bad 
water. Future improvements in methods of protecting deep wells 
against the influx of undesirable waters from strata that may be 
penetrated may result in extension of the area of wells yielding water 
of low mineral content. 

The waters of deep wells outside the district of good waters are 
not necessarily so highly mineralized as to be unfit for use, though 
several of them belong to this class. The majority belong to that 
class of waters which may be used for municipal supplies if none 
more satisfactory is available. Only about 28 cities and towns 
have wells more than 750 feet deep. Some places have two or more 
wells, making the total number of deep wells in the district of poor 
water about 40. For the most part these wells are located in the 
southeast and in the northwest districts of the State. The south- 
central portion of the State has very few deep wells. In the three 
southern tiers of counties west of Ottumwa and extending to the 
counties bordering on Missouri River 17 counties contain only three 
deep wells — those at Knoxville, Centerville, and Bedford. A study 
of the records of the 40 wells shows that only two, at Rockwell City 
and Manson, both just outside of the area of good well water already 
defined, contain less than 1,000 parts of solids per million. The aver- 
age of the total solids for the wells in the 28 towns, taking only one 
tyjDical well in places where there are two or more, is 2,434 parts per 
million. From all the facts it seems probable that the southwestern 



CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF UNDEKGEOUND WATEKS, 



183 



part of the State will have to depend mainly on water supplies from 
shallow wells in drift and in river alluvium or on treated water from 
the rivers themselves. 



WATEES OF THE SHALLOW WELLS. 

The term "shallow wells" is used in this paper to describe wells 
penetrating only the drift and others that do not penetrate any of 
the great water-bearing sandstones. Definite statements like those 
used for deep wells can not be made regarding the relations between 
the geographic location and the mineral content of shallow wells. 
The averages by districts of the analyses of water from shallow wells 
in Iowa are repeated here for comparison. (See fig. 2, p. 140.) 

Average mineral content of the waters from shallow luells in Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 



District. 


Num- 
ber of 
analy- 
ses 
aver- 
aged. 


Silica 
(Si02). 


Cal- 
cium 
(Ca). 


Mag- 
nesium 
(Mg). 


So- 
dium 
and 
potas- 
sium 
(Na+K). 


Bicar- 
bonate 
radicle 
(HCO3). 


Sul- 
phate 
radicle 
(SO,). 


Chlo- 
rine 
(CI). 


Total 
solids. 


Northeast 


20 
37 
60 
45 
69 
29 
37 


15 
18 
24 
14 
23 
27 
26 


89 
99 
160 
177 
124 
165 
167 


32 
32 

48 
58 
44 
82 
43 


16 
253 
60 
90 
125 
188 
374 


347 
418 
420 
360 
446 
367 
363 


83 
68 
321 
495 
344 
1,040 
745 


12 
8.8 
62 
25 
88 
69 
62 


388 


North-central 


454 


Northwest... 


857 


East-central 


1,031 


Central 


873 


Southeast 


1,931 


South-central and southwest 


1,587 



The amounts of mineral matter in the waters of the shallow wells 
in general parallel those of the waters of the deep wells in the same 
localities, but the relation is only general and marked exceptions are 
frequent. Shallow wells derive their waters more from the country 
immediately surrounding them, and the character of their waters, 
therefore, depends more largely on local conditions. Some drift wells 
only a few miles apart show very different amounts of mineral matter. 
In certain areas the drift waters are notably hard; in others they are 
soft. Many wells, especially in the southern part of the State, derive 
their waters from the sands of river flood plains. Their waters are 
usually soft, as a rule containing very little more mineral matter than 
the waters of the rivers themselves. 



CHAPTER VI. 

MUNICIPAL, DOMESTIC, AND INDUSTRIAL WATER 

SUPPLIES. 



By W. S. Hendrixson. 



y^ SOURCES OF SUPPLY, 

Iowa hab Tftw rivers capable of supplying sufficient water throughout 
the year to cities of consid(Table size. According to the best opinion 
of the present time ther*^ are few rivers and lakes in any part of the 
country that are capable of supplying water suitable for drinking 
without filtration. The time has probably passed when the water 
from any river within the State or from any bordering river may be 
used with safety without treatment. 

The Iowa lakes are few, small, and shallow, and consist chiefly of 
one group near the northern border of the State well to the west, in 
Dickinson, Emmet, Clay, and Palo Alto counties. No large towns 
are near them, and with one or two exceptions the smaller towns of 
that vicinity draw their water from other sources. 

But although Iowa has few rivers or lakes affording potable water 
through a considerable portion of the year, the conditions are unusu- 
ally favorable for the storage of ground water and its easy utilization. 
Most of the features that tend to decrease the amount of surface 
water are features that tend to produce a large supply of ground 
water; the level surface that gives the rivers slow currents and wide 
bottoms and flood plains and the deep drift that affords storage 
combine to make the run-off small and the absorption of water by the 
soil large. 

If the shallow wells only a few feet deep, which foot below the water 
line during most of the year and derive their water from seepage are 
left out of account, there are three main sources of ground water 
in Iowa — the drift, the alluvial sands and gravels in the river val- 
leys, and the sandstone and limestone formations. 

Nearly the whole State is covered by deep drift, containing exten- 
sive sand and gravel beds, usually near or just above the stratified 
lock. The beds afford storage for large quantities of water, which 
184 



MUNICIPAL, DOMESTIC, AND INDUSTRIAL WATER SUPPLIES. 185 

in most localities is easily reached by the bored well or drive point. 
In many regions these layers seem to be in the form of basins or 
troughs and in such localities many wells flow. 

As a rule the small rivers of Iowa meander with low velocity through 
wide valleys instead of cutting the deep channels common in more 
rugged country. In such valleys shallow, bored, or driven wells 
obtain water from the drift layers of sand which may dip toward the 
river or from the so-caUed underflow of the river alluvium. Commonly 
the waters of wells in the river alluvium are softer than drift water, 
the mineral content in some wells being nearly as low as in the water 
from the rivers on whose banks the wells are located. Water sup- 
plies from this source are numerous, especially in the southwestern 
part of the State, where there are many such small rivers and streams 
and where water from other sources is not so abundant or easily 
reached. Good wells supplying water from this source have been 
driven or dug to depths of 30 to 60 feet at Eed Oak, Griswold, Elliott, 
and Atlantic, all on Nishnabotna River. The average mineral con- 
tent of their water is usually less than that of the drift weUs and does 
not greatly exceed that of the average river water in that section of 
the State. 

The lower sandstones furnish an abundant supply of fair to good 
water to most of the deep wells of Iowa. A few deep wells in the 
southern and southwestern parts of the State do not reach these 
sandstones, which in the regions named lie at depths so great that it 
is hardly practicable to reach them with the driU or to case out the 
hard waters of the strata above them. 

Leaving out of account water supplies for fire protection only, 324 
towns ^ have waterworks of the more highly developed sort with 
standpipes, reservoirs, street mains, and fire taps. (See PI. I, in 
pocket.) Many towns of fewer than 200 inhabitants are thus sup- 
plied with waterworks, and the fact indicates much for the prosperity 
and progressiveness of the people. Of the 324 towns, only six draw 
their water supplies from lakes or artificial ponds, chiefly the latter. 
Twenty-four towns get their water from rivers and 294 from wells. 
The urban population supplied from lakes and ponds was 21,000; 
from rivers, 341,700; and from wells, 534,500. 

From these figures it appears that about 60 per cent of the pop- 
ulation of towns having water supplies use well water. It should 
be remembered, moreover, that the people of the towns without 
public water supplies and nearly the whole of the rural population 
use well water. The total population in 1900 was 2,231,853, of 
which about 84 per cent used well water and about 16 per cent water 
from other sources. The population in 1910 was 2,224,771, but it is 

1 Based on figures of the Underwriters' handbook of Iowa, in whicli are given all towns, with their popu- 
lation and brief descriptions of their means of fire protection. 



186 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

not probable that the percentage using well water has markedly 
changed. 

The requirements for ground water are likely to increase more 
rapidly than the population. Many of the 324 towns m Iowa having 
water systems of some sort are villages of 150 to 300 inhabitants, and 
many towns of 500 to 2,000 inhabitants now without waterworks 
will be obliged to provide them in the near future. It is certain that 
many towns will outgrow their water systems and must find means 
of enlargement. In fact, many municipalities have been obliged to 
put down more wells, and more often to change from shallow wells 
havhig a local supply of water from the drift to deep wells having 
their source of supply in the deep-lymg sandstone strata. 

Artesian wells in Iowa, excluding flowing wells in drift and country 
rock, now exceed 250, and the amount of capital invested in them 
probably reaches well up to $750,000. Artesian wells in Iowa are 
used for municipal supply, for State institutions, for hotels, hospitals, 
and office buildings, for baths and swimming pools, for railway locomo- 
tive and shop supply, for stock farms, and for a wide variety of indus- 
tries, such as packing houses, gas plants, glucose factories, breweries 
and bottling works, lumber, woolen, paper, and powder mills, soap 
factories, condensed-milk factories, creameries and dairies, ice plants, 
and iron works. In one place they have furnished power for a city 
electric plant. 

It is interesting to note the development in stock wells on Iowa 
farms. The primitive stock well, dug only a few feet deep in a swale 
and fitted with a hand pump, has always been inadequate and has 
failed utterly in times of drought. The live-stock interests have 
developed so rapidly that the need of perennial supplies of plenty of 
good water has been keenly felt, and as a result many farms have 
been provided with wells 100 to 500 feet deep, and some with wells 
1,000 feet deep or more. In such wells pumps operated by windmills 
or gasoline engines are used instead of hand pumps. In the last few 
years the farming population has greatly increased in wealth, the 
values of farm lands have doubled and even trebled, and the advan- 
tages of a never-failing supply of good water for stock and for domestic 
use are being more and more appreciated. These facts make it prob- 
able that the deep farm well will soon become the general source of 
water supply of the rural population in those parts of the State where 
satisfactory deep water-bearing formations exist. 

Underground water is thus the chief source of water supply in Iowa 
for all purposes; and it does not seem probable that it will ever 
assume less importance relatively than it now holds. On the con- 
trary, there are reasons why its importance should increase. With 
the growth of the population it seems likely that river water wiU 



MUNICIPAL, DOMESTIC, AND INDUSTRIAL WATEE SUPPLIES. 187 

become even more unsatisfactory in quality for municipal supplies, 
though it is possible that improved methods of filtration for smaller 
cities and towns may to some extent remove the difficulty due to 
pollution. 

ADEQUACY OF SUPPLY. 

The storage capacity of the aquifers which supply the Iowa deep 
wells is conditioned by their thickness, extent, and porosity. Their 
supply of water depends on the area of their outcrop — the area from 
which their waters are gathered — and on the rainfall in this area. 
Without going into any elaborate calculations it may be said that all 
conditions necessary for an abundant and continual yield are so fully 
met that the storage capacity of the Iowa water beds over any large 
area is far in excess of an}^ possible draft upon them. Locally they 
may be overdrawn, but for the artesian field of Iowa as a whole there 
need not be the shghtest apprehension of any diminution of supply. 
The maximum yield of wells is not limited by the present rainfall on 
the collecting area, by the absorption over the area, nor by the storage 
capacity of the basin, but by the conductivity of the rocks. 

The yield of the Iowa deep wells is comparable with that of the 
deep wells of Mnnesota, Wisconsin, and Ilhnois, which draw water 
from the same formations. It seems at least equal to the yield of the 
wells of the artesian basin of New Jersey, where as light or lighter 
pressures prevail. It is considerably less than the yield of wells in the 
artesian basin of the Dakotas, chiefly because of the lower pressure in 
the Iowa field, which in turn is due to the more gentle dip of the Iowa 
aquifers — to the lower relative height of the area of supply. 

SELECTION OF SOURCE OF SUPPLY. 

Emphasis must be laid on the fact that the writers of this report 
offer no specific advice as to municipal or other water supplies. They 
hold no brief for artesian wells against other sources of supply, such as 
shallow wells or river waters filtered by any effective method. No city 
supply should be chosen until all possible supplies have been carefully 
investigated. Some towns of the State have rested content with a 
scanty supply of impure water, where pure artesian water could be 
cheaply obtained in large quantities; others have sunk expensive arte- 
sian wells where a far larger and more permanent supply of good water 
could have been more cheaply obtained and maintained from shallow 
wells, for example, in drift gravels of adjacent river valleys. But in 
the selection of a supply the sinking of a deep well will usually be con- 
sidered, and any information as to the probable depth, quality, and 
quantity of artesian waters will be of value whatever source of supply 
is chosen. 



188 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

WELL DRILLING. 

DEEP WELLS. 

No new methods in drilling deep wells in Iowa have been intro- 
duced since the pubUcation of W. H, Norton's report on the artesian 
wells of the State in 1897/ The following description, summarized 
from that report, is therefore equally apphcable at the present time: 

To drill an even and straight tube a quarter or a half a mile in depth requires experi- 
ence and a high degree of mechanical skill. Deep-well drilling has become a special 
trade. Only one deep well in the State has been put down by amateur labor, and 
this proved a costly experiment whose repetition is not recommended. Most of the 
wells in Iowa have been drilled by firms whose territory is much wider than the 
limits of the State, and the methods and the machinery which they use in Iowa 
present nothing novel. In all drilling so far the drill has been the ordinary plunge 
or chiu-n drill, essentially the same in action as that employed in sinking common 
drilled wells. The diamond drill has been used only in search for coal and building 
stone. 

The rig differs slightly from that used in the oil fields of Pennsylvania and Ohio, 
and so fully described by CarlP and by Newell.^ 

The derrick tower is commonly about 18 feet square at the base and 60 feet high. 
An adjoining shed contains the forge at which the tools are dressed and an engine of 
15 or 20 horsepower by which the drill is operated and the tools raised and lowered in 
the well. The drill consists of a steel chisel-shaped bit, screwed to an iron auger 
stem, to the upper end of which is fastened the "slips" or "jars." These consist of 
two slotted iron links joined together by a crosshead and crotch slot permitting a 
vertical play or slip, one upon the other, of about 13 inches, in about the same manner 
as the play of two links of a chain. The bit, the auger stem, and the lower member 
of the jars, thus fastened together, fall with each downward stroke about 20 inches 
and deliver a cutting and crushing blow of about 3,500 foot-pounds upon the rock. 
On the upward stroke the weight of the rig above the union of the two members of 
the jars delivers an upward blow whose purpose is to jar loose the drill beneath. No 
sinker bar is used above the jars. In some Iowa wells the string of drilling tools just 
mentioned has been swung from a rope, but in most wells rods of wood have been 
used, each about 33 feet long, with iron couplings. The string of rods and drill is 
attached by a swivel and heavy iron chain to the end of the walking beam, which plays 
up and down above the mouth of the tube. This chain is wrapped several times 
about the end of the beam and is let out little by little as the drill cuts deeper and 
deeper into the rock. The temper screw used for this purpose in the oil regions is 
not generally employed. 

Month after month the same tedious routine continues. Night and day a driller 
sits at the bench over the boring. As the rods rise and fall with the monotonous 
motion of the walking beam, he slowly twists them round and round so that the drill 
may strike every portion of the bottom in its rotation and drill the hole round and 
true. So simple is this, apparently, that a boy could do it. But the experienced 
driller feels every stroke of the drill and movement of the jars, and interprets each 
vibration passing upward from a thousand feet below. A tyro in his place would 
chm-n the water without striking bottom and never know it. When no accidents 
delay, the driU cuts its way downward with surprising rapidity, making sometimes 
60 or 70 feet a day. Every few feet the bore becomes clogged with the chips from the 

1 Norton, W. H., Artesian wells of Iowa: Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 6, 1897, pp. 115-428. See also Bo\vinan, 
Isaiah, Well-driUing methods: Water-Supply Paper U.S. Geol. Survey No. 257, 1911. 

2 Carll, J. F., Geology of the oil regions: Second Geol. Survey Pennsylvania, Rept.III, 1880, pp. 284^330. 
8 Newell, F. H., Drilling and care of oil wells: Ohio Geol. Survey, vol. 6, 1888, pp. 476-497. 



WELL DRILLING. 189 

drill. The whole string is then hoisted and the hole cleaned out with the sand pump — 
a bucket with a suction valve at the bottom — and the drill is again lowered. This 
interruption takes less time than one would suppose. In hoisting the string the 
foreman sits with his left hand on the hoist lever and his right on the brake. The 
scaffold man stands on a platform in the tower about the length of a rod above the 
bench. The third man of the shift stands at the bench, catch wrench in hand. The 
string is rapidly hoisted by the engine; as soon as the upper end of the second rod 
from the top appears above the bench the brake is applied to the hoist, the string 
stops, the second rod is grasped by the wrench under the collar of the upper end. 
With the weight of the string thus resting on the wrench and bench, the scaffold man 
and the man at the bench together uncouple the upper rod from its connections above 
and below and set it at one side. The swivel whirls down and is coupled to the second 
rod, the hoist lever is pulled, the string rises, the third rod is caught fast, the second 
uncoupled, and eo the work goes on. To hoist 1,600 feet of rods and tools needs only 
20 minutes, and less time is taken in lowering them again. 

Scarcely a well is drilled without more or less time being lost by accidents. Frag- 
ments of rocks become detached from the side of the shaft, fall, and wedge in with the 
string, preventing the slips from doing their work in jarring loose the drill. As soon 
as the drill stops, the sediment, with which the water is thick, settles about it, fasten- 
ing it so securely that it can not be dislodged without special instruments. Fishing 
for drills and other lost tools may be the longest and most costly part of drilling a deep 
well. 

Occasionally the drill strikes a slanting crevice and slips to one side. If this diffi- 
culty is not met at once the boring is deflected from vertical and the drill soon 
becomes fast. Some crevices can be filled, but most of them must be passed by a 
special tool or by casing. 

In no well has it been found practicable to drill a deep boring of the same diameter 
throughout. Through the incoherent deposits of the Pleistocene the bore is relatively 
large — ^possible 10 or 12 inches in diameter — and casing of this size is driven firmly 
into the underlying rock to shut off all surface and drift waters. In a few wells Pleis- 
tocene gravel, mingled with drillings from lower horizons, has indicated that this 
work was not effectively done. Changing the drill to one of smaller diameter, the 
driller proceeds with the work until rock so incoherent or fissile is reached that it 
caves into the boring. The only remedy is to case this portion of the shaft. The 
method of inserting the casing is described by Mr. Seth Dean ^ in his description of 
the Glenwood well, as follows: 

' ' On the lower end of the pipe a cast-steel shoe with a cutting edge was fitted, the 
outside diameter of the shoe being a little larger than the coupling bands that con- 
nected the joints of the pipe, so as to give clearance room. Fitted in this way it was 
possible to drive a line of pipe through most of the strata after they had first been 
pierced by the drill, the shoe cutting out a portion of the rock somewhat in the manner 
that a carpenter enlarges a hole in a piece of wood with a gouge. When the harder 
beds of limestone were struck, the pipe was raised a few feet with jacks and the hole 
enlarged by what is known as an expansion reamer, a tool so constructed as to pass 
down inside the casing and open when it meets with the resistance afforded by the 
rock bed under the pipe. When the friction of the mass of earth and shale against 
the sides of the pipe became so great that it could not be driven farther without 
danger of crushing or collapsing, it was bedded firmly in some stratum of rock and a 
pipe of smaller size was inserted inside this and driven in the same way. The rate of 
progress made in driving pipe was, of com'se, dependent on the nature of the material 
being worked. Sometimes in soft shales the weight of the pipes alone was enough to 
sink it, and at other times 6 hours' driving would not settle it more than 3 or 4 inches." 

1 Proc. Iowa Civ. Eng. and Survey Soc, 1895, p. 36. 



190 UNDEKGEOXJND WATEE BESOUECES OF IOWA. 

FINISHING WELLS IN SAND. 

By 0. E. Meinzer. 

nrCRITSTATION OF SCREENS. 

Throughout northwestern Iowa and adjacent portions of Minnesota 
and South Dakota the majority of drilled wells end in sand belonging 
either to the glacial drift or to the Cretaceous system. The successful 
finishing of these wells is perhaps the most important problem in con- 
nection with water supplies in this area. Most of them are 2 inches 
in diameter, and the well casing is made to serve also as the pump 
pipe. The sand rises with the water so persistently that it is found 
necessary to put a screen or strainer at the bottom of the casing to 
shut out the sand while admitting the water. Various types of screens 
are in use, but the common type for wells of small diameter consists 
of a perforated iron pipe surrounded by a brass gauze of fine mesh, 
the whole inclosed in a perforated jacket to protect the gauze. The 
screen is small enough to be let down inside the casing. 

Wells finished in this manner prove satisfactory for a time, but in 
the course of a few years the yield diminishes and eventually almost 
no water can be obtained. When the screens are removed, they are 
found to be effectually sealed by a coating of silt, etc., firmly cemented 
into a hard, impervious mass. The cost of a screen is not great, and 
the substitution of a new one for the old every few years would not 
be a serious matter were it not that the removal of the old screen is 
attended by great difficulties. In many instances the coating of 
cemented silt becomes so thick that the screen can not be withdrawn 
on the inside, and it is then necessary to puU up the entire casing in 
order to remove it. The labor and difficulty involved in this process 
is considered by many drillers to be equivalent to that of sinking a 
new well. Moreover, the rusted casing is liable to break, or the hole 
may cave, and the well is then usually lost. 

The clogging of the screen has been found to be so great a nuisance 
that in many localities nearly all drilled wells have been abandoned, 
and shallow sources again used. Especially has this been done in the 
recent years of abundant rainfall following a series of dry years in 
which many of the driUed wells were sunk. The aggregate cost of the 
wells which have thus been abandoned in this region amounts to hun- 
dreds of thousands of dollars; furthermore, the return to shallow 
wells is not a solution of the problem. Recognizing the magnitude of 
the difficulty, the v/riter has investigated the entire matter, with a 
view to finding a practical remedy. 

In order to ascertain the composition of the incrustant and the 
chemical changes involved in the incrusting process, a typical 2-inch 
well was selected, from which a screen of the ordinary construction, 
coated with the usual hard, dirty-gray substance had recently been 



WELL DRILLING. 191 

removed. Both the water from this well and the incrusting material 
were analyzed. The data are presented below. 

The well was owned by George Clynick, and was located in the 
SW. i sec. 33, T. 104 N., K. 29 W., in Martin County, Minn. It was 
drilled in 1899 to a depth of 70 feet, with a diameter of 2 inches. It 
yielded "all that the windmill could pump." Its head was 13 feet 
below the surface. The material penetrated in drilling was (1) blue 
clay; (2) bluish-white sand, at first very fine, but changing into coarse 
grit, in which the well ends. The weU was finished with an iron 
casing, ending with a screen of perforated galvanized iron pipe sur- 
rounded by a brass gauze, the whole being surrounded by a perfo- 
rated brass sheath. The screen is 3 feet long and about 1 inch in 
diameter, and the length of time required for it to become effectually 
clogged was reported to be about 5 years. 

Analysis of water of Clynick well, Martin County, Minn. 

[Analyst: H. A. Whittaker, chemist, Minnesota State Board of Health, July 25, 1907.] 

Parts per 
million. 

Silica (SiOa) 24 

Iron (Fe) 2. 6 

Calcium (Ca) 140 

Magnesium (Mg) 54 

Sodium and potassium (Na+K) 22 

Carbonate radicle (CO3) -. 0. 

Bicarbonate radicle (HCO3) 259 

Sulphate radicle (SO4) 389 

Chlorine (CI) 4 

Nitrate radicle (NO3) 1. 5 

Free ammonia 2. 

Free carbonic acid (CO2) 54 

Total solids 772 

Analysis of the material which incrusted the screen. 
[Analyst: R. B. Dole, United States Geological Survey, Sept. 26, 1907.] 

Clay, sand, silica, etc 56. 

Oxides of iron and aluminum 2. 8 

Calcium 13. 

Magnesium 1.3 

Sodium and potassium •. 7 

Carbonate radicle 20. 6 

Sulphate radicle 4 

Chlorine 1 

Phosphate radicle 

Organic and volatile matter 5. 3 

100.2 
To this analysis the following note was added : 

Of the 56 per cent comprising the silica and insoluble silicates, only 31 per cent is 
volatilized by hydrofluoric acid, showing that there is probably considerable clay 
present. Indeed, clay, sand, and carbonates of calcium and magnesium comprise 90 



192 UNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

per cent of the deposit. The probable presence of sand particles is indicated by the 
fact that the substance was gritty when first pulverized, and required two days' grind- 
ing to reduce it to a powder fine enough for analysis. 

The principal cementing substance is probably calcium carbonate 
precipitated from the water. The sand, silt, and clay are packed 
about the screen by the inflow of the water, and the interstices are 
then filled with calcium carbonate and other materials. Thus, the 
whole becomes a nearly impervious sheath which shuts out the water. 

Whenever, in any well, the pump is operated, the weight of the 
water column is decreased by the removal of water, and it is this 
diminution in pressure that causes a new supply of water to flow 
through the screen into the well. The reduction of the pressure may 
allow a portion of the carbon dioxide to pass out of solution, disturb- 
ing the equilibrium between the free carbon dioxide and the bicar- 
bonate radicle and effecting partial decomposition of the latter 
substance. As a result of this reaction, calcium carbonate is probably 
precipitated and is incorporated in the incrusting material. Only 
minute quantities of calcium carbonate need be deposited in order to 
effect the seahng of the screen in the course of several years. Possibly 
precipitated iron also adds to the cementing material. Electrolysis 
may occur between the brass and the iron portions of the screen, but 
the fact that some screens made entirely of brass have become 
incrusted as readily as the ordinary brass and iron ones seems to make 
this explanation inadequate. If the diagnosis given is correct, the 
process does not depend chiefly on the nature of the screen, but on 
changes which unavoidably accompany the withdrawal of water 
from the well, and hence the remedy must be sought along mechanical 
rather than chemical lines. 

REMEDIES FOR INCRUSTATION. 

A study of the mechanical aspects of the problem makes it possible 
to put forth some suggestions which, if followed, should prove of 
value by diminishing the annoyance and expense connected with 
wells finished in sand. 

LAEGE DIAMETERS. 

Two-inch wells should not be drilled in regions where the screens 
become incrusted. For farm purposes wells from 4 to 6 inches in 
diameter can generally be finished successfully with open ends, 
whereas it is invariably necessary to put screens into those only 
2 inches in diameter. The explanation is simple. With a given rate 
of pumping, the upward velocity of the water in a well varies inversely 
as the square of the diameter, and the capacity of a current to lift 
solid particles varies as the sixth power of the velocity. Consequently, 
sand that will cause no trouble in a large well will persistently rise 
in a small one if it is not screened. Practically, the effect is prob- 



WELL DRILLING. 193 

ably even greater than the ratio indicates, because in the wells of 
large diameter the inflow and upward velocity are nearly constant 
as long as the rate of pumping is kept constant, whereas in a well of 
small diameter the casing usually serves also as the pump pipe, and 
hence the upward current is not uniform, being zero during the down- 
ward stroke and varying from zero to a maximum and back to zero 
during the upward stroke. In general, it will be found more satisfac- 
tory and ultimately more economical to drill wells at least 4 inches in 
diameter than to put down the small 2-inch tubulars. 

It is important, however, to understand that the finishing of sand 
wells with open ends should be attempted only where the rate of 
pumping is to be slow — for example, in farm wells where windmills 
are used. As a rule, wells furnishing water for public supplies and 
others pumped by steam or gasoline engines should be provided with 
screens. A number of sand weUs used for public supplies in this 
region were finished without screens, and nearly all of these have given 
trouble. The sand rises with the water, cutting out the pump valves, 
clogging the mains, and filling the wells to such an extent that the 
supply is greatly diminished or the wells are totally ruined. 

Drilled sand wells of large diameter invariably require screens if 
the rate of pumping is to be rapid, and some require them even though 
the rate of pumping is slow. Wherever there is danger that the sand 
will rise, it is the part of discretion to put in a screen. It should be 
remembered, however, that a 5-inch well with a screen is much better 
than a 2-inch well similarly finished. In the latter the screen must 
of necessity fit snugly into the casing, and when it becomes incrusted 
it may be impossible to pull it up, thus causmg much trouble and 
frequently making it necessary to pull the entire casing. In a 5-inch 
well, on the other hand, a screen can be used sa small that there will 
be no difficulty in removing it. Experience shows that it is poor 
economy to drill 2-inch wells. 

ENDING IN A COARSE LAYER. 

The glacial deposits, in which many of the wells under consideration 
end, are irregular and may alternate rapidly from fine sand to coarse 
gravel. It is a matter of great importance to finish a well where the 
material is coarsest. Drillers understand the significance of this but 
are not always successful in practice. As a rule the coarsest part of 
a sand and gravel bed is at the bottom, but this is not invariably so. 

DRIVING TO THE PROPER DEPTH. 

Commonly a thin layer of "hardpan'^ lies at the contact between 
a bed of clay and a deposit of water-bearing sand and gravel. Fre- 
quently there is difficulty in driving the casing through the "hard- 

36581°— wsp 293—12 13 



194 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF lOT/A. 

pan/' and hence it is often allowed, to stop above this hard layer or 
to fit only loosely into it. If a screen is inserted, it is somewhat 
smaller than the casing and may sometimes be projected through 
the hole in the "hardpan" and into the water-bearmg sand. This is 
a careless method of finishing a well. Tlie clay is liable to be washed 
down and to come in contact with the screen, thus greatly hastening 
the clogging process ; or if the well has an open end the caving of the 
clay may obstruct the entrance. Not infrequently wells are ruined 
by neglect of the driller in this respect. Whether they are to be 
finished with or without a screen, it is important to have the casing 
driven completely through the cap of "hardpan" and down into the 
coarsest part of the sand or gravel. 

DEVELOPMENT OP GRAVEL SCREENS. 

Glacial deposits and to some extent also Cretaceous strata are 
poorly sorted, fine sand and coarser grit being more or less mixed 
together, Wlien a well is to be finished in one of these deposits it 
should be pumped for a protracted period in such a manner as to 
remove the fine silt and leave a natural screen of coarser material. 
This frequently makes it possible to finish the well without a screen 
where otherwise one would have been required, but it should be done 
even where a screen is to be inserted. Proper treatment in this 
■^espect requires patience and skill but it undoubtedly results in 
superior wells. 

The process of developing a natural screen is sometimes supple- 
mented by introducing into the well a quantity of gravel or crushed 
tUe of proper coarseness. This method has proved successful with 
drillers who are willing to devote sufficient time and effort to it, and 
often makes it possible to finish a well without putting in an ordinary 
screen. 

INDEPENDENT PUMPS. 

As has already been explained, in 2-inch wells the casing usually 
serves also as the pump pipe, a device that produces more or less 
unsatisfactory results. The water must enter as rapidly as it is 
drawn up by the pump. This gives an intermittent and irregular 
current into the well and increases greatly the danger of drawing up 
sand. Even where a screen is used, this arrangement is liable to 
force fine silt through the meshes or to break holes in the screen, and 
the great reduction of pressure in the well on the up stroke probably 
increases the precipitation of calcium carbonate. When the yield is 
small or when the inflow of the water is obstructed by the incrusting 
of the screen, pumping becomes difficult and the wear and tear become 
great. An independent pump hung in a well of adequate diameter 
involves some additional cost but is much more satisfactor3^ 



MUNICIPAL AND DOMESTIC SUPPLIES. 195 

FREQUENT RENEWAL OF SCREENS. 

Much of the difficulty with the screens could be avoided if they 
were renewed more frequently. A screen which is left in the well 
until it has become so completely sealed that its removal is absolutely 
necessary is not only practically useless for a long time before its 
removal but is also liable to be so thickly coated that it can not easily 
be withdrawn. 

SUMMARY. 

Only wells of large diameter (4 inches or more) should be drilled. 
Care should be taken to drive the casing through the cap of " hardpan" 
and through any beds of quicksand which may exist to the coarsest 
portion of the deposit. The fine sand should then be removed by 
protracted pumping and a natural screen of coarser sand or gravel 
developed. Gravel of the proper coarseness may also be introduced 
into the well to be added to the natural strainer. If the water is to be 
drawn at a slow rate and an independent pump is used, it is generally 
not necessary to put on a metal screen. If, however, the water wUl 
not become clear and the sand persists in rising, a screen should be 
inserted and tightly attached to the bottom of the casing. It should 
be considerably smaller than the latter so that it can be easily removed 
when it has become incrusted. As soon as the yield of the well shows 
distinct signs of reduction, the screen should be drawn up and cleaned 
or else replaced by a new one. 

MUNICIPAL AND DOMESTIC WATER SUPPLIES. 

POLLUTION 
SOURCES. 

From the sanitarian's point of view waters from wells tapping the 
deep-lying sandstones or the deep sand layers of the drift may be 
considered above suspicion if the wells are protected from the access 
of surface water from their immediate vicinity. The diseases ordi- 
narily communicated by water are bacterial in origin — that is, the 
immediate causes are microscopic single-cell plants, called bacteria, 
which come from previous cases of typhoid fever or other diseases and 
find their way into river or well water through sewage or surface 
water. According to present standards of sanitation it may be defi- 
nitely stated that the waters of rivers flowing through moderately 
well inhabited regions and having the usual number of towns and 
villages along their courses are unsuitable for drinking or general 
domestic use without being purified. The experience of a number of 
Iowa towns, such as Waterloo (p. 259) proves that typhoid bacilh in 
river water may pass the guard of filtration plants and cause serious 



196 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

epidemics unless the process of filtration is constantly maintained at 
its highest efficiency. That springs rising from creviced and cavern- 
ous bedrock which receives the drainage from adjacent cities may be 
polluted has been recently shown at Cedar Falls (p. 259). Even the 
purest artesian waters from wells thousands of feet deep are liable to 
become contaminated by shallow ground waters if such are allowed 
to enter through corroded casings. Epidemics of typhoid fever at 
Clinton, in the shops of the Chicago & North Western Railway, and at 
Glenwood, in the Asylum for Feeble-mmded Children, were caused 
by leakage from adjacent privies and drains into deep artesian wells. 

TOWN WELLS. 

Shallow dug wells, walled as they generally are by brick or tile, that 
permit the inflow of water from top to bottom, are usually unsafe m 
a town or even m the country unless they are well protected from 
contamination by kitchen or household waste, privies, drainage from 
stable yards, and all sunilar sources of pollution. Though the water 
of any one such well may be used for a long time without serious results, 
it is nevertheless a constant menace to life and health. Infectious 
material is likely to enter it at any time that it may be brought into 
the neighborhood. In towns the danger attending the use of well 
water is undoubtedly in direct proportion to the prevalence of privy 
vaults, cesspools, badly drained streets, and decaying garbage. All 
persons are not equally susceptible to disease, and it is not to be taken 
for granted that because a family or a certain number of persons have 
long used the water without ill effects others may do so with impunity. 

Some wells given in this report as the sources of municipal supplies 
belong to the class of shallow wells just described. They are dug 
and walled wells or driven wells in river bottoms or in superficial 
sand layers. Nothing protects them from the surface water in their 
immediate vicinity. The surrounding land should be as scrupu- 
lously protected from human habitation, factories, and other sources 
of contamination as the collecting ground of lakes and artificial res- 
ervoirs whose waters are used for municipal supplies. The under- 
flow where the wells are located should be toward the town, not from 
it toward the wells. If the town is on a river, the wells should be 
above and not below the town. There should be no higher inhabited 
land in their immediate vicinity. In the course of this mvestigation 
evidence has not been wanting that such simple and reasonable pro- 
visions as above suggested have not received attention in some towns 
that derive their water from wells of this character. 

The sanitary character of well water is improved in proportion to 
the exclusion of surface water from the immediate vicinity, because 
water coming through earth or sand for considerable distances is 



MUNICIPAL AND DOMESTIC SUPPLIES, 197 

freed from organic matter and bacteria by fermentation and filtration. 
Herein is the advantage that the deep well has over the shallow one. 
Deep wells derive their waters in most places from the deeper sand 
layers, sand rock, and other porous filtering material. The water 
they supply fell upon areas at considerable distances and reached the 
wells through long stretches of natural filter. For example, most of 
the water in the deep-lying sandstones in Iowa fell in Wisconsin and 
Minnesota and reaches the consumer only after passing through 
many and in some places hundreds of miles of sandstone filter. 
Whatever organic matter and living organisms the water originally 
took up at the surface where it fell have long since been destroyed 
and removed. 

Fortunately, most wells which supply Iowa cities are of this char- 
acter and derive their water from far-removed collecting grounds. 
They are generally driven wells, or bored or drilled and cased. In 
such wells water can enter only at considerable depths, in the shal- 
lower ones only near the bottom; and even if the water fell near the 
well it could enter only after filtration through many feet of earth. 
It must be said, however, that some town wells are bored and walled 
with sewer or fired tile placed loosely one upon another, and in such 
cases water may enter at any point, dependent only on the weather 
and the height of the water table. 

The experience of sanitarians is m harmony with these considera- 
tions. The number of bacteria in well water decreases as surface 
drainage is cut off. The pathogenic species are absent from the 
water of properly constructed deep wells, and in some very deep 
wells bacteria are totally absent. If a toAvn or a home draws its 
water supply from a deep cased well in thorough repair, having its 
footing in some large source of water, it is probable that the water 
as it comes from the well is free from contamination, and its whole- 
someness as it reaches the consumer depends only on the character 
of the reservoirs and the conducting system. It is, of course, abso- 
lutely necessar}^ that all storage tanks should be protected from dust, 
animals, and any other sort of accidental or intentional contamina- 
tion; that all underground conducting pipes should be of nonporous 
material; and that all jomts should be water-tight. 

FARM WELLS. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 

The most common type of well in the western part of the State is 
the shallow bored well. It is made with a machine called a "well 
auger," is generally between IJ and 3 feet in diameter, and is cased 
with wood or some other material that will admit water freely from 
aU levels. In this way a great surface admitting water to the well 



198 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

is made to compensate for the low pressure of the water and the 
poor conductivity of the water-bearing materiaL Since the water 
comes from so near the surface it can easily become polluted, and 
care should be taken to have everything which might produce con- 
tamination removed from the vicmity of the well and from the 
ground that drains toward it. Unfortunately such precautions are 
not usually taken. Though some householders are to be commended 
for carefully protecting their wells, the majority are guilty of inex- 
cusable negligence and many seem to utterly disregard the sanitary 
aspects of their water supply. 

The well is generally located on low ground and frequently in a 
favorable position to receive the drainage from the barnyard and 
outhouses. This is because the farmer wants his house and barns 
on high ground and yet as near the well as possible. On many farms, 
too, it is located in the barnyard and is surrounded by manure. 
The upper part of the casing in many wells is decayed and the ground 
where the well is situated is on a level with the rest of the barnyard, 
so that seepage from the yard mevitably enters the well. Many 
farmers cover their wells in the autumn with manure to prevent the 
pumps from freezing, and this is not always removed in the spring. 
Thus some of the matter leached from the manure by the rains is 
washed into the wells. Some wells, also, are situated on ground so 
low that they are flooded in heavy rains. 

In a few wells clay or concrete tiles are employed for casing, but 
more commonly boards are used. The wood is most subject to 
decay near the surface where it is alternately wet and dry; farther 
down in the well, where it is more constantly submerged and thus 
protected from the atmosphere, it decays less rapidly. Consequently 
the wooden casing in many wells is partly removed near the top, 
giving excellent opportunity for surface wash and also for small 
animals to enter. Drillers and borers whose business it is to clean 
out these wells declare that it is common to find decaying mice, rats, 
rabbits, and other small animals in wells which are at the time being 
used for domestic purposes, and that many families are using water 
which contains so much putrid matter that it is nauseatmg to one 
who has not become accustomed to it. These conditions are due 
largely to carelessness and could easily be prevented by the appli- 
cation of ordinary good judgment and by a regard for ordinary 
cleanliness. 

MINERAL CONTENT. 

RIVER AND WELL WATERS. 

Compared with waters of the Northern and Eastern States, all 
Iowa waters are highly mineralized, or, as it is commonly expressed, 
they are hard waters. The State is deeply covered by drift and soil, 



MUNICIPAL AND DOMESTIC SUPPLIES. 



199 



composed mostly of finely divided material which is highly cal- 
careous and contains considerable amounts of calcium sulphate and 
other more soluble compounds. The rainfall comes into intimate 
contact with this material, and that which becomes ground water, 
from which wells are supplied, must pass for long distances through 
it, giving the water great opportunity to take up mineral matter. 
The amount of run-off from igneous rock surfaces is practically 
nothing in this State and that from bare rock surfaces of any sort is 
insignificant. Only very small superficial sand areas in the State 
take up the rainfall and transmit it as soft water to wells or to rivers. 
The deep rich soil also contributes indirectly to the mineralization 
of water. Nearly the whole area is covered with vegetation of some 
sort and the soil contains large amounts of decaying vegetable mat- 
ter. An unusual amount of carbon dioxide is thus supplied to the 
water at the surface, which enables it to dissolve large amounts of 
calcium and magnesium carbonates. 

The waters of both rivers and wells are considerably more highly 
mineralized than those of the Eastern States, and three of the largest 
Iowa rivers contain very much larger amounts of mineral matter in 
solution than the average of the rivers of the whole continent. The 
average total solids of Des Moines, Cedar, and Iowa rivers, as deter- 
mined by analyses by the United States Geological Survey ^ extend- 
ing from September, 1906, to September, 1907, is 262 parts per 
million, whereas the average of the river waters of the continent is 
stated to be 150 parts per million.^ The average mineral content of 
these three rivers and that of the best wells of moderate depth in the 
regions where the rivers take their rise are remarkably alike in both 
the amount and the character of their total solids. The same general 
agreement is found between the mineral matter of the rivers and 
that of the best deep wells. For piu-poses of comparison, there are 
given below the analyses of the 3 rivers already named, the 
average analyses of 12 of the best wells of moderate depth, for 
the most part in the northern and eastern portions of the State, and 
the analysis of a representative of the best deep weUs, that of the 
Eighth Street city well at Dubuque, which has a depth of 1,200 feet 
and foots in the sandstones underljdng the St. Lawrence formation. 

Comparison of analyses of ivell and river tvater in Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 





Three 
rivers. 


Twelve 
wells. 


Deep 
well. 




Three 
rivers. 


Twelve 
wells. 


Deep 
well. 


SiOj 


18 
.20 


13 
.25 
1.0 
62 
25 


12 
.00 
.5 

54 

32 


Na 


14 
212 

46 

4 

262 


9.7 
273 
26 

5 
279 


7.0 


Fe 


HCO3 


284 


Al 


SO4 


16 


Ca 


52 

18 


CI 


5 


Mg 


Total solids 


■^68 







' Dole, R. B., The quahty of surface waters in the United States: Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey 
No. 236, 1909, pp. 116-119. 
2Chamberlin, T. C, and Salisbury, R. D., Geology, 2d ed., vol. 1, 1905, p. 108. 



200 UNDERGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

The total solids for the rivers include only the dissolved mineral 
matter. If the suspended matter is added, the total matter carried 
by the river waters is 553 parts per million. 

The averages of the analyses of river waters represent samples 
taken as follows: Cedar River at Cedar Rapids, dissolved solids 228; 
Iowa River at Iowa City, dissolved solids 247 ; and Des Moines River 
at Keosauqua, dissolved solids 312. The dissolved sohds of the 
three rivers are not very different in amount and closely agree in 
their composition, which is similar to that of the solids of the best 
well waters. The three rivers show considerably smaller amounts of 
dissolved mineral matter than the water of Missouri River on the 
west, as might be expected, for the Missouri derives a large portion 
of its water from the northwest and to a large extent from the so-called 
alkali regions. The Missom-i shows at Florence, Nebr., 454 parts 
of total solids.^ On the other hand, the solids of the three Iowa 
rivers are greater than those of the upper Mississippi, which comes 
largely from Minnesota and Wisconsm, where much of the collecting 
ground is covered with sand and sandstone. The Mississippi near 
Moline, 111., shows 179 parts of dissolved solids.- 

The general impression that river waters are soft and well waters 
are hard is in a general way true. However, no sharp line of demar- 
cation can be drawn, at any rate in northeastern Iowa. The very 
best well waters from both shallow and deep wells in the north- 
eastern part of the State, which is the main collecting ground for the 
river waters, show about the same mineralization as the river waters. 
These wells are, however, comparatively few, most wells in this same 
region showing solids ranging from 300 to 500 parts per million. 

EFFECT OF MINERALIZED WATERS ON HEALTH. 

Though the water of a considerable number of Iowa wells contains 
as low as 280 parts per million of mineral matter, and most of those 
in the northeastern part of the State contain less than 500 parts, the 
great majority of well waters in the whole State contain 400 to 2,000 
parts of solids. Several contain 2,000 to 5,000 parts and a few 5,000 
to 9,500 parts. It is a matter of especial interest that several towns 
have for a number of years used as city supplies waters containing 
2,000 parts per million of solids. Though waters containing as much 
mineral matter as 2,000 parts per million are clearly unsuitable for 
many purposes in the untreated condition, such as for boilers and for 
laundry purposes, so far as is known no serious effects on the health 
of the people can be traced to the use of such waters. At present 
there seem to be no generally recognized standards by which to judge 

1 Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 236, 1909, p. 78. 

2 Water-supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 239, 1910, p. 81. 



MUNICIPAL AND DOMESTIC SUPPLIES. 201 

of the fitness of hard waters for drinking. Tlie only limit in the use 
of hard water in Iowa is the unpalatableness caused by the presence 
of considerable amounts of chlorides and sulphates. It is a curious 
fact that although people as a rule will not tolerate a distinct taste 
in a water supply for ordinary daily use, at watering places they will 
readily drink large quantities of similar water containing even more 
of the constituents which at home they consider distinctly objec- 
tionable. 

Apparently waters containing more than 2,000 parts of mineral 
matter are unpalatable, and this amount may be taken as the max- 
imum allowable in a water supply for city use and particularly for 
drinking. So far as general observation and the testimony of physi- 
cians are concerned, this Hmit seems practical and safe, though it 
can not be confidently asserted that the use of such water for a few 
generations might not be attended with injurious results. 

Standards of other regions, particularly of those where the sur- 
face rock is granite or sandstone, can not be applied in judging 
Iowa waters. The Iowa standard must depend on what sort of 
water can actually be secured and on experience in the use of the 
waters of the State. Of course, the standard for a boiler water or 
one for any other industrial purpose must be different from that of 
a water for a town supply. The latter must be obtained in large 
quantity, must serve for a multitude of domestic and industrial pur- 
poses, and must have a high degree of organic purity, if it is not to 
be filtered. Much mineral matter may be tolerated for the sake of 
bacteriologic purity. Therefore, a city in Iowa with a water supply 
which is organically pure and which contains less than 400 parts per 
million of solids is very fortunate. An organically pure water con- 
taining less than 600 parts may be considered good, one with less 
than 1,000 parts fair, one with less than 1,500 parts tolerable, and 
one with 2,000 parts usable if no better can be obtained. Above 
2,000 parts the water may be considered unpalatable, and that of 
private shallow wells would be preferable. Of course, these state- 
ments apply to the average hard water, in wliich the excessive solids 
are composed largely of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and sulphates. 

EFFECT OF MINERALIZED WATERS ON WELL CASINGS. 
CORROSION. 

Many waters act vigorously on iron in the cold, and many well 
casings in Iowa have been rusted through in a few years. At Cedar 
Rapids a wrought-iron casing was corroded to a perforated shell in 
about five years. At Grinnell the water of well No. 1, containing 
2,000 parts per million of mineral matter, rusted through the casing 
in about eight years. In many other wells the waters have become 



202 UNDEEGROITKD WATEB RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

progressively and notably more highly mineralized, and though this 
may be due to other causes, the chief cause is most probably the per- 
foration of the casings and the access of the upper hard waters that 
the casings were designed to shut out. Deep well No. 2 at Center- 
ville, for instance, was drilled to a depth of 2,054 feet in 1904. The 
following are the results of four analyses in terms of total solids, at 
intervals of about a year: 

Total solids in ivater in well No. 2, Centerville, loiva. 

Parts per 
million. 

September 18, 1905 1,228 

September 8, 1906 1,637 

November 26, 1907 1,930 

September 9, 1908 2,594 

The rusting out of casings must be regarded as one of the most 
serious difficulties in maintaining a supply of artesian water, and how 
to prevent it or retard it so as to lengthen the life of wells is a prob- 
lem which merits the most earnest consideration. After a casing has 
become weakened by corrosion and has become packed in the boring 
by sediment derived from the walls or deposited from the water, 
it is very difficult or impossible to withdraw it so as to replace it by 
a new tube. The only remedy in such instances is to put a smaller 
tube within the old one, thus reducing the effective diameter of the 
well. 

SOFT-STEEL VS. WROrGHT-IRON TTTBING. 

At the present time soft-steel tubing, on account of its cheapness, 
has for most purposes replaced wrought-iron tubing. It is not easy 
to get wrought-iron tubing without a special order, and this has led 
to the casing of many wells with steel. Experience seems to show 
that this is a mistake. Wrought iron withstands the corrosive action 
of water much better than soft steel and it should always be pre- 
ferred to steel for well casings. 

Cast-iron tubing may yet be proved practical for casings. It has 
far greater resisting power against the corrosive action of water than 
steel or wrought iron, and it is considered the only suitable material 
for water mains and for sewer pipe inside of buildings. 

In this connection the casing of well No. 4 at Grinnell is of peculiar 
interest. Several flows of highly mineralized waters are encountered 
above the New Richmond and St. Peter sandstones, which furnish 
the main supply. After experiencing a good deal of difficulty due 
to the corrosion of casings and the caving of shale below the casings 
of the older wells, the city authorities determined to case the new well 
with cast-iron tubing to the depth of 1,700 feet, or to a point just 
above the St. Peter sandstone. Owing to difficulties connected with 
reaming out the well the casing was finally put down only to 1,461 



MUNICIPAL AND DOMESTIC SUPPLIES. 203 

feet. It consists of 6-inch neavy cast-iron tubing, the sections of 
which are closely joined together with wrought-iron couplings. No 
difficulty was experienced in lowering the casing. The well was 
completed in January, 1910, and has been in use since that date. So 
far as known to the writer there is no other cast-iron casing in the 
State and none of greater length than 200 or 300 feet in neighboring 
States. The experiment at Grinnell seems to demonstrate the prac- 
ticability of lowering cast-iron casings of lengths as great as are 
likely to be desired. 

As this enterprise has proved successful, it is likely to influence 
greatly the casing of wells in the future, and the cast-iron casing 
should be instrumental in prolonging the life of artesian wells in 
localities where upper waters cause rapid deteriorations of ordinary 
casings. It is possible that it may extend the area of successful 
artesian weUs in this State. 

CAUSES OF CORROSION. 

The cause of the corrosion of iron has in recent years been the 
subject of much research and not a little controversy. The work and 
discussion have centered around the question whether water and 
oxygen alone are able to produce corrosion, or whether carbonic acid 
or some other acid is necessary. No fewer than eight research papers 
have appeared on this subject in the last four years. Of these, one 
by Walker and others * and one by Tilden ^ sum up the results of the 
whole investigation and give all needed references. 

PURE WATEE. 

It appears beyond a doubt from the work of Walker and his asso- 
ciates that pure water alone is able to dissolve iron in very small 
amounts. This is shown by direct experimental evidence, and it is 
fully in accord with the present ionic theory of the solution of metals. 

Water is to an exceedingly small degree an electrolytically dissociated 

+ - 

substance, its ions being H and OH. Iron, hke other metals, has its 

own particular tendency to go into solution in the form of ions — that 

is, its solution pressure, and this pressure is slightly greater than that 

of hydrogen. Very slowly and to a very limited extent iron goes into 

++ 
solution in pure water as positive ions, Fe, while hydrogen is forced 

out of solution, its positive charge going to neutralize the negative 

charge of the undissolved iron. Walker could easily detect the iron 

thus dissolved by testing with potassium ferrocyanide or potassium 

sulphocyanide, after evaporating the solution to small volume. 

1 Walker, W. H., Cederholm, A. M., and Bent, L. N., The corrosion of iron and steel: Jour. Am. 
Chem. Soc, vol. 29, 1907, p. 1251. 
2 Tilden, W. A., The rusting of iron: Jour. Chem. Soc. Trans., vol. 93, pt. 2, 1908, p. 1356. 



204 UNDERGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Water thus acts much hke an acid, but its action is exceedingly slow, 

and an equilibrium is soon reached when the action ceases unless 

oxygen is present to oxidize the iron and cause its removal from 

solution by precipitation. As a matter of fact, carbonic acid is 

present in most natural waters as free acid, or as the bicarbonate. 

+ 
The free acid is partly dissociated into its ions, H and HCO3. The 

number of hydrogen ions that can thus occur in natural waters very 

greatly exceeds the number due to the dissociation of water itself, 

and under similar conditions the rate of solution of the iron will be 

proportional to the number of hydrogen ions. The iron dissolved 

under these circumstances may be regarded as being present in the 

++ 
water as ferrous bicarbonate, Fe, 2HCO3. In the presence of oxygen 

the iron becomes quickly oxidized to the ferric condition, hydrolysis 
occurs, and the iron is precipitated as a hydrated ferric oxide. If 
the oxidation takes place as fast as the iron is ionized and at once, 
the apparent result of the corrosion may be a coating of more or less 
adherent rust. When hydrolysis occurs hydrogen ions are again 
released equivalent to the negative ion of the carbonic acid, and thus 
the same molecule of carbonic acid may cause the corrosion of its 
equivalent of iron over and over again. 

Nearly all Iowa waters contain 5 to 25 parts per million of free 
carbonic acid and large amounts of bicarbonates, which gradually 
give off in the cold one-half of their carbonic acid on standing, with 
the precipitation mainly of normal calcium carbonate. The decompo- 
sition is of course greatly accelerated when the water is boiled. The 
free carbonic acid that may be derived from this source varies in Iowa 
waters from 100 to 200 parts per million. In view of the above state- 
ments it may readily be understood why boilers rust more at some 
points than at others. At the water level the metal may be acted 
upon by the carbonic acid in the water and by the dissolved oxygen 
at the surface of the water. At the intake, where much corrosion 
occurs, carbonic acid is being rapidly set free from the bicarbonates, 
and neither it nor the oxygen has yet been expelled from solution by 
boiling. 

ACID WATER. 

Hydrogen ions, which may be regarded as the main initial cause of the 
corrosion of iron in boilers, are not alone due to the slight dissociation 
of water or to carbonic acid. Salts containing a weakly basic metal 
or a weakly acid radicle or both undergo to a greater or less extent 
what is known as hydrolysis; that is, water reacts with the metallic 
radicle forming an oxide or a hydroxide and hydrogen ions, or, what 
amounts to the same thing, free acid. Salts of copper aluminum, 



MUNICIPAL AND DOMESTIC SUPPLIES 205 

and iron offer good examples. A solution of copper sulphate is 
always faintly acid, its hydrolysis taking place thus : 

Cn, Sb4+2H0, 2H=Cu(OH)24-2H, SO^. 

The hydroxide may be nearly insoluble and the main portion of it may 
form a precipitate, it may remain in true solution, or it may assume 
an intermediate state known as the colloid condition. In the cases 
of iron, copper, and aluminum the last is probably true. However, 
in any case a small part goes into true solution and is to some extent 
ionized. The hydroxyl ions thus accumulate and react with the 
hydrogen ions to form water; or, to take another view, they force 
back^the dissociation of the water, thus bringing the reaction to a 
state of equilibrium. Some sulphuric acid, however, remains in 
solution and is highly ionized. Its hydrogen ions escape as neutral 
hydrogen and, as with carbonic acid, their place is taken by the ions 
of iron from the boiler or from other iron that may be in contact with 
the solution. The iron may be oxidized to the ferric condition and 
precipitated, its place being taken by fresh iron ions. 

From recent work it appears that salts of the alkali metals and 
strong acids which undergo no hydrolysis and can not form hydrogen 
ions do not greatly influence the corrosion of iron. Heyn and Bauer ^ 
found that the rusting of iron at room temperature is in general 
greater in distilled water than in dilute solutions of simple electro- 
lytes. With increasing concentration, however, the rusting increased 
somewhat and then decreased. In general, salts at their maximum 
of activity caused more rusting than distilled water, but contrary to 
popular opinion solutions of potassium, sodium, and calcium chlo- 
rides, sodium and potassium sulphates, and sodium bicarbonate 
showed less activity at their maximum than distilled water. With 
certain salts corrosion decreased very rapidly with increased concen- 
tration and soon ceased altogether. Salts of ammonium and particu- 
larly those of phosphoric acid showed high corrosive power, probably 
owing to their hydrolysis. 

The salts just enumerated as having less corrosive action than 
distilled water include most of the readily soluble salts usually 
calculated as possibly present in natural waters. From the experi- 
ments cited corrosion at ordinary temperature can not apparently 
be ascribed to them, and this conclusion is in harmony with theory, 
for they can form no hydrogen ions. It is a common observation, 
however, that metals in contact with some chemical substances, 
particularly common salt, corrode more rapidly when exposed to the 
air. This corrosive action is probably to be ascribed to the fact that 

1 Heyn, E., and Bauer, O., Mitt. K. Priifungs-Anstalt, Gross-Lichterfelde, vol. 26, 1907, pp. 1-104. 



206 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

such chemicals are usually hygroscopic, and the corrosion is probably 
due to the water which the salt takes from the air and holds in. contact 
with the metal. 

ALKALINE WATER. 

As already intimated hydroxyl radicles counteract or neutralize 
hydrogen ions and thus inhibit corrosion. Aikahne waters do not 
corrode iron. Ordinary corrosive waters lose that power when 
treated with sufficient sodium hydroxide or any other chemical which 
when highly dissociated gives OH radicles, such as lime or soda ash. 
The action of the latter is to be ascribed to its hydrolysis, which gives 
highly dissociated sodium hydoxide: 

2Na, cbs+H, OH=Na, OH+Na, HCO3. 

Even sodium bicarbonate is slightly alkaline— that is, it dissociates to 
a small extent into highly dissociated sodium hydroxide and very 
slightly dissociated carbonic acid, which can, therefore, give few 
hydrogen ions in comparison with the sodium hydroxide. Of course, 
if a water is heated any acid carbonate the water may contain is 
changed into the normal carbonate, which in turn will dissociate as 
given in the equation. Moreover, the free carbonic acid set free 
when the normal carbonate is formed decomposes at the boUing 
temperature into water and carbon dioxide (which escapes), thus 
making impossible the formation of hydrogen ions from its own 
dissociation as would occur in the cold. Therefore it is evident that 
water containing relatively large amounts of alkali carbonate can 
not be corrosive. 

INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES. 

EMPORTANCE. 

Every town large enough to have a water system contains some 
industry dependent on a suitable supply of water. Steam-power 
plants are of primary importance, and water that can be used in 
boilers must be obtained for them. Many towns have steam laun- 
dries, artificial-ice plants, tanneries, dye works, starch works, sugar 
refineries, and many other industries which demand water suitable 
for their particular needs. These needs can not be discussed in detail. 
Suffice to say that all desire the clearest and softest water they can 
get. However, on account of the universal need of boiler water, it 
seems desirable to devote some space to its consideration. 

BOILER WATER. 
QUALITIES OF GOOD BOILER WATER. 

Water may affect the boiler in which it is used in two chief ways — 
by the deposition of foreign matter (scale) and by direct corrosion of 
the metal. A good boUer water is one which will not foam, which 



INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES. 207 

will deposit the minimum of scale or sediment and which will not to 
any considerable degree corrode the metal of the boiler. The char- 
acteristics of a good boiler water are too many to mention in detail, 
but the following are those of most practical importance: (1) It 
should be normal in the sense that it must contain only the substances 
ordinarily found in natural water. It should not contain iron salts 
in excess of a few parts per million and it should contain no free 
mineral acids. Water from a coal mine or from a shale bed may 
contain not only iron salts but also free sulphuric acid, due to the 
oxidation of iron pyrite and other sulphides. The same may be 
true of water collected from ground near a coal yard or near heaps 
of ashes and cinder from soft coal. (2) It must contain as small a 
total amount of mineral matter as is practicable to find in a natural 
water in the locality, and its incrusting solids should be relatively 
low. (3) It should contain only small amounts of suspended matter, 
organic matter, oil, or any other foreign substance of similar nature. 

As already stated, the chief difficulty in the use of Iowa waters is 
their high content of mineral matter, largely of the incrusting sort. 
On that account they appear at a disadvantage as boiler waters 
when they are compared with ideal standards. It may be interesting 
to compare them with what is perhaps the best practical standard, 
that of the committee on water service of the American Railway 
Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association.^ This standard 
is given in terms of incrusting solids and, stated in round numbers 
in parts per million, is as follows: 

Standard of quality of water. 

Less than 90 parts pw million Good. 

90 to 200 parts Fair. 

200 to 430 parts Poor. 

430 to 680 parts Bad. 

Over 680 parts Very bad. 

This standard, in view of the actual conditions the country over 
and the effects of hard water, is to be taken as liberal in its allowance 
of incrusting solids. It applies to incrusting substances and not 
necessarily to corrosive ones. Though highly mineralized waters 
may m general be more corrosive, this action depends not on amount 
of matter in solution but mainly on its content of hydrogen ions 
under boiler conditions. Rated by this standard, probably practi- 
cally none of the Iowa waters can be called good for boilers. A 
small percentage fall within the class ''fair," but most of the best 
waters, even in the northeastern part of the State, are to be classed 
as "poor." On the whole the deep well waters and those of most 
of the rivers and ponds must be regarded as being too hard to give 
the best boiler service, though many of them give good results when 
the boilers are properly managed. 

1 Proc. Aju. Ey. Eng. and Maintenance of Way Assoc, vol. 5, 1904, p. 595. 



208 UNDEKGROUND WATEE KESOUECES OF IOWA. 

BOILER SCALE. 
DEPOSITION. 

Nearly all Iowa well waters are acid to plienolphthalein — that is, 
they contain bicarbonates and from 5 to 25 parts per millon of free 
carbon dioxide. On being exposed to the air, even without being 
heated, they lose carbon dioxide and precipitate normal calcium car- 
bonate, usually colored by small amounts of iron hydroxide. The 
precipitation is due to the breaking up of the bicarbonate radicle, 
2HCO3, into H2O + CO2 + CO3; the COg being evaporated and the car- 
bonate radicle uniting with calcium to form calcium carbonate 
(CaCOg), which is precipitated. Magnesium also is precipitated, but 
as a basic carbonate, which may possibly change to hydroxide in a 
boiler under high pressure. The magnesium hydroxide found in 
boilers may originate partly m this way and partly by the direct 
hydrolysis of its salts at the high temperature of the boiler. The mix- 
ture of calcium carbonate and magnesium basic carbonate or hydrox- 
ide thus formed, with small amounts of silica, iron, and aluminum 
hydroxides, settles ordinarily as a powder and does not alone form a 
hard scale. When, however, it is deposited in company with calcium 
sulphate, it forms the hardest and most refractoiy of all boiler scales, 
apparently uniting into a cement of stonelike texture and properties. 

The deposition of calcium sulphate is slightly different. When a 
water containing the usual radicles is evaporated several compounds 
may be precipitated. If they were present in am.ounts proportional 
to their chemical equivalents the precipitation would occur approxi- 
mately in the reverse order of their solubilities in hot water. This 
proportion is practically never realized, however, and, moreover, 
waters m boUers are rarely allowed to become concentrated enough 
between blow-outs to precipitate more than one other compound, 
namely, calcium sulphate. 

Calcium sulphate is only slightly soluble in cold water, the amount 
contained in water at saturation being about 2,000 parts per million. 
Accordmg to the determinations of Tilden and Shenstone, however, 
water when raised to the temperature attained in a steam boiler run at 
average pressure can retain only one-tenth of this amount, or about 
200 parts of calcium sulphate. It follows that the calcium sulphate 
in many of the hardest Iowa waters would be precipitated in part if 
the water were not concentrated at all by evaporation, but only heated 
to the temperature corresponding to a steam pressure of about 150 
pounds. The conditions are even more favorable to precipitation, 
because the temperature of the fUm of water in immediate contact 
with the boiler tubes and plates is probably raised to a temperature 
considerably higher than that corresponding to the steam pressure. 



INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES. 209 

The deposition of calcium sulphate is more rapid the more the water 
is concentrated by evaporation. 

The calcium sulphate deposits in a more or less crystalline condi- 
tion and cements together the particles of the other compounds of cal- 
cium and magnesium, often forming a scale so hard that it can be 
removed only with some such instrument as a cold chisel. 

When a hard water is used in a boiler, scale usually accumulates 
rapidly in the manner above indicated, and being a very poor con- 
ductor of heat it insulates the boiler metal from the water to be 
heated, thus greatly decreasing the efficiency of the boiler and 
increasing the consumption of fuel. The difficulties do not end 
there. Corrosion usually accompanies the formation of scale, 
shortening the life of the boiler. There is also a loss of time in 
cleaning a,nd repairing the boiler. The residual water must be 
frequently replaced by fresh water, and the accumulated scale 
must be from time to time mechanically removed, which is a 
difficult and time-consuming operation and may cause considerable 
injury to the boiler. Even a loosely adhering scale or sediment in 
considerable amount is undesirable in a boUer, Not only is there loss 
of heat effect, but injector tubes become clogged and the sediment is 
likely to settle in a compact mass while the boiler is out of use. The 
plates may then be overheated when the ffi?es are again started, and 
the breaking up of the mass and the sudden contact of hot plates and 
water may cause serious injury to the boiler or even cause it to explode. 
Numerous boiler explosions have been traced to this cause. 

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. 

The most important scale formers are calcium and magnesium 
salts, but to these must be added silica and hydroxides of iron and 
aluminum, wMch are usually present in water in veiy much smaller 
amounts. Suspended matter, for the most part clays, may become 
entangled in the deposit so as to form a considerable portion of it. 

The scale-forming power of a water is not proportional to its total 
solids, but rather to the sum of certain radicles which on boiling form 
sparingly soluble or insoluble compounds. It depends, too, on the 
amounts of other constituents in the water than those commonly 
called scale formers, and on the conditions, such as temperature and 
the frequency of blow-outs, under wliich the boiler is operated. 

It is evident that boiler scale can not have a definite chemical 
composition, even if the same water is used, as its make-up depends 
on the conditions named. It is hardly necessary to state that the 
composition of the scales in different waters depends on the relative 
quantities of the scale-forming constituent in the waters. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 14 



210 UNDERGKOUND WATEE KESOUBCES OP IOWA. 

Attempts to combine the sulphate radicle and the small amount of 
the carbonate radicle, as shown in analyses of scale, with the calcium 
and the magnesium, disclose a shortage in the acid radicles, showing 
that the greater part, and sometimes all, of the magnesium must be 
present in the form of oxide or hydroxide. In some analyses the acid 
radicles are not even sufficient to combine with the calcium. Iron, 
aluminum, and silica are present as oxides in small quantities. 
Doubtless the proportion of magnesium and calcium hydroxides 
increases with the temperature inside the boiler and it is questionable 
whether any magnesium carbonate remains stable in a high-pressure 
boiler. ^ 

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. 

Boiler scale may vary as much in its physical properties as in its 
composition, which depends on the nature of the mineral content of 
the waters from which scales are formed. The hardest scales are 
those containing large amounts of calcium sulphate cementing 
smaller amounts of calcium carbonate and magnesium oxide, and 
such scales are deposited from waters containing calcium largely in 
excess of the CO3 radicle and large amounts of the SO4 radicle. 
From such scales there are all grades to the powdery forms which 
scarcely adhere at all, yield to the touch, and may be washed from 
the boiler tubes with a hose. Soft scales do not greatly differ from 
the deposit formed when a scale-softening boiler compound is used. 
Some waters are said to carry their own boiler compounds, wliich 
means that the bicarbonate radicle is equivalent to or in excess of 
the calcium and magnesium. When they are boiled the carbonate 
radicle (CO3) is formed and nearly all the calcium and magnesium are 
precipitated. In Iowa most of the waters of small mineral content 
belong to this class, but heavily mineralized watei*s of the same type 
are not wanting. The two deep wells at Glenwood contain the 
bicarbonate radicle far in excess of the calcium and magnesium and 
their waters form no hard scale. 

SCALE-FORMING POWER OF DIFFERENT WATERS. 

As a rule chemists and engineers assume as scale forming all cal- 
cium and magnesium carbonates and sulphates that can be calculated 
from the analytical data, together with silica and the oxides of iron 
and aluminum. Recently Herman Stabler ^ has proposed formulas by 
the aid of wliich may be calculated the corrosive action of a water, 
the amount of scale it is likely to form, and the amounts of chemicals 
necessary to soften it, without regard to any rigid assumption as to 
the chemical compounds that may exist in the water. His formula 
for calculating the amount of scale assumes that under ordinary 
boiler conditions all suspended and colloidal matter is precipitated; 

I Engineering News, vol. GO, Oct. 1, 1908, p. 355. 



INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES. 211 

that all iron, aluminum, and magnesium are precipitated as oxides, 
and all calcium to the full extent of its ability to combine with the 
carbonate, bicarbonate, and sulphate radicles. Certain reactions 
are given, not as necessarily showing all that takes place, but as 
equations wliich express the known results of changes that occur 
within the boiler. They are as follows: 

2Al+3H20=Al203+6H. 

Fe+H2d=FeO+2H. 

MgH-H20=MgO+2H. 

Ca+C03=CaC03. 

Ca+2HC03-CaC03+H20+C02. 

Ca+SO^^CaSO^. 

H+HC03=H20+C02. 

2H+C03=H2b+C02. 

The first tln-ee reactions are regarded as practically complete. 
The division of the carbonate and bicarbonate radicles between 
calcium and hydrogen and the division of the calcium between the 
carbonate and sulphate radicles are not definitely known, and they 
probably differ with different conditions of boiler operation. For- 
mulas were constructed for maximum and minimum scale formation, 
but the differences were so small that they were rejected for one 
showing the average scale formation, as follows: 

Sc (scale) =0.00833Sm (suspended matter) +0.00833Cm (colloidal matter) + 
0.0107Fe +0.0157A1 +0.0138Mg +0.0246Ca. 

The result is in pounds per 1,000 United States gallons of water, 
when Sm, Cm, Fe, and the other amounts represent parts per million 
found by analysis. The value 0.00833 is 1 part divided by 120 to 
convert parts per million to pounds per 1,000 United States gallons. 
The value 0.0107 for iron represents 1 part of iron calculated to FeO 
and divided by 120. The value for calcium is the mean of 1 part 
of calcium calculated to carbonate and 1 part calculated to sulphate, 
and the mean divided by 120. From tliis explanation the remaining 
values will be evident. The amount of calcium introduced into this 
formula should not be in excess of the calcium equivalent of the 
carbonate, bicarbonate, and sulphate radicles — that is, Ca should 
not exceed O.668CO3 + O.328HCO3 + O.417SO4, because such excess 
would not be precipitated. 

The precipitated matter may be hard scale, wholly or in part, or it 
may be powdery sludge. The amount of hard scale that may be 
expected from a water can be calculated by means of the subjoined 
formula, wliich assumes that hard scale is composed of siUca, calcium 
sulphate, and magnesium oxide. All the silica and magnesium are 
precipitated, together with an amount of calcium dependent on the 
relative abundance of the chloride, sulphate, and alkali metal radicles. 
Hs (hard scale) =0.008338100+0.0138 Mg+(0.016Cl+0.0118SOi-0.0246Na-0.0145K). 



212 UNDEKGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The first two values will be clear from the precedmg explanation. 
The value 0.016 CI equals the calcium sulphate corresponding to the 
calcium that might be associated with chlorine; 0.0118 is the calcium 
sulphate that might be formed from all the SO4 radicle present. 
The values 0.0246Na and 0.0145K represent the calcium sulphate 
corresponding to these two metals. The value for the parenthesis of 
tliis formula must not exceed O.OII8SO4 or 0.0283Ca in order that 
deposition of impossible amounts of scale shall not be indicated. 

These two formulas permit calculation of the hardness of the scale 
which a water will form. The coefficient of scale hardness, h, equals 
Hs divided by Sc. 

PREVENTION. 

WATER SOFTENING. 

The waters of Iowa are undesirably hard for steam boilers and for 
most industrial purposes. This is especially true of well waters. 
The condition is a permanent one and the inconvenience of using such 
waters in the natural state will increase as the industries of the State 
are developed. It would seem in the natural order of development 
that the softening of water for industrial purposes should become 
general, as the apparatus and processes are improved and as the 
advantages become better understood. Already good beginnings 
have been made. Several railroads are successfully operating soften- 
ing plants witliin the State. Of these the Chicago & North Western 
Railway has made the widest appfication of the process, having 22 
plants in Iowa with a total capacit}^ of 5,500,000 gallons a day. 
Several ice, traction, lighting, heating, and manufacturing concerns 
are operating on a large scale plants in which the principles of water 
softening are employed in a thoroughgoing way, aiming at the 
removal of all the scale-forming material possible. The plants oper- 
ate in the cold and probably give as good results in point of efficiency 
and economy as are obtainable at the present time. 

METHODS OP SOFTENING. 

In softening water the main purpose is to remove those substances 
which form scale — calcium, magnesium, aluminum, iron, silica, the 
carbonate radicles, and suspended matter. The hydrogen ions are 
removed when water is softened by the use of alkalies, thus rendering 
the water practically noncorrosive. These results should be accom- 
plished with the addition of a minimum of foreign substances, which 
in small quantities should be harmless. The methods may be classi- 
fied as follows : 

Hot softening: 

1. (a) Heating the water alone, usually in a feed-water heater. 
(6) Heating the water and adding chemicals. 

2. Heating in the boiler, and using a boiler compound. 

3. Heating in a separate plant with chemicals. 
Cold softening: 

4. Treating in a separate plant with chemicals, usually lime and soda ash. 



INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES. 213 



HOT SOFTENING. 



In feed-water heaters. — Purification of water by heating it is usually 
carried out in a feed-water heater, or preheater, in which the raw 
water is heated with exhaust steam and is fed to the boiler at about 
the boiling temperature. The boiling of water containing consider- 
able quantities of calcium, magnesium, and the bicarbonate radicle 
causes the precipitation of calcium carbonate and basic magnesium 
carbonate, wliich continues till either the basic or the acid radicle is 
exhausted. The hydroxides of iron and aluminum may be precipi- 
tated at the same time. The substances in the water may be present 
in such proportions that the whole of the incrusting solids are 
removed to the limit of solubility of the carbonates and hydroxides. 
In the feed-water heater, however, the water is usually not actively 
boiled, and any one portion of the water remains near the boiling 
point only a short time before it is run into the boiler. The result is 
that the precipitation is far from complete. In most waters the con- 
tent of calcium and magnesium together is more than equivalent to 
the bicarbonate radicles. In many installations the aim is, therefore, 
to add the necessary amount of carbonates in the form of soda ash. 

Forms of feed-water heaters are many, but they may all be classified 
under two general heads, as closed heaters and open heaters. Closed 
heaters are those heaters in which the steam is conducted through 
tubes placed in the water to be heated and purified or those in which 
the water passes through pipes surrounded by exhaust steam. Open 
heaters include those in which the water is sprayed into chambers 
or run in thin sheets over plates in immediate contact with the steam, 
and this style has the advantage of immediate contact of steam and 
water. In every feed-water heater there should be a reservoir at 
the bottom, undisturbed by strong currents of either water or steam, 
where the precipitated matter may settle and from which the ' ' sludge " 
may easily be drawn off. In some forms the hot purified water is 
carried from the upper part of this reservoir directly into the boiler 
and in others it is drawn from a compartment separated from the 
settling chamber by suitable filtering units. 

Aside from their merits as economizers of fuel, feed-water heaters 
have the advantage of permitting the precipitation of the mineral 
matter where it can easily be removed — that is, before it reaches the 
boiler. Furthermore, the mineral matter is far less hkely to form 
scale. For the most part it is deposited as a powdery mass which 
can easUy be washed out. In the closed feed-water heater the tem- 
perature of the metal does not rise above about 100° C, and in the 
open heater metallic heating surfaces scarcely come into account. 

In hollers. — Competent engineers generally agree that the time to 
soften a water is before it enters the boUer, where the sludge 
can be most harmful and where it is the most difficult to remove. 



214 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Softening in the boiler is probably to be regarded as a poor make- 
shift, justifiable only where the accessory softening apparatus can 
not be provided ; nevertheless, the use of boiler compounds seems to 
be fairly general. 

The number of boiler compounds on the market is large. Some, 
which are intended to precipitate the mineral matter in the boiler, 
consist of the soluble alkalies; others, intended to prevent the adher- 
ence of hard scale, may contain clay, sawdust, graphite, glycerin, 
and oils of various sorts; others are said to contain acids and acid 
salts, such as acid sodium sulphate. 

If no better scheme than that of using chemicals in the boiler is 
available, this should at any rate be done wdth due regard to the 
requirements of the case in hand. It is obvious that any general 
commercial boiler compound can only by chance be suitable for any 
specific water. To get the best results the substance used, in most 
cases a mixture of the alkalies, should correspond in its composition 
and in the amount used to the particular requirements of the water 
to be treated. An accurate mineral analysis of the water should be 
made, and then a boiler compound should be made for that water. 
It should be used only in sufficient amount to cause complete precipi- 
tation of scale-forming substances. Sodium carbonate will probably 
serve the purpose best. 

Away from the hoiler. — There is no great difference between the 
chemistry of this process and feed-water heating save that the 
apparatus is a separate one and the water is stored and used 
as required. It is less economical, since the water is stored and 
allowed to cool. The precipitation and settling of the sludge are, 
however, facilitated by heat. 

COLD SOFTENING. 

Probably the most thoroughgoing and extensive apphcation of the 
principles of water softening is to be found in the large plants for 
the softening of hard water at ordinary temperature. Though there 
are many forms of apparatus for this purpose now in use, then- prin- 
ciples of operation are much the same. They are to a large extent 
automatic. The water to be softened is measured by some sort of 
automatic device, and the same may be said of the chemicals in solu- 
tion or suspension. For example, in the apparatus designed by 
George M. Davidson for the Chicago & North Western Railway Co. 
the water to be softened is measured in two tilting vessels holding 
100 gallons each. These are geared to pumps with cyhnders of 
adjustable capacity which supply the chemicals in known quantities 
parallel to the volumes of water to be softened. The weight of the 
water also supplies power for the stirring in the precipitation tank. 
In other forms power is supplied by means of a water wheel, as in 



INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES. 215 

the Kinniciit apparatus. All forms have several separate vessels, 
including chemical tanks or boxes, a precipitation tank, usually two 
settling tanks, and a storage tank. To secure compactness some of 
these are reduced to compartments, as in the Kinnicut apparatus. 
The capacities of such plants vary with the requirements, some 
having as small capacity as 200 and others as large as 60,000 gallons 
per hour. 

The softening of water in the cold is accomplished by precipitating 
the objectionable or scale- forming material in the form of hydroxides 
and normal and basic carbonates. It is necessary to add hydroxyl 
radicles to neutralize hydrogen so as to^form the hydroxides of iron, 
aluminum, and magnesium and to convert the bicarbonate radicles 
and dissolved carbon dioxide into normal carbonate radicles in order 
to precipitate calcium. If the amount of normal carbonates is not 
sufficient to precipitate the calcium, then carbonate radicle must be 
added, usually in the form of soda ash. Sodium hydroxide might 
be used to supply the hydroxyl radicles, wliich would introduce 
comparatively harmless amounts of sodium, but Hme is commonly 
preferred on account of its cheapness. The calcium introduced by 
the use of lime must in turn be removed as carbonate, for which 
extra soda ash may be required. 

The foUomng equations express at least approximately the reac- 
tions involved : 



+ 
H 


+ 


HO 


=R.O. 


+++ 
Al 
++ 
Fe 

++ 
Mg 


+3 OH ^ 
+2 oil 

+2 OH 


=A1(0H)3. 
=Fe(0H)o. 
=Mg(0H),. 


HCO3+ 


OH 


=H20-|-C03. 


CO2 

++ 
Ca 


+2 OH 

+ C03= 


^HsO + COg. 

=CaC03. 



Leaving out of account the small amount of silica, the sulphate 
radicle is the only substance, of those commonly found in scale, that 
remains in the water at the end of this process. However, this 
radicle is now associated for the most part with socUum. Sodium 
sulphate is very soluble in water and is not likely to cause trouble 
until it becomes concentrated enough to aid materially in causing 
the water to foam. 

Stabler ^ has given, perhaps in the most scientific and convenient 
form, formulas for the calculation of the weights of soda ash and of 
lime which must be added to soften in the cold a water of known 
mineral content. The first gives the lime required and the second 

1 Water-supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 274, 1911, p. 170. 



216 UNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

the soda ash which the same water will require, if it requires any, 
after the lime has been added : 

Limerequired=0.00931Fe+0.0288Al+0.0213Mg+0.258H+ 

O.OO246HCO3+O.OII8CO2. 
Soda ash required=0.0167Fe+0.0515Al+0.0232Ca+0.0382Mg+ 
0.462H -O.OI55CO3 -O.OO763HCO3. 

The two equations give, respectively, the amounts of lime 90 per 
cent pure and of soda ash 95 per cent pure required to precipitate 
in the cold the scale-forming ingredients and to neutrahze the 
corrosive ingredients. The manner of deducing the coefficients is 
explained in Mr. Stabler's report. The sjrmbols in the equations 
represent the amounts in parts per milhon of the constituents of the 
water. If the second equation has a negative value or is equal to 
zero, no soda ash is required. 

It wiU be noted that these formulas take no account of the hypo- 
thetical salts that may exist in the water solution, and rightly so, 
for the present theory is that in such dilute solutions there is almost 
complete electrolytic dissociation. In practice the formulas may be 
simplified without leading to large errors and in many waters the 
errors would not be perceptible. In Iowa waters iron and aluminum 
rarely exceed 1 or 2 parts per million, the normal carbonate radicle 
is rarely present, and acid hydrogen is also exceedingly small in 
amount. In the majority of computations, therefore, only calcium, 
magnesium, the bicarbonate radicle, and free carbonic acid need be 
taken into account. It is probable, moreover, that where only 1 to 
2 parts per million of iron and aluminum are present they could not 
be removed even in part by softening, because the amounts of their 
hydroxides possible would not exceed the solubility limit of those 
hydroxides. 

LIMITS IN REMOVING INCRUSTING MATTER. 

It is not possible to remove all of the incrusting matter from 
water by precipitation, as none of the compounds that are formed 
are wholly insoluble. If it is assumed that calcium carbonate and 
the hydroxides of magnesium, iron, and aluminum would be dissolved 
in the purified water to the same extent as in pure water, there would 
be about 40 parts per million of the four incrustants remaining in 
solution. The solubdity of aluminum hydroxide is here rated as 
about the average of the other three compounds. Forty parts per 
million may be taken as about the hmit of efficiency in water softening 
ideally carried out. In practice there is not always time for thorough 
mixing, nor for the reactions to complete themselves, nor for thorough 
setthng. It can scarcely be claimed that analyses are perfect and 
that the chemicals are accurately adjusted to the work to be done. 
In view of these difficulties it is not surprising to find that in practice 



INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES. 217 

the amount of incrusting matter remainiiig ranges from 50 to 100 
parts per million. The average is about 70 parts, an amount of 
scale-forming material so small as to be regarded as comparatively 
harmless. In practice the residual incrusting matter seems to be, 
within wide limits, largely independent of the amount originally 
present. 

COST OF SOFTENING. 

So far as relates to the cost of the plants themselves, little informa- 
tion can be given, as they differ widely in form, materials, and capac- 
ities. The cost of operating expenses and chemicals ranges from 1 
cent to 10 cents per 1,000 gallons. The average is about 3 cents in 
Iowa plants, so far as information has been obtained. The cost for 
chemicals is very small for waters in which the calcium and mag- 
nesium do not exceed in chemical equivalence the carbonate radicles 
present, as for these waters only lime is required. Where the con- 
trary is true the carbonates must be supplemented by the addition 
of the more expensive soda ash. In a general way, however, the cost 
of chemicals runs parallel to the unsuitableness of the water for 
boUer use in its natural state. 

Considerable information has been collected relating to the profit- 
ableness of softening plants, and it is uniformly to the effect that 
they far more than repay their cost. The Chicago & North Western 
Railway Co., which has taken up water softening on a more extensive 
scale than any other institution in the State, reports that the results 
are very gratifying, the cost being more than repaid by the economy 
of fuel, the increased life of boUers, the efficiency of the engines while 
working, and the great decrease in their periods of idleness in the 
repair shops. 

SUMMARY. 

The subject of water softening has been treated fuUy because it is 
beheved that its use should be greatly extended in the State and 
should become general where water is used in considerable quan- 
tities for industrial purposes. It has already been proved practicable 
and profitable when carried out on a large scale. Great improve- 
ments in the process have been made in the last few years, and still 
further improvement in the way of cheapness and simplicity is likely. 
It does not seem probable that a people so thorouglily progressive in 
other respects should be satisfied with what nature gave them in 
the way of water for industrial purposes, any more than they have 
been content to depend for their town supplies on private weUs or on 
a public system with polluted water unsuitable for domestic purposes. 

Among the cities and towns of Iowa sharp rivalry and keen com- 
petition exists in securing industrial estabfishments which may con- 
tribute to their growth and wealth. Water systems have been 



218 UNDEKGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

installed in many towns sooner than they would otherwise have 
been, in order to obtain suitable protection from fire and more 
favorable insurance rates, and especially in the larger towns, to 
benefit the manufacturing interests and to induce other concerns to 
locate in them. In some towns private companies have been organ- 
ized to put in supplementary systems of water more suitable than the 
city water for boiler and other industrial uses. Several years ago 
public-spirited citizens of Grinnell bought suitably located land, built 
a dam for an artificial lake, and put in the necessary conducting 
mains, pumping machinery, and storage, at a cost of about $40,000, 
to make the water of this lake available for industrial uses. 

Any establishment using large volumes of water can well afford to 
install its own softening plant, and in some places the manufacturing 
interests may well combine to erect and operate a softening plant 
to treat for their purposes water drawn from the city system. It 
undoubtedly could be doiie for a small fraction of the outlay necessary 
to put in a whole extra water system, and probably it would secure 
a far better water. 

CORROSION OF BOILERS. 
NATURE AND LOCATION. 

Corrosion of boilers may be general over considerable surfaces; it 
may take the form of grooving in the direction in which the iron was 
rolled or drawn, or it may be localized at certain points producing 
depressions, kno\vn as "pits." Sometimes the pits may be concealed 
by prominences composed of adherent rust formed at the expense of 
the iron. Corrosion is likely to take place more rapidly on the 
bottom plate of the boiler; at the water line, especially if the boiler 
is used intermittently; around bolt heads and stays; and near the 
water intake. 

CAUSES. 

The corrosive action may be assumed to take place at ordinary 
temperature, and the theory may be applied to the ordinary rusting 
of iron in the presence of air and natural water. At boiler tempera- 
ture the corrosive action is in man}" respects the same, though it may 
be much accelerated by heat. Some additional phases, however, 
must be considered, the most important being the apparent direct 
decomposition of the water by the heated iron, accompanied by its 
oxidation, and the supposed hydrolysis of magnesium chloride setting 
free hydrochloric acid. Ost ^ has furnished much information on 
these two subjects. 

In many textbooks and papers dealing with the corrosive action 
of water it is stated that magnesium chloride undergoes hydrolysis 

' Chem. Zeitung, vol. 26, 1902, pp. 819, S45. 



INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES. 219 

when its solution is boiled, setting free hydrochloric acid, and that, 
therefore, water containing this salt can not be used in boilers. This 
statement has apparently been copied from Wagner.^ It is true that 
when the hexahydrate of magnesium is heated, it undergoes some 
hydrolysis and forms some hydrochloric acid, but that any such 
action takes place on heating a dilute solution of magnesium chloride, 
such as would occur in boilers, seems doubtful. Ost studied the action 
of salts and especially of magnesium chloride on iron under the 
ordinary conditions of temperature and pressure in steam boilers. 
He used boilers of about 2 J liters capacity, made of iron, copper, and 
copper lined with tin. He first distilled dilute solutions of magne- 
sium chloride to a concentration of 20 per cent, and found the dis- 
tilled water free from hydrochloric acid, though the copper and the 
tin vessels were attacked. He then repeated his experiments with a 
boiler of Krupp-Siemans-Martin steel, at a pressure of 10 atmospheres, 
corresponding to a temperature of 183° C. After every experiment, no 
matter whether pure water or salt solutions were used, the surface of 
the boiler was covered with a dark layer of ferrous oxide. As air was 
excluded Ost could assign the formation of oxide only to the decom- 
position of water, which, as special experiments showed, took place to 
some extent even at 100° C. In a series of expermients magnesium 
chloride, potassium chloride, sodium sulphate, potassium sulphate, 
calcium chloride, and magnesium sulphate, in 5 per cent solution, were 
tried. The solutions produced approximately the same amount of 
ferrous oxide, but iron went into solution only when magnesium sul- 
phate or magnesium chloride was used. The solution of iron was 
not proportional to the decomposition of water and the oxidation of 
the iron. The last was strongest when calcium cliloride, potassium 
chloride, potassium sulphate, and sodium sulphate were used. Mag- 
nesium chloride, therefore, can not dissolve iron through hydro- 
chloric acid formed by its hydrolysis. The fact that iron goes into 
solution when magnesium salts are used is due, according to Ost, to 
the reactions : 

MgClg +Fe (OH)2<i±FeCl2 +Mg (OH), 
MgS04+Fe (OH)2^FeS04+Mg (OH). 

These reactions are reversible and with equivalents present should 
run preponderatingly from right to left. The reversal is due to the 
mass of magnesium salts. 

From these experiments it seems evident that magnesium chloride 
has not the high corrosive action on boilers usually ascribed to it. It 
is not to be classed with salts of copper, iron, and aluminum, which 
undergo hydrolysis even at ordinary temperature. The facts seem 
to be that neither the salts of magnesium, nor those of calcium, 

1 Dingler's Polytech. Jour., vol. 218, 1875, p. 70. 



220 UNDERGEOUND WATEE RESOUECES OF IOWA. 

potassium, or sodium, when the negative radicle is that of a strong 
acid, have essentially more corrosive action on iron than water itself 
at the same temperature with air excluded. 

Ost found that under a pressure of 10 atmospheres a magnesium 
salt loses its power to carry iron into solution when one-fourth of its 
equivalent of calcium carbonate is present. The explanation is that 
the magnesium salt and the calcium carbonate react, forming mag- 
nesium basic carbonate and hydroxide, which serve to drive the 
reaction from right to left. In this and in other ways calcium car- 
bonate may check corrosion. It is not entirely insoluble in water, 
and the dissolved portion may be assumed to be dissociated. It may 
react with any strong acid present, forming carbonic acid which will 
be decomposed and thrown out of the chemical system at higher 
temperatures, thus, 

Ca, 00;-L2 H, §U4=Ca, I^^+HoO+COz 

INTERPRETATION OF ANALYSES WITH REFERENCE TO CORROSION. 

In the corrosion of iron the metal takes the place of some other 
positive radicle, as for example, hydrogen which may escape, or cop- 
per which may be precipitated. There seems little doubt that in 
practice the hydrogen radicle is almost the only agent of corrosion. 
As already indicated, ionic hydrogen may be present in the cold water, 
and its amount may be increased by increased hydrolysis of copper, 
iron, and aluminum at high temperatures. Though we are hardly 
justified in adding magnesium, it may, as Ost has indicated, aid in 
the solution of iron already oxidized. 

Certain substances, on the other hand, restrain or prevent corrosion; 
that is, they tend to neutralize the hydrogen radicles. The soluble 
carbonates have been mentioned. The water is corrosive or noncorro- 
sive according to the preponderance of the corrosive agents or of the 
restrainers. It is very desirable to know from the analysis of a water 
whether it is likely to be corrosive or not, but it is evident from 
contemplation of the large number of substances that ordinary water 
may contain that the problem is somewhat complex. Stabler ^ has 
proposed a formula by which it may be inferred whether a water is 
likely to be corrosive or not. C, the coefficient of corrosion, is 
computed thus: 

0=1.008 (rH+rAl+rFe+rMg-rCOa-rHCOg). 

Here r is the reacting weight of the respective radicles with which it 
is associated and the reciprocal of the equivalents of those radicles; 
H, Al, Fe, etc., are the weights of these substances in parts per 

1 Water-Supply Paper U. S. .^eol. Survey No. 274, 1911, p. 175. 



INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES. 221 

million as found by analysis. If r is multiplied by the weight in 
milligrams of the element and the product multiplied by 1.008, the 
result will be the weight of acid hydrogen chemically equivalent to the 
radicle. Supplying the value of r and multiplying through by 1.008, 
we have the equation: 

C=H+0.1116Al+0.036Fe+0.0828Mg-0.0336CO3-0.165HCO3. 

That is, the weight of ionic hydrogen that may appear on heating 
the water is equal to the weight of hydrogen radicle found by analysis 
(the acidity expressed in terms of hydrogen), plus the hydrogen equiv- 
alents of iron, aluminum, and magnesium, minus the hydrogen 
equivalents of the carbonate and bicarbonate radicles. In interpret- 
ing the value of C due regard must be paid to the fact that calcium 
carbonate may be precipitated on boUing, since this carries out of 
the system the carbonate radicle with which hydrogen may unite to 
form water and carbonic acid. Granting that all possible calcium 
carbonate will be precipitated, and that the neutralizing action of 
this solid is nothing, the effect of the carbonate radicle to counteract 
corrosion will be reduced by l.OOS.rCa, or 0.0503Ca. With this 
latter value in view, three cases may be distinguished : 

1 . If C is positive, corrosion will certainly occur. 

2. If C + 0.0503Ca is negative, no corrosion due to mineral matter 
will occur. 

3. If C is negative and C-|-0.0503Ca positive, corrosion may or may 
not occur. 

As the coefficient of corrosion is equivalent to the concentration 
of the hydrogen ions, corrosion is in general proportional to the posi- 
tive value that can be assigned to C. There is reason to believe, how- 
ever, that corrosion is facilitated by certain other conditions. The 
reason that pure zinc wUl not readUy dissolve in pure acid seems to be 
that its surface quickly becomes covered with a film of hydrogen 
which prevents further action. If, however, the zinc is placed in 
contact with some metal of lower solution pressure, such as lead or 
copper, or with some indifferent but conducting substance such as 
graphite, an electric battery or couple is formed. The hydrogen 
then appears on the second metal or on the graphite, and the action 
of the acid on the zinc is greatly accelerated. This principle has wide 
application in accounting for the corrosion of iron. Rust once formed 
on a boiler plate or tube acts toward the uncorroded iron in the same 
way as the copper toward the zinc in the instance just described — 
that is, the mass of rust becomes the cathode plate and the iron the 
anode of an electric couple, and the rusting of the iron is greatly 
increased. Once the action is started it is likely to continue and 
spread at that place, producing a nodule of rust under which is a pit 



222 UNDEEGEOUND WATEK EESOUKCES OP IOWA. 

in the metal. A familiar illustration may be given. Every one has 
observed that a polished tool such as a knife blade, a saw^ or a chisel 
may long remain bright and free from rust, but that once it has been 
attacked by rust, the action will continue in spite of all ordinary 
attempts to prevent it. The same electric action may take place 
around the bolt heads when the bolts and the plates are not made of 
the same quality of iron. Even the same piece of iron may not be 
homogeneous in its composition, and therefore, one part may be 
anode and a neighboring one may be cathode. It is probable that 
the grooving of iron by rusting may be accounted for in this way. 



CHAPTER VII. 
MINERAL WATERS. 



By W. S. Hendrixson. 



DEFINITION. 

All natural waters, whether from streams, lakes, or wells, are 
mineral in the sense that they contain in greater or smaller amounts 
certain chemical substances occurring on or near the surface of 
the earth. Popularly, however, the term "mineral waters" is 
used to designate waters that contain unusual substances in solution 
or common substances in unusual amounts. The term is often 
applied to waters contaimng some constituent observable directly 
by the senses, such as sufficient iron to stain rocks near springs 
or enough hydrogen sulphide to be detectable by the odor. Many 
waters contain enough of certain radicles, such as cliloride or sul- 
phate, to possess a decided taste, and these are classed as "mineral 
waters." Analyses of many commercial mineral waters show that 
they contain no appreciable amounts of substances not ordinarily 
found in most natural waters, or that they contain traces of sub- 
stances not usually sought for in the analysis of water, but in amounts 
too small to have any medicinal value. The character of com- 
mercial mineral waters is well shown by the analyses of 53 of the 
most prominent of such waters made by the Department of Agri- 
culture. ^ 

MEDICINAL VALUE. 

Probably the best drinking water for most persons is organically 
pure water containing in small amounts only the usual inorganic 
constituents found in nearly all natural waters, for to such water 
the human. system is apparently best adjusted. The amounts of 
such matter may apparently be greatly varied without causing 
any observable bad effects. No very definite evidence that waters 
containing as much as 1,000 parts per milUon of the common ingre- 
dients are temporarily or permanently injurious is obtainable. 
When the solids are much greater than this amount, the waters 
are objectionable to many persons because of their taste, and they 
may prove laxative, at least till persons become accustomed to 

1 Ilaywood, J. K., Mineral waters of the United States: Bull. No. 91, Bur. Chemistry, U. S. Dept. Agr.. 
1905. 

223 



224 UNDERGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

them. This is, of course, more Hkely to occur if the sulphates are 
large in amount. 

The medicinal effect of mineral waters is open to investigation 
and discussion, for no comprehensive and scientific investigation 
on this subject, dealing with large numbers of patients and a variety 
of well-characterized waters, has been carried out. It does not 
inspire confidence in the heaUng powers of mineral waters to find 
that the same water is recommended to cure a great variety of 
unrelated diseases, that very different waters are advertised to 
cure the same disease, and that, perhaps, the majority of ''mineral 
waters" do not differ materially in their mineral content from 
widely distributed normal waters that are used by thousands of 
persons without a thought of their possessing any special medicinal 
value. It is by no means conclusive evidence of the therapeutic 
value of mineral waters that many persons who visit mineral-spring 
resorts and sanitariums are benefited. The very fact that persons 
suffering from a large variety of diseases are helped by one and 
the same water would seem to indicate that the mineral content 
of the water has little to do with it. Persons who visit such institu- 
tions are subjected to conditions different from those surrounding 
their own homes; they are temporarily relieved from burdensome 
cares and are more or less firmly convinced that they will be benefited 
or cured; they take normal exercise, stay out of doors, and drink 
plenty of water, thus cleansing their stomachs and regulating their 
body functions. Such conditions are powerful factors in curing 
disease. 

Medicinal value may, however, be ascribed to mineral waters of 
certain kinds. Considerable amounts of Uthium may assist in 
eliminating uric acid and calcuU, and the iron of the water may 
possibly prevent undue loss of organic iron in anemia. Alkaline 
waters may correct too great acidity in the digestive tract, and 
magnesium or sodium sulphates may prevent constipation. 

EXTENT OF MINERALIZATION. 

The main purpose of this study has been to determine the suit- 
ability of Iowa waters for industrial and not for physiologic purposes, 
and no attempt has been made to determine lithium and some 
other substances occurring rarely and in very small amounts. Doubt- 
less lithium occurs in quantities detectable by the spectroscope 
in some Iowa waters, but probably not in sufficient amounts to 
make the waters physiologically beneficial to those using them, 
Iowa waters, like commercial mineral waters, should be judged 
by their content of the substances occurring in measurable amount 
in them. If they are rated in this way, there appears no evident 
reason why many Iowa waters should not be considered equal to 



MINERAL WATERS. 



225 



well-known mineral waters. Many waters on sale are so highly 
mineraUzed that they are not suitable for general industrial or 
domestic use, and their characteristics are not unlike many in Iowa 
that well drillers avoid and case out. To make this fact plain, 
comparisons of some well-known commercial mineral waters with 
typical Iowa waters are made. Few well waters in Iowa are so 
lightly mineralized as those given in the following table: 

Comparison of light mineral waters with two Iowa waters and with Lake Michigan water. 

[Parts per million.] 



Locality and name of 
water. 





































































































•^ 
























|T| 













do 








^ 








M 








o 


B + 


(S 


i 

3 


o 

"a 




'3' 


"a 


03 


i 




\ 


3 
3 


e 


(3 




g 


=1 
< 


■3 



1 


1 






% 

S 



1 


3 

_o 

S 



"3 



10 







1 


50 


20 


5 


1 


207 


11 


4 




309 


22 




1.4 


2.6 


43 


13 


1( 


) 


144 


30 


10 




^76 


5 

43 
31 
9.7 
63 






0.2 


32 

20 
37 
31 

7 


11 

6.7 
12 
10 

2.2 


3 

7.8 
15 
10 
22 


1.9 
2.6 
1.7 
2.7 


144 

112 
166 
118 
81 


7 

2.8 
5.9 
8.8 
6.1 


2 

4.6 
10 
22 

4.0 


0.03 
T. 
T. 
T. 


204 

6201 
C288 
d300 
el93 


1.5 

1.0 

.3 

1.0 





















Analyst. 



Manchester, Iowa: 

Spring, United States 
fish hatchery. 
Atlantic, Iowa: 

City well 

Lake Michigan 



Amelia Courthouse, Va.: 

Otterbum Lithia 

Danville, Va.: 

Sublett Lithia 

Fulton, N.Y.: 

Great Bear 

Crumpler, N. C: 

Thompson's Bromine . 



W. S. Hen- 
drixson. 

Do. 
Geo. M. David 
son. 

(/). 
(/). 



a Sum of constituents without subtracting one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 

6 Nitrite radicle (NO2), .003 part per mllhon; ammonium radicle (NH4), .069 part. 

c Nitrate radicle (NO3), 7.08 parts; ammonium radicle (NH4), .005 part. 

d Nitrate radicle (NO3), 88.6 parts; ammonium radicle (NH<), .01 part. 

e Nitrate radicle (NO3), 3.54 parts; ammonium radicle (NH4), .04 part. 

/ Haywood, J. K., op. cit., pp. 42, 51, 61, 73. 

The well water from Atlantic, Iowa, is chosen on account of its 
small content of mineral matter for a well water. That from Man- 
chester, Iowa, may be considered typical of the best waters of the 
large springs in Iowa. The Lake Michigan water is included because 
the analysis represents the average quality of water drawn from 
widely different sources and because it is not considered an excep- 
tional water possessing special medicinal properties. 

The next table compares three mineral waters of rather low tota 
solids with one of the best deep-well waters of Iowa. This water 
represents in a general way the well waters of the northeastern part 
of the State, which are excellent drinking waters and which, according 
to the analyses, are as good as the mineral waters. In the one of 
these waters containing a weighable amount of lithium the amount 
is so small that one would have to drink about 75 gallons of the water 
to obtain a normal medicinal dose of lithium. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 15 



226 



UNDERGEOTJND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA, 



Comparison of certain raineral waters with a well water at Dubuque, Iowa. 

[Parts per million.] 





















.X, 


a> 
















< 




M 
§ 




u 


2q 


03 




. 




























a 

g 
3 

3 




Locality and name of 
water. 


Analyst. 


O 
1 


'5" 

a 
o 


.g 
s 

< 


B 

O 




a 

o 
m 


o 


l! 

s 


.a 
a 

1 


1 

a 


o 


Dubuque, Iowa: 




























City Gas Co.'s well 


W. S. Hendrixson. 


b 


1 


1 


66 


33 


4 


3 


310 


12 


10 




43b 


Staunton, Va.: 






























(6) -. 


12 


.3 


74 


29 


4.V 


3.4 


333 


33 


3.4 


0.1 


c4^fi 


Pleasant Valley, Va.: 








(b) 


20 


.14 


i)3 


29 


V.U 


2.0 


315 


1.6 


3.4 


JSJ. 


rf43S 


Harrisburg, Pa.: 








(6) 


12 


.3 


63 


28 


3.9 


3.1 


342 


2.8 


1.8 


T. 


f:454 













o Sum of the constituents without subtracting one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 

6 Haywood, J. K., op. cit., pp. 53, 52, 34. 

c Nitrate radicle (NO3), 3.5 parts per milhon. 

d Nitrate radicle (NO3), 4.0 parts; ammonium radicle (NH4), .04 part. 

e Nitrate radicle (NO3), 2.2 parts; ammonium radicle (NH4), .185 part. 

In the third table four mineral waters are compared with the 
objectionable well water from Farmington, Iowa. All five are 
typical hard waters of the calcium sulphate type, a type which 
should be rejected as a source of municipal supply. A similar 
parallelism might be drawn between other commercial waters and 
other more strongly mineralized Iowa waters, but from this table it 
may be inferred that Iowa is well supplied with mineral waters, 
according to popular acceptance of that term. The northeastern 
part of the State has an abundance of organically pure and lightly 
mineralized water which might legitimately be sold as high-grade 
table waters. 

Com'parison of heavily mineralized commercial waters tvith the city tvell water, Farming- 
ton, Iowa. 

[Parts per milhon.] 



Locality and name of 
water. 



Farmington, Iowa: 

Deep v/ell 

Geneva, N. Y.: 

Geneva Lithia. . . 
Elkwood, Va.: 

Berry Hill 

Bedford, Pa.: 

Bedford 

Tate Springs, Term.: 

Tate Epsom 



Analyst. 



AV. S. Hendrixson, 

(b) 

(b) 

(b) 

(b) 



15 
4.0 
3.4 

4.9 
8.2 



2 " 



1,658 

1,520 

1, 

1,728 

1,460 



230 

204 
26 
10 
9.2 



0.1 
T. 
T. 
.1 



3,060 
c2, 757 
1^2,644 
«2,696 
/2,383 



o Sum of the constituents without subtracting one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 

b Haywood, J. K., op. cit., pp. 41, 59, 36, 37. 

c Nitrate radicle (NO3) 0.44 part per milhon; ammonium radicle (NH4) 0.016 part. 

<i Nitrite radicle (NO2) 0.009 part; ammonium radicle (NH4) 0.53 part. 

« Nitrate radicle (NO3) 0.21 part; ammonium radicle (NH4) 0.015 part. 

/Nitrate radicle (NO3) 0.21 part; ammonium radicle (NH4) 0.01 part. 



MINEEAL WATEES. 



227 



A few Iowa waters are advertised as having curative properties. 
The most noted is that from wells about 300 feet in depth in and 
near Colfax. In the lower parts of the city they are flowing wells 
and all yield the same quality of water. Several hotels and sanita- 
riums owe their popularity in no small measure to the reputation of 
the Colfax water, which is sold in large quantities. Essentially the 
same quality of water is found in several wells in the same county 
and in other parts of the State. Those in Jasper and Polk counties 
probably draw their water from the same source, the Carboniferous, 
and probably from the Pennsylvanian or the underlying ''St. Louis 
limestone" (Mississippian) . At the beginning and at the end of the 
following table are analyses of two representative Colfax waters and 
between them are analyses of several waters from the same locality 
and from other parts of Iowa. All are highly mineralized but con- 
tain only moderate amounts of calcium in comparison with the large 
amounts of sodium and sulphates. 

Comparison of water from Colfax, Iowa, with other hard lotoa waters. 
[Parts per million.] 





.g 








^ 




"m 






S 


o 










^ 








s 


. 


S 


^ 


M 


c3^ 


^ 


^ 


Q 




Locality and 
owner. 


ft 

0) 


Lowest geo- 
logic division. 


.9 

.2 

■a 


a 
g 


a 

a 
a 

_2 


o 
'3 

c3 


1 


03 

o 


03 
O 


.20 
.so 

sa 


ft 
"3 


Q 

1 

s 

3 


o 


Analyst. 




p 




CO 


en 


< 


o 


s 


m 


fH 


CQ 


tK 


o 


t^ 




Colfax: 






























Sanitarium — 


371 


Carboniferous 


10 


0.2 


1.5 


211 


99 


420 


260 


1,505 


29 


2,406 


H. S. Spauld- 


Des Moines: 




























ing. 


City Library 


375 


Pennsylva- 


14 


1 


3 


237 


53 


559 


7 


312 


1,569 


107 


2,706 


W. S. Hendrix- 


well. 




nian. 
























son. 


Runnells: 






























Robert Blee... 


228 


Des Moines. . . 


12 


0.5 


1 


108 


39 


lib 


414 


1,520 


43 


2,645 


Do. 


Mount Pleasant 






























Hospital for 
Insane. 
Fontanelle: 


1,267 


St. Peter 


10 


8 


1 


198 


71 


400 


14 


280 


1,214 


157 


2,213 


Do. 






























J. H. Hulbert. 


269 


Cretaceous . . . 


20 


3 


1 


231 


69 


412 


264 


1,322 


84 


2,274 


Do. 


Knoxville: 




























Hospital for 


326 


Pennsylva- 


10 


0.4 


3 


303 


52 


436 


262 


1,600 


18 


2,553 


Do. 


inebriates. 




nian. 
























Kellerton: 




























Robert Hall... 


375 


Carboniferous 


56 


5 


9 


249 


87 


521 


439 


1,477 


46 


2,673 




Colfax: 




























Mills Hotel.... 


350 


do 


11 


0.7 


1 


235 


97 


463 


260 


1,495 


27 


2,460 


H. S. Spauld- 
ing. 



a Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 

Water from the well of S. C. Johnston at Flagler is sold in consid- 
erable quantities. It is very heavily mineralized, the solids being 
nearly 9,000 parts per million and very high in calcium, sodium, 
and sulphates. It differs little from the water of the city well at 
Pella, which is used only for fire protection and for sprinkling the 
streets, and both waters are probably derived from the same geologic 
formation. Thompson Craig's well at KnoxviUe also vields about 



228 



UNDERGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



the same kind of water. Water is also sold from the Red Mineral 
Spring at Eddyville. It is recommended as an antiseptic water 
for both internal and external use. Small samples received at 
this laboratory seem to justify the statement that it is antiseptic, 
as they contain considerable amounts of free sulphuric acid, probably 
due to the oxidation and hydrolysis of ferrous sulphate. The 
amount of iron in the water is very large. From the character of 
the water and the description of the spring it may be concluded 
that the spring consists of a small flow from a layer of disintegrating 
shale containing iron pyrite. The well of Mrs. Cora A. Huber at 
Tama supplies a very heavily mineralized water, which is sold. It 
contains more than 5,500 parts of solids. It is very much the same 
as the Colfax water, except that the concentration of the constitu- 
ents is nearly doubled. Water is sold from some other wells and 
springs in the State, but so far as is known the amounts are compar- 
atively insignificant. 

TYPES OF MINERAL WATERS. 



SCHEME OF CLASSIFICATION. 

The radicles determined in the analytical work of this investigation 
have already been given (p. 135). It seems desirable to make some 
general statements concerning the variations in the amounts of these 
radicles, and to indicate a scheme of classification by which the waters 
may be arranged in groups so as to bring more clearly before the mind 
the similarities and differences in their quality. 

The ground waters of Iowa can not be separated into distinct classes 
with the representatives of one class clearly differentiated from those 
of any other, for they grade into each other by almost insensible 
differences. Much overlapping of groups occurs in any system of 
classification, and the relationships of the waters to ideal types can 
be indicated in only a general way. No attempt is made to classify 
all the waters of the State, but only to select a few good representa- 
tives of each class as illustrations of the method. 

For classification the following scheme of J. K. Haywood and R. H. 
Smith, chemists of the United States Department of Agriculture,* 
is used. 



Thermal or non- 
thermal. 



Sodic. 

Lithie. 

Potassie. 

Calcic. 

Magnesic. 

Ferrugmous. 

Aluminic. 



Carbonated 

biearbonated 
Berated. 
SiUrated. 
Sulphated. 
Muriated. 
Nitrated. 
Sulphated. 
Muriated. 
Nitrated. 
Sulphated. 
Muriated. 



or 



>Alkaline. 
>Alkaline-saline. 



Saline. 



Ucid. 



Arsenic. 

Bromie. 

Iodic. 

Siliceous. 

Boric. 

Lithie. 

Ferruginous, etc. 



Nongaseous. 
Carbon dioxated. 
Sulphureted. 
Carbureted. 
Oxygenated. 



I Haywood, J. K., op. cit., p. 11. 



MINERAL WATERS. 229 

For the classification of Iowa waters, as analyzed, only a few of the 
classes m this table, which is elaborate enough to include almost any 
mineral water, are required, but the table is nevertheless given entire 
for the sake of completeness. In the analyses no attempt was made to 
determine unusual substances that might occur in small amounts, such 
as bronaine, iodine, arsenic, and the common gases of the air, since these 
substances in the quantities in which they might occur would have 
little or no relation to the primary practical objects of this study. 
It should be stated, however, that free carbon dioxide dissolved in 
water was determined. It was found present in all but two or three 
samples, in amounts rarely exceeding 25 parts per rnillion. For this 
reason all waters with the exceptions noted have been regarded as 
containing their carbonates in the acid form, or, in other words, as 
HCO3. Hydrogen sulphide, HjS, has often been noted in Iowa well 
waters, and it has been determined in a few waters. It was rarely 
apparent when the waters reached the laboratory, and since the small 
amount that might persist after shipment could give little information 
as to the amount present m the water as it came from the well, this 
gas was not determined. 

In the following arrangement of examples the classification is 
governed by the prominence or preponderance of certain radicles. 
Certain constituents are common to nearly all ground waters within 
the State. All such natural waters contain some chlorine, some 
bicarbonates, rarely normal carbonates, and nearly all contain nom- 
inal amounts of sulphates. All contain at least a few parts per million 
of calcium and magnesium. Such constituents are not taken into 
account in the nomenclature unless they occur in sufficient amounts 
to give the waters the distinctive characteristics which they might 
impart. For example, water is not classified as sulphated unless it 
contains the sulphate radicle in large amount; that is, 250 parts per 
million or more of SO4. In the same way a quantity of chlorine less 
than 100 parts is not regarded as sufficient to justify calling a water 
"muriated." 

SODIC MURIATED ALKALINE- SALINE WATERS. 

Waters in which sodium and chlorine predominate and which are 
alkaline to methyl orange belong to the class of sodic muriated 
alkaline-saline waters. The other common constituents may be 
present in small or moderate amounts. 

None of the wells in Iowa so far as investigated yields strictly salt 
water or brine; salt is the largest constituent of the mineral matter 
in only a few waters. Nevertheless, considerable amounts of chlorine, 
exceeding 100 parts per million, are of very frequent occurrence in 
Iowa ground waters. In several weUs the chlorine reaches 500 parts 



230 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



or more; in the 1,006-foot well at McGregor and in the deep wells 
near Knoxville it reaches nearly 1,000 parts, and in the well at Bedford 
at a depth of 1,300 feet it reached 2,546 parts. 

Salt-holding waters are generally distributed throughout the State, 
but such waters are especially common in certain localities. From 
the northeastern corner of the State southward along Mississippi 
River chlorine tends to increase. The deep wells of Allamakee 
County contaiQ about 70 parts of chlorine. It rises to 246 parts in 
the 520-foot well at McGregor, in Clayton County, and to 968 parts 
in the 1,006-foot well at the same place, an amount exceeded only in 
the well at Bedford and the Craig well at Knoxville. At Dubuque 
the chlorine is scarcely more than a trace, but at Clinton it rises again 
to about 50 parts in the deeper wells. It increases southward from 
Clinton, being about 300 parts at Davenport and Burlington and 
about 600 parts at Keokuk and Fort Madison. Chlorine is present 
in amounts ranging from 100 to 2,500 parts in all deep wells tested in 
the southern part of the State. It reaches nearly 1,000 parts in the 
wells at Flagler, Pella, and Knoxville (Craig well), all in Marion 
County, and 2,546 parts at Bedford. The deep wells near Missouri 
River usually contain notable amounts of chlorine, but the quantities 
are smaller as a rule than those in the well waters along the eastern 
border of the State. 

The wells in the central part of the State north of Des Moines do 
not contain excessive amounts of chlorine and rarely more than 100 
parts. More than 100 parts are found in the deep wells at Fort Dodge, 
Boone, Ames, and Des Moines, and all of these penetrate the Jordan 
or lower formations. 

The only essentially salt waters are those of the 1,006-foot well at 
McGregor and the Bedford well at 1,300 feet. 

Analyses of sodic muriated alkaline-saline waters in Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 











•k 








a 


« 


^ 








. 
















o 


O 








■ffi 






^9. 








1 


T3 


cc 








fl 






a<< 


^ 




'hjl 


o^^ 


03_^ 


o 






Locality and owner. 


"3 


Lowest geologic 
division. 


O 


a + 


< 




3 


WW 

a a 

a^ 

g 

o 


cam 


1 


s 


a 




o 

s 
& 

p 




i 


1- 


'i 
a 


a 

"3 
o 


I 

03 


flC- 
o 

S 


-2 

.a 
p< 

1 


s 

3 
o 


1 

"3 
o 


McGregor: 


























City 


1,006 


rDresbach or 
1 underlying 
1 Cambrian 
I sandstones. 


1' 


6 




160 


20 


706 


509 


465 


968 


2,585 


Bedford: 




Water Co 


1,300 


J'» 




2 


77 


34 


1,768 


312 


235 


2,545 


4,827 







o Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 



MINERAL WATEES. 



231 



SODIC MTJRIATED-STJLPHATED ALKALINE-SALINE WATERS. 

Waters in which sodium, chlorine, and the sulphate radicle pre- 
dominate are not common in Iowa. As a rule waters that contain 
much sulphates also contain much calcium and magnesium. Those 
given in the next table, as will be readily seen, contain little calcium 
and magnesium and are to be rated as soft waters. The first and 
second contain bicarbonates in excess of calcium and magnesium and 
would commonly be said to contain sodium carbonate. Such waters 
from deep wells are rare in this State. 

Analyses ofsodic muriated-sulphated alkaline-saline waters in Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 











>^ 










a 


o 


^ 




























O 








■2 






aq 










J 


13 


m 








d 






a< 




^ 




M 


o^ 


03 • 


<D 










Lowest 




P + 




<1 




>i 


M.M 


(_, TO 

o 
So 

o 


.2 






Locality and owner. 


1 
o 


geologic 
division. 


2 


56 

03 m 






03 

o 

3 


a 

3 

a 


■0 + 

a^ 

3 


03 


5 
.3 


."2 
1 




Pi 
ft 








a 
2 


< 


6 


^ 
S 


■3 

o 


s 


_P. 

3 


3 


-2 
o 


Glen wood: 




























Institution for Feeble-minded 


1,910 


Silurian. 


131 


16 






37 


14 


647 


486 


754 


185 


2,027 


Logan: 








City 


821 




10 




0.3 


2 


35 


15 


461 


411 


728 


121 


1,578 


Ames: 




State College 


2,215 


Jordan.. 


3 






4 


35 


15 


391 


204 


516 


204 


1,270 









a Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 



SODIC-CALCIC MXTRIATED-STTLPHATED ALKALINE-SALINE 

WATERS. 

Sodic-calcic muriated-sulphated alkaline-saline waters are much more 
common than members of either of the preceding classes. This class 
includes many of the most highly mineralized waters of the State, in 
which the most abundant constituents are sodium, calcium, chlorine, 
and the sulphate radicle. None of those enumerated can be regarded 
as fit for domestic or any other use except street sprinkling and put- 
ting out fires. In classification of Iowa waters there is no need of 
mentioning magnesium, as that radicle bears a regular relation to 
calcium; the Iowa water usually contains about one-quarter to one- 
half as much magnesium as calcium, and magnesium never has been 
found to exceed calcium. 



232 UKDERGEOUFD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. ^ 

Analyses of sodic-calcic muriated-sulphated alkaline-saline waters in Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 











>i . 














<c 


^ 














O^— V 














o 


d 








» 






a^ 
























«2 






3-^ 














T3 










a 






c-s; 




^. 




M 






C3 • 


S 










Lowest 




at 




^ 




S 




g 


so 


o 






Locality and owner. 


o 


geologic di- 


'S 


Bo 






'S" 




"5" 


'i 


Pr 


B 




o 

O 


vision. 


o 

C3 
o 

3 




a 
2 

t— 1 


a 

a 
B 

3 
< 


3 

a 


a 

3 
1 


a 

3 

•3 

o 


3 

o 

Ph 


§5 
5 


s 

3 
«2 


o 

.a 
6 


3 

O 

3 

o 

E-i 


Bedford: 






























Development Co 


2,002 


Silurian 


18 




1 


1 


486 


116 


1,161 


300 


1,920 


1,420 


5,273 


Burlington: 






























Murray Iron Works 


1,000 


St. Peter. . . . 


11 




1 


1 


342 


115 


514 


11 


232 


1,860 


235 


3,206 


Sanitary Milk Co 


484 


Silurian 


13 




5 


1 


389 


131 


707 


19 


268 


2,414 


276 


4,089 


Centerville: 






























City, No. 1 


1,540 
752 


do 

Kinderhook. 


10 

22 


3 






263 
486 


90 
167 


755 
2,236 


90 
306 


1,961 
4,839 


339 
925 


3,465 


Flagler: 

S. C. Johnson 


.4 


3 


8,831 


Keokuk: 


Y.M. C. A 


769 


Silurian 


12 






1 


198 


81 


894 15 


292 


1,610 


632 


3,589 


Knoxville: 




























T. Craig 


346 


Des Moines . 


36 




3 


1 


207 


114 


2,589 


330 


4,728 


980 


8,823 


Ottumwa: 




























Mineral Spring Co 

Pella: 

City 


314 


Mississippian 


125 




24 




345 


152 


1,464 


1,297 


2,807 


533 


6,098 


1,803 


St. Peter. . . . 


10 




4 


3 


488 


148 


2,107 


280 


4,678 


775 


8,353 











o Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 
SODIC-CALCIC STJLPHATED ALKALINE -SALINE WATERS. 

The waters classed as sodic-calcic sulphated alkaline-saline are 
those of the cornrnon heavily niineralized type, containing the normal 
amount of bicarbonates found in nearly all Iowa waters, high per- 
centages of calcium, sodium, and sulphates, and only small amounts 
of chlorine, usually less than 100 parts per million. Such waters are 
less objectionable for industrial purposes than plain calcic sulphated 
waters containing the same amount of total solids. In fact they are 
equivalent to calcic sulphated waters softened with sodium carbonate 
to the extent to which sodium replaces calcium. The sodium in them, 
if low, is comparatively harmless in industrial operations, since it 
does not consume soap or cause scale; but if the amount of it exceeds 
200 parts per million it causes foaming in boilers. 

Very many waters of Iowa belong to this class. The following 
table contains 15 good examples and they could be multiplied almost 
indefinitely. The more heavily mineralized waters have been 
selected in order to make the quantity and relative preponderance of 
the sodium, calcium, and sulphate radicles clear at a glance. Repre- 
sentatives of this class are all the deep wells at Grinnell and the 
numerous farm wells 250 to 450 feet deep near that city, which appar- 
ently get most of their water from the layer of clay and gravel just 
above the limestone at about 200 feet. Most of the wells in Webster, 
Tama, Benton, and Polk counties belong to this class. 



MINEEAL WATERS. 



233 



Analyses of sodic-calde sulphated alkaline-saline waters in Iowa. 
[Parts per mOlion.] 



Locality and owner. 



Amana: 

Amana Society.. 
Cantril: 

C. J. Manning. . . 
Cherokee: 

State hospital . . . 
Colfax: 

Mills Hotel 

Dunlap: 

City 

Grinneil: 

City (3) 



Hartley: 

City 

Hull: 

City 

KnoxviUe: 

Hospital for Inebriates, 
Moulton: 

Electric Light Co 

Ogden: 

City 

Nevada: 

City 

Sanborn: 

Chicago, Milwaukee & 
St. Paul Ry. 
Sac City: 

Canning Works 

State Center: 

City 



Lowest geo- 
logic division. 



1,640 
900 

1,126 
350 

1,535 

2,020 

205 

1,256 

326 

400 

2,800 



378 
161 



Maquoketa. 

St. Peter... 

"St Louis" 

St. Peter... 

New Rich- 
mond. 

Drift 

Algonkian. . 

Des Moines 

do 



Maquoketa. 
Cambrian.. 



is 

a + 



5 6.4 
16 
13 
11 

8 
13 

30 



Drift. 



181 
299 
258 
463 
146 27 
183 

304 
192 23 

436 
373 8 

231 
141 19 

182 



60 257 
136 341 



320 
228 
306 
260 
272 
324 

506 
384 
262 
170 
270 
315 
458 

434 
1,062 



517 
1,306 

651 
1,495 

776 

574 

1,522 
1,380 
1,600 
1,764 
736 
1,390 
1,282 

874 
1,254 



1,033 
2,117 
1,387 
2,460 
1,374 
1,147 

2,626 
2,295 
2,553 
2,687 
1,381 
2,276 
2,186 

1,623 
2,668 



a Sum of the radicles minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 



CALCIC SULPHATED ALKALINE-SALINE WATERS. 

The waters of this class are not numerous, fewer than 25 having 
been found during this study; they contain large amounts of calcium 
and sulphates and less than 100 parts of either sodium or chlorides. 
With one or two exceptions they come from shallow wells, usually 
in the drift. They contain in largest proportion the substances that 
cause hardness, and they are the most difficult and expensive waters 
to soften. In proportion to their mineral content they produce the 
largest amount of boiler scale, of the type most difficult to remove. 
They are, therefore, the least desirable waters for domestic and 
economic uses in general, considered from the standpoint of their 
mineral content only. 

The following table includes nearly all the very good examples of 
this class of waters. 



234 



XJN"DERGEOUND WATEK EESOURCES OP IOWA. 



Analyses of calcic sulphated alkaline-saline waters in Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 



Locality and owner. 



Lowest geo- 
logic division, 






Belle Plainer 

City 

Belle Plaine: 

City 

Bancroft: 

Chicago & North West- 
ern Ry. 
Chelsea: 

City 

Lake Park: 

City 

New Hampton: 

Chicago, Milwaukee & 
St. Paul Ry. 
Primghar: 

J. J. Shonts 

Prairie City: 

Chicago, Rock Island 
& Pacific Ry. 
Spirit Lake: 

City 

Stark: 

Chicago & North West- 
em Ry. 
Toledo: 

County home 

Vining: 

City 



193 Drift... 

1,520! Oneota. 

438 



100 Drift 

do 

188 Devonian. 



372 
360 

100 
40 

545 
235 



Drift. 



Carbonif e r- 
ous. 



Drift 

do 



36 



Devonian. . 

Mississip- 
pian. 



72 11 
93 

38 
32 
24 

51 
41 

52 
75 

64 
46 



334 

268 
436 

240 
513 
456 

570 
662 

463 
410 

251 
263 



1,814 

1,247 

518 

1,923 
833 
366 

1,199 
1,110 

433 
1,262 

1,119 
1,244 



2,738 
1,980 
1,090 

2,803 

1,590 

923 

2,120 
1,980 

1,031 
2,277 

1,750 
1,914 



a Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 



CALCIC CARBONATED ALKALINE WATERS. 

Nearly all the best waters of the State belong to the calcic car- 
bonated alkaline class. The amount of bicarbonate does not vary 
greatly; with a few exceptions, as at Manson, it is not less than 200 
parts and in few places does it exceed 450 parts, if some old analyses 
are discredited, because the chemist apparently has assumed the 
presence of enough carbonic acid to combine with the bases. In a 
few waters, as at Davenport, Logan, and Williamsburg, there is not 
enough calcium and magnesium to combine with the bicarbonates, 
but in most of the waters that is not the condition. The amount 
of bicarbonates in waters of this class is about the same as that in 
more strongly minerahzed waters; therefore, the waters high in 
mineral content may be regarded as waters of this class plus sulphates 
and more calcium or plus sulphates and chlorine and more calcium, 
magnesium, and sodium, till the most highly mineralized and most 
complex waters are formed. Waters of this class are the better 
the more nearly they approach the ideal type, in which their hard- 



MINERAL WATERS. 



235 



ness is almost entirely temporary. They lose their bicarbonates 
when boiled and to a great extent when exposed to the air. They do 
not give the hard scale formed by the calcium sulphated waters. 

In the examples given total solids seldom exceed 400 parts. 
Sodium is less than 20 parts. The sulphate and chlorine radicles are 
low and are practically insignificant. Examples could be greatly 
multiplied without including waters having more than 50 parts of 
any one of these three radicles. Waters of this character are most 
numerous in the northeastern part of the State, to which reference 
has been made as the region having the best deep-well waters. Such 
waters are less numerous in other parts of the State, though in some 
places they are obtained from the sands of the drift and from river 
bottoms. Though wells supplying such waters may penetrate rock 
for short distances, it is probable that they derive their waters chiefly 
from drift gravel and sand just above the rock. 

Analyses of calcic carbonated alkaline waters in Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 



Locality and owner. 



Ackley: 

Mrs. John Carroll 

Boone: 

City 

Dubuque: 

Chicago, Milwaukee & 
St. Paul Ry. 

Eldora: 

City 

Lake Mills: 

Chicago & North West- 
ern Ry. 
Manchester: 

Spring, U. S. Fish 
Hatchery. 
Mason City: 

City No. 3 



Mount Vernon: 

City 

Morley: 

Chicago & North West- 
em Ry. 
Northwood: 

City 

Stanwood: 

Chicago & North West- 
em Ry. 
Sabula: 

City 

Tipton: 

City 



West Union: 
City 



Lowest geologic 
division. 



50 
1,262 



330 

214 

87 
116 

973 



Mississippian . 
Drift 



Dresbach or under- 
lying Cambrian 
sandstone. 



Des Moines 

Devonian limestone 



Galena and Platte- 
ville. 



Niagara . 
do.. 



Devonian limestone 



Oneoto. 



Cambrian or Algon- 
kian sandstone. 



30 



0.5 



19 

12 3 

9 

14 3 

5 



7 
10 

1.5 
3 

21 
4 



1 
4 

7 

2 
1.5 

4 

5 

14 
2 

8 



2 



346 
409 

284 

259 
352 

206 

377 

286 
292 

293 
305 

298 
332 



a Sum of the constituents mimus one-half the bicaxbonate radicle. 



236 



UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 



SODIC-CALCIC CARBONATED ALKALINE WATERS. 

The waters of the sodic-calcic carbonated alkaUne class are not 
numerous, and the following table contains nearly all whose analyses 
have been procured. Those selected have not enough sulphates and 
chlorine to combine with the sodium and potassium. 



Analyses of sodic-calcic carbonated alkaline waters in Iowa. 
[Parts per million.] 



Locality. 


Owner. 


Depth 
of well, 
in feet. 


Lowest geo- 
logic division. 


Silica 
(SiOa). 


Iron and 
alumi- 
num 
oxides 

(Fe203+ 
AI2O3). 


Iron 

(Fe). 


Alumi- 
num 

(Al). 


Brooklyn 


City 


180 
91 
344 
300 

38 

328 
1,740 

95 
195 
232 




13 
14 
15 
9 




0.6 
5 
.4 


0.5 


Ellsworth . .. 


W. H. Brinton 


Drift . 




1 


Holland 


L. Beenken 


Mississippian . 
Des Moines . . . 




2 




Chicago & North Western 

Ry. Co. 
Chicago Great Western 

R. R. Co. 
Ole Satre 


1 




Rhfinnnn 






Stanhope 


Carboniferous . 
St. Lawrence 
formation. 


21 

8 




3 
1 


0.2 


Piimner . . . 


City 




1 


Williamsburg 


do 




1 


Do . 


Hughes' well 






10 






Washington 


City 























Locality. 



Brooklyn 

Ellsworth 

Holland 

Grand Junction. 

Shannon 



Stanhope 

Sumner 

Williamsburg. 
Do 

Washington . . 



City 

W. H. Brinton 

L. Beenken 

Chicago & North 

Western Ry. Co. 
Chicago Great 

Western R.R. Co. 

Ole Satre 

City 

do 

Hughes' well 

City 



Cal- 


Magne- 


cium 


sium 


(Ca). 


(Mg). 


47 


18 


59 


28 


56 


33 


70 


26 


18 


15 


106 


39 


43 


20 


57 


19 


47 


15 


33 


13 



Potas- 
sium 
(K). 



120 
46 4 

97 
67 

161 

99 
63 I 9 

106 

97 
194 



Bicar- 
bonate 


Sul- 
phate 


Chlo- 


radicle 


radicle 


(CI). 


(HCO3). 


(SO,). 


432 


87 


3 


440 





0.4 


457 


26 


2 


502 





6 


388 


154 


9 


473 


54 


4 


353 


8 


4 


536 


2 


6 


473 





2 


558 


54 


25 



Total 
solids.o 



509 
377 
460 
430 

551 

563 
333 
459 
407 
598 



a Sum of the constituents minus one-half the bicarbonate radicle. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
NORTHEAST DISTRICT.^ 

INTRODUCTION. 

By W. H. Norton. 

The northeast district of Iowa comprises the 11 counties of Alla- 
makee, Blackhawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Dela- 
ware, Dubuque, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek. In no other 
part of Iowa are geologic structure and artesian conditions better 
known than here, and in none are artesian forecasts more sure and 
favorable. In the extreme northeastern part of the district the 
Jordan, New Richmond, and St. Peter sandstones outcrop at the 
surface, and the Dresbach sandstone lies near the surface in the deepest 
vaUeys. Thus the deepest water-bearing beds come to or near the 
surface, and nowhere do they lie so deep as to be beyond easy reach 
of the drill. Artesian wells can be sunk so cheaply that they can 
be afforded as public supplies by all except the smaller towns and 
villages. The water supply is abundant and suffices for any but the 
largest cities, and it ranks in quality among the finest drinking waters 
of the United States. 

The strata incline gently toward the southwest, their maximum 
descent being at right angles to their strike. Thus from Lansing to 
Sumner (56 miles) the summit of the Jordan declines 1,018 feet, or 18 
feet to the mile. To the west and to the south across the area the de- 
cline is less. Thus from McGregor to Charles City (75 miles) the sum-' 
mit of the Jordan falls 833 feet, or 1 1.1 feet to the mile; from Postville 
to Charles City (55 miles) the St. Peter falls 532 feet, or 9.1 feet to the 
mile. (See PI. V.) Along the southern edge of the area from 
Dubuque to Waterloo (84 miles) the dip is more gentle, the Jordan 
falling 5.8 feet per mile and" the St. Peter 5.5 feet to the mile. (See 
PI. VI, p. 258.) The descent is most abrupt in the eastern part of the 
area, the Jordan dipping 10.4 feet to the mile from Dubuque to Manches- 
ter, and but 2 feet to the mile from Manchester to Waterloo. A similar 
descent occurs from Sumner to Waverly. Probably both Waterloo 
and Waverly lie on or near a low up warp which interrupts in part the 
normal southwesterly dip. If this is the case, the upwarp either dies 

1 Counties in each district arranged alphabetically. 

237 



238 UNDEKGEOUND WATEK KESOUECES OF IOWA. 

out toward the north, as at Charles City the sag of the strata is marked, 
or its axis is directed to one side of tliat city. From Charles City to 
Waverly the Jordan sinks but 45 feet and the St. Peter rises slightly. 
Though the direction is here parallel with the strike, the slight fall 
is m contrast with the marked decline of the strata both from Osage 
to Charles City and from Waverly to Waterloo. (See PI. VII, p. 272.) 

Except in the extreme east and northeast sections, artesian wells 
should not be carried below the base of the Jordan sandstone. Con- 
siderable money has been spent in useless drilling below the Jordan. 
Thus at Waverly the drill penetrated 480 feet of the dolomites and 
shales of the St. Lawrence formation and at Sumner 460 feet. At 
Manchester the well was drilled more than 550 feet below this main 
water bed and, although the Dresbach was here reached, it was 
found dry as far as penetrated. The Oelwein city well seems to have 
been stopped before it reached the Jordan and might advantageously 
have been drilled deeper. 

In the valley towns of Allamakee and northern Clayton counties 
the Dresbach and underlying sandstones are easily accessible and will 
yield an abundant supply of water. In Dubuque County, along 
Mississippi River, the Dresbach and imderlying sandstones are most 
valuable water-bearing beds. At Dubuque some of the deepest wells 
not only tap the Dresbach but, passing through subjacent shaly beds, 
draw large quantities of water from a still deeper Cambrian sand- 
stone. 

On the uplands of the eastern counties the smaller towns and vil- 
lages may obtain sufficient water from the St. Peter, as in the wells 
at PostvUle and Monona. Although the water will stand low in the 
wells, its supply seems to be fairly ample, notwithstanding its escape 
where the formation is cut by the valley sides. 

Flowing wells may reasonably be expected for considerable dis- 
tances up the valleys whose floors lie not far above the St. Peter, as 
those of Turkey and Volga rivers. (See also pp. 244-245.) 

The artesian resources are best developed at Mason City, McGregor, 
and Dubuque. Even in the most favorable artesian sections, how- 
ever, the ground-water resources are comparatively undeveloped. 
(See PI. I, in pocket.) Two counties are without deep wells, and the 
number of the deeper sort of shallow wells is comparatively small. 
Development must come as the population and towns of this region 
grow. The evidence seems to be that for a long time this region 
will have a practically unlimited source of supply of good water for 
any probable population. Not the least of its good fortune lies in the 
fact that all ground waters seem to be about equally good from the 
point of view of mineral content. The problem of casing is reduced 
to its simplest terms, for it is only necessary to put down casings to 
sohd rock to and through caving shales. There are no deleterious 



Feeti 
1300 

1200 

1100 

1000 

800 
700 
600 
500 



300 

200 

lOOJ 





20Q 

300 
40Q 
SOO 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SUKVEY 

< — 26 miles ■ 



■ 22 miles - 



- 26 miles ■ 



Calmar 



-)8 miles - 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE V 

26 miles ► 



Ossian Postville 




GEOLOGIC SECTION BKTWEEN McGRj^^K^AND MASON CITY, IOWA 



ALLAMAKEE COUNTY. 239 

waters to case out, and as the upper waters are comparatively soft 
the matter of the rusting out of casings is not to be so much feared 
as it is in other sections of the State. 

ALLAMAKEE COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Allamakee, the northeasternmost county of Iowa, lies almost 
wholly in the driftless area. The region is a deeply and intricately 
dissected upland, attaining an elevation of 1,300 feet above sea level, 
and rising about 700 feet above Mississippi River, which forms the 
eastern boundary of the county. The valleys of the streams are 
flat floored and wide. The Mississippi flood plain attains a width 
of 4 miles and embraces a maze of sandy islands and braided bayous. 
The floor of the valley of the meandering upper Iowa River has a 
general width of three-quarters of a mile, widening in its lower 
course to a mile and more. The valley of Yellow River is narrower 
but conforms to the same general type. The tributary creeks have 
well-opened mature preglacial valleys, and the courses of even their 
wet-weather affluents are graded. 

The topographic age of the region is best read in the semicircular 
coves carved by the ancient stream on both sides of the valley of 
upper Iowa River. These deep amphitheaters are guarded at their 
entrances by lofty isolated buttes, remnants of the rock spurs cut 
by the stream as it entrenched its curving course. No such coves 
and buttes are seen along the bluffs of the Mississippi, though the 
succession of strata is equally favorable to cliff recession and plana- 
tion, the vast volume of water of the latter stream in Pleistocene 
times having cut back any sahents of the valley sides and left a 
wall of rock singularly continuous and even and sweeping in its 
curves. 

The interstream areas consist of parallel east-west ridges or uplands, 
whose summits, where broadest, are cut by shallow valleys into a 
gently rolling topography. Their dissected flanks consist of lobate 
ridges of sinuous crest whose steep sides are gashed by deep ravines. 

The summits of the divides rise to a common level. If the valleys 
could be fflled with the material that has been swept away by running 
water they would constitute a plain whose origin may be ascribed to 
long subaerial erosion near the level of the sea. An additional proof 
of the former existence of this ancient peneplain, of which the summits 
of the divides are the remnants, is found in the valuable limonite 
and hematite deposits of Iron Hfll on the crest of Waukon Ridge, 
such deposits being not uncommon on peneplains where the rocks 
have long been wasted by slow decay. / 



240 UITDEKGEOTJND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

Some evidence of a second and lower erosion plain is seen in the 
accordant level of the long lateral spurs that separate the valleys of 
the creeks tributary to upper Iowa River. The crests of these spurs, 
which are capped by the St. Peter sandstone, fall into a common 
plane about 1,100 feet above sea level, and thus lie distinctly below 
the level of the upland. Measured by the distance between the 
escarpments of the Galena-Platteville limestones of the upland, the 
width of the valley floor of the upper Iowa, developed 1,100 feet 
above sea level, was about 10 miles. In age the planation of this 
valley floor would seem to correspond with that of the similar pene- 
plain of the second generation developed at Dubuque on the weak 
Maquoketa shale. In each place, however, another explanation may 
be found in cliff recession under weathering. In Allamakee County 
the Galena-Platteville escarpment may be supposed to have retreated 
because of the weak St. Peter sandstone on which it rests and which 
caps the ridges defining the 1,100-foot level; and in Dubuque County 
the Niagara escarpment may be held to have receded in a similar 
manner because of the undermining of the immediately subjacent 
Maquoketa shale. 

GEOLOGY. 

The rocks underlying Allamakee County dip slightly toward the 
southwest. (See PL V.) They are also bent in one or more com- 
paratively narrow low northwest-southeast folds. As a result of the 
southwestward dip the oldest rocks are exposed in the northeastern 
part of the county along the base of the bluffs bounding the deepest 
valleys, and the youngest rocks along the crests of the divides in the 
southwestern parts of the county. 

The main valleys have been cut considerably deeper than their 
present floors and are built up with alluvium, probably Pleistocene in 
age. Thus the wells at New Albin strike rock only at from 130 to 
140 feet from the surface, or more than 100 feet below the present 
river levels. Moreover, old terraces, remnants of ancient flood plains, 
standing as high as 60 feet above the rivers, mark the height at which 
the streams of the region ran when they ceased aggrading their rock- 
cut valleys and began the task of degradation. 

The highest beds of the county (Ordovician) are limestones and 
shales belonging to the Galena, Decorah, and Platteville formation:?. 
The Galena is composed chiefly of limestones which may be dolomi- 
tized in whole or part. The combined thickness of the three forma- 
tions varies within wide limits. On Waterloo Ridge it does not 
appear to exceed 100 feet; at Postville (PI. V) it was found to be 364 
feet thick in the city well; at Waukon the city deep well found the 
base of the Platteville 195 feet below the surface. 



ALLAMAKEE COUNTY. 241 

Beneath the Platteville limestone is the St. Peter sandstone, white 
and incoherent, or locally stained and hardened by exposure at the 
surface, its grains uncemented, rounded, and fairly uniform in size 
in any stratum and locality. Its thickness is reported as about 80 
feet. It contains practically no interstitial filling, and water seeps 
as freely through it as through a bed of incoherent sand. 

Underlying the St. Peter sandstone is a thick body of dolomites, 
known as the Prairie du Chien group, which forms the basal part of 
the Ordovician. Crowning with white castellated cliffs many a bold 
bluff along the river courses the Prairie du Chien group forms the 
most conspicuous terrane within the county. Toward the summit 
of the group sandy beds, known as the New Richmond sandstone, 
divide this body of dolomite into an upper formation called the 
Shakopee dolomite and a lower formation known as the Oneota dolo- 
mite. The Shakopee, and to a less extent the Oneota also, includes 
much silica in sandy layers, desseminated grains, and masses of 
chert. 

Transition beds of limy sandstone and sandy limestone connect 
the Prairie du Chien with the underlying Jordan sandstone (Cam- 
brian), whose thickness is nearly 150 feet. The Jordan is composed 
of well-rounded grains of pure quartz sand and in most places is soft 
and friable. Some layers, however, are well cemented. Where 
exposed to the weather the Jordan is gray or yellow, although its 
normal color, as seen in well drillings, is white. 

The Jordan sandstone resembles the St. Peter in composition, but 
because of its greater depth beneath the surface it is less thoroughly 
drained ; because of its greater and more uniform thickness its supply 
is more abundant. 

The Jordan sandstone rests on a formation composed of sandy 
dolomites, limy sandstones, and sandy and limy shales — the St. Law- 
rence. These rocks are exposed in the cliffs bordering the Mississippi 
and its tributaries and are so argillaceous that they are generally dry. 
They form an impervious floor for the waters of the Jordan, and, 
where they lie deepest, prevent the rise and escape, under hydrostatic 
pressure, of the waters of the underlying Dresbach and earlier Cam- 
brian sandstones. 

The relations of the St. Lawrence and the underlying Cambrian 
terranes are not clearly made out from the evidence at hand. In 
the cliffs at Lansing the St. Lawrence, as described by Calvin,* out- 
crops 96 feet above the level of Mississippi River with a thickness of 
44 feet. Beneath it lie gray, yellow, and brown friable sandstones 
measuring 56 feet, containing greenish layers and near the top argilla- 
ceous beds. The imderlying strata to the river level, a distance of 

1 Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 4, 1895, pp. 57-59. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 16 



242 UNDEKGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

40 feet, are concealed from view. The deep well at Lansing continues 
the section beginning at 640 feet above sea level, 18 feet above 
mean water level in the river. Unfortmiately the tube of driUings 
which constitutes the only data obtainable gives only the succession 
and the lithologic characteristics of the beds, and suppKes nothing 
that will serve as a basis of inference as to the thickness of the strata 
except the relative spaces which the drilhngs occupy in the tube. 
Estimating the thickness of the terranes in this way gives the fol- 
lowing succession of beds pierced by the drill: 

Record of deep well at Lansing. 

Thickness 
in feet. 

Surface clay 37 

Shales 70 

White sandstone 125 

Shales with a thin intercalated bed of sandstone 135 

Sandstone resting on hard crystalline rock 381 

Near New Albin, which is located about 10 miles north of Lansing, 
Calvin observed at the base of the bluffs a blue calcareous shale. 
From the New Albin wells we have a single log uncorroborated by 
drillings. The well section here begins at 650 feet above sea level, 
10 feet above the top of the Lansing boring, and is as follows: 

Record of deep well at New Albin. 

Thickness 
in feet. 

Sand and gravel (alluvium of Mississippi) 130 

Soapstone 150 

Sandstone 190 

New Albin and Lansing are nearly aligned with the strike of the 
strata. At New Albm the base of the Oneota dolomite is placed by 
Calvm at 320 feet above the tracks of the Chicago, ]\iilwaukee & St. 
Paul Railway (966 feet above sea level) and at Lansing at 300 feet 
above the river (918 feet above sea level), giving a southward dip of 
about 5 feet to the mile. The two sections being correlated, it would 
seem possible that the shale at the base of the bluffs at New Albin is 
the same as the first shale in the Lansing well. The first sandstone of 
the Lansing well is then cut out by the ancient channel of the IVIis- 
sissippi at New Albin, and the first shale (soapstone) of the- New 
Albin log is identical with the second shale at Lansing, with which 
it also agrees in color and estimated thickness. The base of this 
shale at New Albin is about 100 feet higher than at Lansing, according 
to the estimates. The known southward dip of the strata accounts 
for half of this amount and the remainder is perhaps included in the 
margin of error in estimates of the thickness of the beds resting on 
the exceedingly precarious foundations already mentioned. 



ALLAMAKEE COUNTY. 243 

The thickness of 44 feet assigned by Calvin to the St. Lawrence at 
Lansing is far less than that of the dolomites and shales intervening 
between the Jordan sandstone and the first sandstone beneath it, 
as shown in deep-well sections. Even if all of the 40 feet of con- 
cealed strata above the St. Lawrence in the Lansing blufi^s belong to 
that terrane, it stUl compasses not more than one-third of the thick- 
ness common in deep- well sections. 

On the whole it seems very possible that the equivalent of the St. 
Lawrence of the deep-well sections includes at Lansing all the strata 
between the St. Lawrence of Calvin and the level of the river and 
also the first shale disclosed in the deep wells. Its total thickness 
might then reach 230 feet, but this would not be more than that of 
the formation at Manchester and Anamosa, and but 30 feet more 
than that given in an imperfect record at Dubuque. The shale at 
the foot of the bluffs at New Albin would then be assigned to the 
same terrane. 

Under this interpretation of the St. Lawrence the white sandstone 
first to be found in the Lansing well is the probable equivalent of 
the Dresbach sandstone of IViinnesota, and the underlying shale and 
sandstone are undifferentiated Cambrian. On the other hand, if 
Calvin's limitation of the St. Lawrence be correct, the Dresbach 
outcrops beneath it from Lansing to New Albin. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

On account of the intimate dissection of the upland, the water- 
bearing rocks are cut by valleys and ravines and their waters find 
easy terminal escape. Ground water stands low, weUs are deep, 
and the windmill is a conspicuous feature of the farms. 

The Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone have for long ages 
been subject to the solvent action of ground water. Numerous 
sink holes pit the surface and lead to well-defined subterranean 
waterways, which have been opened by solution along joint and 
bedding planes. Unfortunately, neither the depth nor the position 
of these watercourses can be predicted. The beds of impervious 
shale in the Platteville arrest the downward progress of the water, 
which issues as springs where the valley sides intersect the surface 
of the shale and which forms the chief supply of wells sunk to it. 

Wherever the drUl goes deep enough to strike the St. Peter sand- 
stone water is found, except at or near the edges of the bluffs where 
the formation outcrops. The head of the water is low owing to its 
easy terminal escape, but the supply is plentiful. 



244 UNDERGEOUND WATEE EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The Prairie du Chien group, with its creviced dolomites and 
included sandy beds, forms a capacious reservoir for underground 
water and greatly augments the supply of most wells penetrating it. 

The Jordan sandstone contains abundant water, which is prevented 
from escape by the impervious floor of the St. Lawrence formation. 

The Cambrian sandstones imderlying the St. Lawrence formation 
hold vast quantities of ground water. The Dresbach (thus designat- 
ing the first sandstone of the Lansing well) holds water of the same 
quality and head as that of the sandstone beneath it, but of less 
copious flow. The lower sandstone, from which the Dresbach is 
parted by heavy shales, supplies the New Albin wells. 

PROVINCES. 

Mississippi Valley. — The Mssissippi Valley may be considered 
a special underground-water provmce. The imusual width of the 
flood plam and the materials of which it is composed have already 
been mentioned. The area is used chiefly for pasture and the few 
weUs needed find water within a score of feet from the surface. 

Upper Iowa Valley. — The upper Iowa Valley is a wide and fertile 
lowland, well watered by springs issuing from the hillsides. Never- 
theless, flowing water is obtainable so easily and in such large 
quantity that within the last decade several artesian wells have been 
smik through varying depths of alluvium to the underlying Cam- 
brian sandstones. At New Albin, at the mouth of the valley, the 
aUuvial filling is reported to be 134 feet thick, and 8 miles up the 
valley it is still 100 feet thick. Wells near the bluffs find rock at 
less depth. The rock first struck is blue or green, dry, shaly or 
dolomitic sandstone, ranging in thickness from 110 to 190 feet. 
Beneath this blue or greenish rock lies what is described as a 
white ''sand rock" in whose more porous layers abmidant water is 
found under strong artesian pressure. The depth to which this sand- 
stone has been penetrated ranges from 30 to nearly 300 feet. The head 
of water in wells 5 to 10 miles up the valley is about 690 feet above 
sea level, the water rising about 10 feet above the curb. Still farther 
up the valley, in Union City Township, the water in a well owned 
by J. H. Beardmore heads 15 feet above the curb, discharging from 
a 5|-inch casing at a rate of 100 gaUons per minute. These wells are 
all cased to solid rock, a distance commonly of more than 100 feet. 
The abundance of pure water obtained and the saving of labor and 
cost of pumpiQg make these weUs comparatively inexpensive, wells 
of 300 feet deep having been sunk at a cost, including casing, of $225. 
A list of these wells is appended. 



ALLAMAKEE COUNTY. . 245 

Flowing wells in the upper Iowa Valley, Allamakee County. 



Owner. 



J. H. Beardmore. 



Otto Bateen , 

J. T. BuUman... 

J. L. Dirth 

Thomas Rekurn, 

E. J. Sadler 

M. Sadler 



T. 100 N., R. 5 
W. (Union 
City). 



Ed. BeUows. 
B.Hartley... 



J. Hartley 

James Kibby. 



T. lOON., R.4W. 
(Iowa). 

Nicholas Colch . . . 

George Meyers . . . 

P. S. Pierce 

J. H. Riser 

FrarLk Weymiller 

Louis WeymiUer. 



Locality. 



SE. i sec. 

36. 
NE. i sec. 

34. 



Sec. 3 

SW.isec. 
35. 



SW.Jsec. 

28. 
SW.isec. 

20. 
SE. i sec. 

15. 
SW.isec. 

11. 
SW.isec. 

10. 
NW.isec. 

10. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
252 



350 
350 
400 
480 
260 
250 



490 
300 



490 
618 



524 
330 
340 
550 
450 
414 



Diame- 
ter. 



Inches. 
51 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



53 



Depth 
to 

water 
sup- 
ply- 



Feet. 
160 



145 



300 



26 



Source of 
supply. 



Sandstone 



.do.. 



Sandstone 



Head 
above 
curb 



Feet. 
15 



Remarks. 



Cased to 98 feet. Yields 
100 gallons per min- 
ute. 



Curb 20 feet above river. 

Cased to 112 feet. 

Yields 20 gallons per 

minute. 
Cased to SO feet. 



Curb 23 feet above river. 
Cased to 20 feet. 
Yields 15 gallons per 
minute. 



Minor valleys. — The floors of the valleys of Clear, Village, and 
Paint creeks, and of YeUow River are narrower than the valley floor 
of the upper Iowa, and the bordering terraces are relatively wider. 
These high remnants of ancient flood plains are naturally rather dry, 
as ground water readily escapes along their scarps. The streams are 
spring fed and permanent, and the springs issuing along the valley 
sides greatly lessen the need for wells. In Clear Creek and Village 
Creek valleys artesian wells furnish water for mills. Wells sunk in the 
wider bottom lands of YeUow River wiU probably obtain flowing water. 
From Myron to Ion the stream flows successively over the Platteville 
limestone, the St. Peter sandstone, and the dolomites and sandstone 
of the Prairie du Chien group, and wells reaching the Jordan sand- 
stone should yield a generous flow. At present dug and driven 
shallow wells furnish the chief supply. 

Uplands. — ^On the uplands, as on aU maturely dissected areas of 
high reUef , permanent and abundant ground water Hes at a consider- 
able depth below the surface. On the high ridge north of upper Iowa 



246 UNDERGKOUND WATEE EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

River, back of New Albin, farm wells commonly exceed 300 feet in 
depth. Below the surface yellow loam (loess) and the underlying red- 
dish residual clays, wells enter a limestone of the Prairie dvi Chien 
group, pass thence into a water-bearing sandstone (the Jordan) and 
traversing a "blue rock shale " (the St. Lawrence) find abundant water 
in the Dresbach sandstone. As the Jordan outcrops along the river 
bluffs its waters easily escape and have low head, but the water of 
the Dresbach is under sufficient head to bring it in some wells within 
285 feet of the surface. The following log of a well on this ridge, 
belonging to Henry Rink (NW. i sec. 26, T. 100 N., R. 5 W.), is 
probably representative : 

Section of Rink well, Allamakee County. 



\ 



Surface deposits 

Limestone ( Prairie du Chien) . 

Sandstone (Jordan) 

Shale, blue (St. Lawrence) 

Sandstone (Dresbach) 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


40 


40 


135 


175 


100 


275 


200 


475 


35 


510 



Water is found chiefly in the Dresbach; it commonly stands 225 
feet below the surface. 

On Waterloo Ridge in the extreme northwestern part of the county 
accurate surface measurements by CaJvin give the following thick- 
nesses to the formations there present: 

Thickness of formations on Waterloo Ridge. 

Feet. 

Galena dolomite, Decorah shale, and Platteville limestone 100 

St. Peter sandstone 80 

Prairie du Chien group 250 

Jordan sandstone to level of mouth of Bear Creek 100 

Water may be found in the Galena dolomite and in the Platteville 
limestone, especially above the basal shales of the Platteville if the 
drill strikes a water-bearing crevice, and in the St. Peter and Jordan 
sandstones. 

On Gruber Ridge and May Prairie and on the summits of the lobate 
ridges whose crests are formed of the St. Peter sandstone, much the 
same conditions prevail as north of upper Iowa River. Loess and 
residual clay may reach 40 feet in thickness; the Prairie du Chien 
group is reported in some wells as 160 feet, and the Jordan sandstone 
as 100 feet, underlain by "blue rock" (St. Lawrence formation). 

On the wide uplands about Waukon and Postville the Galena dolo- 
mite and the Platteville limestone yield water to farm wells 75 to 125 
feet deep. House wells at Waukon are commonly sunk about 80 
feet and end in the Platteville. At Postville some wells obtain water 



Allamakee county. 



U1 



in glacial gravels underlying blue black till at a depth of 85 feet; 
others obtain water in the Galena dolomite or the Platteville lime- 
stone within 150 feet of the surface. For larger supplies than ordi- 
nary, and where the drill fails to find a water channel in the Kme- 
stone, wells on these uplands must go to the St. Peter or, in some 
localities, to the Jordan. The depth to these sandstones varies with 
the southward and westward dip of the strata. The St. Peter, for 
example, outcrops at Kadcliffe, 1 mile north of Waukon, at 1,122 feet 
above sea level; 8 miles south of Waukon it has descended to the 
valley floor of Yellow River, 872 feet above sea level. 

The well, 600 feet deep, of the county farm near Waukon, on high 
ground, found some water in the Galena dolomite or the Platteville 
limestone, the water rising to 57 feet below the surface. In the sand- 
stones, which, according to the drillers, were struck at 400 and 500 
feet, the water fell, that from the lower sandstone standing 240 feet 
below the curb. 

An exceptionally reliable log of a well northeast of Postville, in 
the NW. i NW. i sec. 21, T. 96 N., R. 5 W., is no doubt typical of 
the deeper wells of the southwestern townships. The curb is not far 
from 1,100 feet above sea level. 

Log of well northeast of Postville. 



Clay 

Dolomite (Galena) . . . 
Limestone (Galena).. 
Shale (Platteville).... 
Sandstone (St. Peter) 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


24 


24 


50 


74 


150 


224 


66 


290 


31 


321 



A strong vein of water was found in the St. Peter at 318 feet, but 
it rose only 8 feet in the well. 



SPRINGS. 

No area of equal size in the State is so bountifully supplied with 
springs as is Allamakee County, the principal source being at the 
contact of the Decorah shale with the overlying Galena limestone. 
Where the Galena forms the bedrock of the uplands, the ravines on the 
south side of the ridges are dry only down to where they cut this heavy 
shale. Here copious springs gush out from the rock and here begin 
countless rivulets which flow down the hillsides to feed the creeks 
and rivers. Where the roads follow the ravines farmhouses are com- 
monly located along the Galena-Decorah contact in close proximity 
to springs, which afford, without cost, pure water for all household 
uses. Spring houses are built over them for dairy purposes, and the 



248 triTDEEGROXJND WATEE RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

water, flowing in a brook several feet wide through the barnyard, 
conveniently supplies the needs of the stock. Where the farmhouse 
is at a lower level than the spring, water can be piped through the 
house under pressure and used for all domestic purposes, including 
refrigeration. It may also be sufficient in quantity and head to fur- 
nish water power to drive a separator, churn, or other light machinery. 
Many springs emerge at the base of ledges of Galena that outcrop 
high up on the sides of narrow and deep ravines. Picturesque as 
are these cascading springs, they are generally too remote from farm- 
steads for utilization. The August temperature of several springs 
from the Galena-Decorah contact ranges from 46° to 47° F. 

The Livinggood Spring, the largest in the county, flows from the 
Galena-Decorah contact near Myron (NW. J SW. J sec. 3, T. 96 N., 
R. 6 W.), emerging where the floor of the valley of Yellow River 
crosses the summit of the Decorah shale. On the left bank a group 
of springs at the base of a semicircular alcove, with vertical walls of 
rock cut in the side of the bluff, unite to form a swift-running stream 
a foot deep and a rod wide. Up valley from this spring YeUow 
River carries but little water except from the run-off at times of 
rain, since its channel lies above the chief spring horizons. In 
August, 1906, the water running in the river bed up the valley from 
the spring was but a very small fraction of the amount contributed 
by the spring. The summer temperature of the spring at its outflow 
is about 48° F. 

This spring is known in the vicinity as the Rise of Yellow River 
from the popular belief that up the valley the water of the river 
sinks from sight and here rises again to the light of day. It is pos- 
sible that some water of the river may be lost in the opened joints 
of the limestone over which it flows in its upper course, and any 
water leaking from the river bed would no doubt form an underflow 
upon the surface of the next subjacent shale, though not necessarily 
in a course immediately beneath the river channel or, indeed, beneath 
the river valley. But the larger part, if not the entire amount of the 
discharge of the spring, is in all probability drawn from the under- 
ground water of the upland to the north, which here finds issue where 
the main horizon of its seepage is first intersected by the valley of the 
river. 

Springs occur also near the base of the St. Peter sandstone, but 
these are neither so numerous nor so large as those from the summit 
of the Decorah shale. The St. Peter Hes upon a creviced limestone, 
through which its waters can seep to lower drainage levels. More- 
over, the massiveness of the sandstone, its lack of crevices, and the 
absence of solution channels in this insoluble rock, make against the 
concentration of water in definite underground courses issuing in 
strong springs. 



ALLAMAKEE COUNTY. 249 

The outcrops of the Prairie du Chien in the northern part of the 
county are marked by large springs which issue near the plane of 
contact with the Jordan sandstone, as near Quandahl and Dorchester. 

The sandstones underlying the Prairie du Chien supply a large num- 
ber of powerful springs where they are transected by the valleys. 
They include along with their permeable water beds other layers inter- 
mixed with clay and lime, which are far less porous and which serve 
to hold ground water upon their surfaces and prevent its leakage 
either downward under gravity or upward under hydrostatic pressure. 

In the valleys of the upper Iowa River and of Mill and Village 
creeks and in the valleys of their tributaries springs from these sand- 
stones are very numerous. The temperatures measured range from 
45° to 49° F., the higher temperatures probably indicating the influ- 
ence of the summer sim^ and air on the surface rock waste through 
which some springs find issue, and on the water of the pool of the 
spring. 

The list of strong springs is too long for publication, but mention 
may be made of those at the mouth of Paint Creek, at Waukon 
Junction, which discharge near the level of Mississippi River from 
the waste-cloaked foot of the bluff on the north side of the 
vaUey, along a line of about 100 feet. Typical springs also are the 
M. Gordon springs, 3 miles southwest of New Albin, in the upper 
Iowa River valley; the Jacob Knupf spring, in sec. 24, T. 100 N., 
R. 6 W. ; the Dorchester creamery spring, which supplies the creamery 
and five buildings of the village ; the L. C. and C. C. Megordon springs, 
near Elon; and the Peter Lang spring, on Village Creek, in the NE. 
i sec. 7, T. 98 N., R. 3 W., which flows a swift stream with a cross 
section of 2| square feet. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Lansing. — Two 6-inch artesian wefls, 675 and 748 feet deep, respec- 
tively, were drilled by Swan Bros, in 1877 for the city of Lansing 
(population, 1,542). The curbs are 640 and 660 feet above sea level. 
The water originaUy rose to 690 feet above sea level, and for 20 years 
and more the pressure continued sufficient to render pumping unnec- 
essary for the delivery of water to the taps. Since 1897 pumps have 
been installed and a gravity system from a reservoir is used to supply 
the upper portions of the town. The head has lowered to 35 feet, 
and the discharge, estimated at first at 700 gaUons a minute, has 
fallen to 300 gaUons. The temperature of the water is 50° F. The 
quality of this water is indicated by the analysis on page 142. The 
water is distributed under gravity pressure of 95 pounds through 
3 miles of mains to 17 hydrants and 150 taps. 

The following record of strata in the 748-foot well is based on drill- 
ings taken from a tube. As the original record was lost, it was 



250 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 



assumed that the length of the tube and the thickness of the respective 
drillings were proportioned to the depth of the well and the thickness 

of the beds. 

Record of strata in Lansing city well.^ 



Thickness 
(estimated). 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow; no samples 

Shale, chocolate colored, slightly calcareous; some coarse Pleistocene sand in- 
termixed 

Shale, greenish yellow, calcareous, arenaceous, with minute angular grains of 
limpid quartz 

Sandstone, white, yellow and buff; grains differing widely in size 

Shale, light purplish and drab; arenaceous 

Sandstone, fine, yellow 

Shale, arenaceous, or sandstone, argillaceous; blue drab, slightly calcareous.. . 

Shale, red, arenaceous, with thin stratum ot intercalated drab shale 

Sandstone, light yellow; grains moderately fine, subangular, and rounded 

"Hard crystalline rock." b 



Feet. 



37 
35 

35 
125 

15 
5 

70 

45 
381 



Feet. 



37 

72 

107 
232 
247 
252 
322 
367 
748 



a See discussion on pp. 242-243. 



6 Driller's report. 



The Doehler & Schafer well (depth, 630 feet; diameter, 5| inches) 
heads 35 feet above the curb. The water flows into a mill race, where 
it joins water from a creek and not only increases the water power 
but also prevents the water in the race from freezmg even in the 
coldest weather. 

The A. C. Doehler well, on Village Creek (depth, 750 feet), was 
formerly used to furnish power for a woolen mill, but has long flowed 
into the creek unutilized. 

New Alhin. — The village of New Albin (population, 588) has no 
waterworks, but a supply for stores, hotels, and private houses, and 
fire protection to the business portion of the village is furnished by 
8 artesian wells, ranging in depth from 470 to 550 feet. The water 
is reported to rise 30 feet above the curb, or 682 feet above sea level. 
These wells end in the undifferentiated Cambrian beneath the Dres- 
bach and draw thence their large supply of excellent water. 

The A. F. Kuhn well (depth, 500 feet; diameter, 6 inches) is cased to 
130 feet. Its curb is 650 feet above sea level and its head, by pressure, 
41 feet above curb. Water is drawn from beds at 315 and 470 feet. 
It was completed in 1900 by Frank Easton, of New Albin. 

Log of Kuhn well, New Albin. 
[Supplied by driller.] 



Loose sand and gravel (in ancient channel of Mississippi) 

Soapstone, blue 

Sand rock, blue 



The New Albin Cooperative Creamery Co. 's well (depth, 470 feet; 
diameter, 4 inches) is cased to 134 feet. Its curb is 350 feet above 
sea level, and its head, by pressure, is 39 feet above curb. Water from 
beds at 315 and 470 feet flows about 100 gallons per minute. It was 
completed in 1905 by Frank Easton at a cost of $300. 




ALLAMAKEE COUNTY. 



251 



The Erikson & Winneka well has a depth of 500 feet and a diameter 
of 6 inches to 135 feet and thence 4 inches to bottom. Its curb is 650 
feet above sea level and its head, by measurement, 29 feet above 
curb. Its temperature is 51° F. It was completed in 1902 by Frank 
Easton. 

Other wells of approximately the same depth and of essentially the 
same characteristics have been drilled at New Albin for J. B. Pohlman, 
H. Martin, F. C. Meyer, Henry Reiser, W. O. Bock, and H. C. Boyer. 
There are also a number of flowing wells from the same water bed in 
the upper Iowa Valley west of New Albin. (See pp. 244-245.) 

Postville, — The deep well from which the supply of PostviUe (popu- 
lation, 952) is drawn was drilled by Dickson Bros, in 1895. It is 
8f inches in diameter and 515 feet deep and ends in the St. Peter 
sandstone. (See PI. V.) The elevation of the curb is 1,191 feet 
above sea level; the water heads 250 feet to 300 feet below the curb. 
Water was found at a depth of 130 feet and stood at this level till the 
drill reached a depth of 435 feet, when a second supply was tapped. 
The pumping capacity is 32 gallons per minute. The temperature 
of the water is 48° F. 

Strata penetrated in drilhng this well are shown in the following 

table : 

Record of strata in city well at PostviUe (PI. V, p. 258). 



Quaternary (72 feet thick; top, 1,191 feet above sea level): 

Humus 

Loess, yellow 

Loess, ashen 

Clay, yellow, sandy and pebbly, noncalcareous 

Sand, yellow, sharp, and rather coarse 

Clay, dark drab, sandy and pebbly, calcareous 

Ordovician: 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone (364J feet thick; top, 1,119 feet 
above sea level) — 

Limestone; some buff and magnesian, some lighter colored and of rapid 
effervescence; cherty 

Shale, green, calcareous, soft 

Limestone, blue, earthy, magnesian; 11 samples 

Shale, soft, gray, calcareous 

Limestone, light yellow and white; hard, by driller's record; earthy to 
crystalline; nonmagnesian, as judged by rapidity of effervescence 

Limestone as above, but a little softer; 5 samples 

Limestone, greenish gray, argillaceous 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, crystalline to earthy; 4 samples 

St. Peter sandstone (78J feet thick; top, 754§ feet above sea level) — 

Sandstone; usual Str Peter type; grains rounded and smoothed, of limpid 
quartz, mostly unbroken; wth much limestone yellow and gray, rap- 
idly effervescing; in angular sand; no trace of embedded grains in lime- 
stone fragments 

Sandstone as above, but with less limestone 

Limestone, blue-gray, argillaceous, in part macrocrystalline; in flaky 
chips, largely compacted of comminuted fossils; 2 samples 

Limestone and shale, gray, earthy; in chips 

Limestone, light blue-gray, mottled: in flaky chips, compact, crystalline 
to earthy 

Limestone, yellow-gray, mottled, macrocrystalhne to earthy, fossiUfer- 
ous; in chips; 4 samples 

Limestone, Ught gray, compact, fine grained; 4 samples 

Sandstone, calciferous ; soluble ingredients form about one-half by weight 
of drilUngs: some grains of sand embedded in the minute angular chips 
of Umestone; other fragments show limestone matrix to be large. 
Limestone, yellow-gray and of rapid effervescence; loose in the drillings, 
and also embedded are many black opaque grains; ferruginous nodules 
of calcareous clay; and grainlike nodules of pyrite; 3 samples 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


2 


2 


16 


18 


6 


24 


4 


28 


4 


32 


40 


72 


13 


85 


12 


97 


106 


203 


9 


212 


138 


350 


35 


385 


10 


395 


ill 


4361 


11^ 


448 


2 


450 


8 


458 


5 


463 


7 


470 


17 


487 


15 


502 



252 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

From the starting of the drill, the samples were carefully saved at 
such short intervals that they afford an exceptional geologic sec- 
tion. If the sandstones at 436 J feet and at 502 feet be set aside, the 
remaining rocks of the section, in texture and chemical composition, 
are typically Middle Ordovician Hmestones and shales (Galena and 
Platteville). Both of the sandstones just designated are regarded 
by Calvin as St. Peter, and he has suggested that the 52 feet intervening 
between them represent an ancient cavern in the St. Peter, now filled 
with shale and limestone broken down and washed in from the over- 
lying Galena and Platteville.^ 

Water is pumped to an elevated tank and distributed under a 
gravity pressure of 42 pounds through the mains to 22 hydrants 
and 150 taps. The consumption is 20,000 gallons daily. 

Postville Junction. — ^The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway 
Co. has a track well at Postville Junction the depth wliich is 361 
feet and diameter 8 inches. Its curb is 1,033 feet above sea level. 
According to the driller's log, the well passes through drift and Galena 
dolomite, Decorah shale, and Platteville Hmestone from the surface 
to 340 feet and the St. Peter sandstone from 340 feet to 361 feet. 

Waukon. — ^Two artesian wells 30 feet apart, drilled by Pahner and 
Sanbo in 1896 and 1897, supply the city of Waukon (population, 
2,025). They are 8^ inches in diameter, and 577 feet deep. The 
curb is 1,279 feet above sea level, and the water rises to 280 feet below 
the curb. The depth of the wells indicates that they end in the Jor- 
dan sandstone. No diminution in yield has been observed in either 
well, nor has either been overdrawn by pumping. From the last 
drilled well alone the pump Hfts, if necessary, 3,000 gallons an hour. 
The average consumption is 21,600 gallons a day, the maximum 
summer consumption reaching 28,800 gallons. Water is pumped 
to a standpipe 102 feet high and is dehvered under gravity pressure 
through 6^ miles of mains to 65 fire hydrants and 230 taps. 

A well drilled by the Missouri Iron Co. about 3 miles north of 
Waukon reaches a depth of 396 feet, with a diameter of 10 inches. 
Water rises to within 137 feet of the surface. The temperature is 
52° F. The cost of drilhng was $3.50 per foot. Casing extends to 
250 feet. The drillers were Walch & Bahr of La Crescent, Minn. 

The log of the drillers is as follows: 

Drillefs log of well of Missouri Iron Co., near Waukon. 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


23 


23 


27 


50 


76 


126 


15 


141 


35 


176 


10 


186 


161 


347 


49 


396 



Clay..! 

Sandstone (St. Peter) 

Limestone (Shakojjee) 

Sandstone (New Richmond). 

Limestone (Oneota) 

Gravel (Oneota) 

Limestone ( Oneota) 

Sandstone (Jordan) 



» Am. Geologist, vol. 17, 1896, pp. 195-203. 



ALLAMAKEE COUNTY. 



253 



Village supplies. — ^The following table gives data of village supplies 
in Allamakee County: 

Village supplies in Allamakee County. 



Village. 



Nature of supply. 



Depth. 



Depth to 
water bed. 



Head 
below 
curb. 



Harpers Ferry 

Dorchester 

Maud 

Elon 

Church 



Driven wells and springs, both large and small. . 

Springs, open, driven, and drilled wells 

Drilled wells 

Cisterns, springs, and wells 

Cisterns and wells 



Feet. 

45-55 

12-70 

50-200 

100-325 

290-350 



Feet. 



300 



Feet. 

40 

12 to 16 

40 to 150 

285 



\^ WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Allamakee County: 

Typical wells of Allamakee County. 











M 


fe 




^ 


















o 




Owner. 


Locality. 


^ 




o 


53 


Source of 
supply. 




Remarks (logs given In 
feet). 






n 


ft 


ft" 




S 


























ft 


ft 


ft 







M 








Feet. 


Inches. 


Feci. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




E.Cooper 


6 miles 


340 




40 








Clay, 40; lime rock, 160; 


n r t fa- 














sand rock, 100; lime 




east of 














rock, blue, 40. 




Lansing. 














[Clay, 30; blue "scale 
rock," 370; sand rock, 


Coimty Farm 


Near Wau- 
kon. 


600 




30 


1 400 
\ 500 


1 


240 


J yellow, water bearing. 


/ 


















sand rock with water, 


















, 100; black clay. 


F. M. Ivorson 


5i miles 
s u t fa- 
west of 
Dorches- 
ter. 


30 


n 




15 


Riversand 




River bottom; driven 
well. 


I. M. Ivorson 


6 miles 
s u t fa- 
west of 
Dorches- 
ter. 


30 


IJ 




10 


...do 


20 


River bottom; driven 
well. 


Erick Gavle 


4 miles 
north- 
east of 
Sattre. 


90 


6 


20 


60 


Rock 


30 


Valley; about 20 feet 
above river. 


M. O.Nelson 


7 miles 
east of 
Locust. 


407 


6 


20 


390 


Sandstoneo 


388 


Hill; 400 feet above river. 


P. Oleson 


6§ miles 
east of 
Locust. 


250 


6 


8 


35 


Limestone 


220 


Can be pumped dry. 


William Nelson . . 


6-J miles 
south- 
east of 
Locust. 


245 


6 


9 


40 


...do 


210 


Hill; 250 feet aboveriver. 


HansQuanrude.. 


6 miles 
east of 
Locust. 


365 


6 


10 


350 


Sandstone. 


335 


Hill; 375 feetabove river 


Henry Rink 


NW. i sec. 


510 




40 






285 


Clay, 40; limestone, 135; 




26, T. 100 














sandstone, 100; blue 




N.,R. 5 














sliale, 200; sandstone. 




W.; on 














35. Anotfaer water 




Wheat- 














vein at 260 feet. 




1 a n d 


















Ridge. 

















a Another water bed at 260 feet. 



254 



UNDEEGKOUlSrD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells of Allamakee County — Continued. 



Owner. 


liocality. 


ft 
a 

ft 


a 

O 


M 
o 

s 

ft 

o 


1 
°ft 


Source of 
supply. 


o 

1=1 

03 


D. O'Mally 


5 miles 
south of 
Dorches- 
ter. 

6 miles 
south- 
east of 
New Al- 
bin. 

3^ miles 
north of 
Harpers 
Ferry. 

Post-\rille . . 

Postville . . 

fNW. 1 
SW. i 

■ sec.21,T. 
96N.,R. 

I 5W. 

fNE.JSE. 
1 J sec. 32, 
1 T. 96N., 
I R. 5 W. 


Feet. 
310 

. 542 

242 

85 
150 

• 244 
[ 276 


Inches. 
6 


Feet. 
15 

75 
18 


Feet. 




Feet. 
160 

217 
300 


Henry King 

M. F. ColliHS 


530 






Chicago, MOwau- 
kee & St. Paul 
Ry. 

Creamery 




Gravel. . 


6^ 


65 
40 






115 
I 169 

244 


Dickson Bros 

John Laud. 


( 190 

< and 
I 242 

( 260 

< and 
I 273 


Plattevillp 
and St. 
Peter. 

I 








1 



Remarks (logs given in 
feet). 



Clay, 15; limestone, 170; 
sandstone, 125. 



Top of ridge, about 1 
mile from edge of 
bluffs. Clay, etc., 75; 
Umestone, 225; sand- 
stone, 30; blue rock 
shale, 200; sandstone, 
water bearing, 12. 

Ridge. 



Water bed gravel; pene- 
trated blue-black till. 



Clay, 40; dolomite, 55; 
limestone, 120; shale, 
28; St. Peter sand- 
stone, 1. Platteville 
vein, weak. Tem- 
perature, 48° F. 

Clay, 20; shell rock, 10; 
dolomite, 50; lime- 
stone, 150; shale, 45; 
St. Peter, 1. Chief 
supply at 273 feet. 



BLACKHAWK COUNTY. 

By M. F. Arey and W. H. Noeton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Blackhawk County, which hes immediately west of and in the same 
range with Buchanan County, is crossed diagonally by Cedar Kiver. 
Its surface is made up chiefly of the valleys of Cedar and Wapsipinicon 
rivers and their larger tributaries, and the plains of lowan drift 
which he between and on either side of these valleys. Low bluffs 
rise near the south side of West Fork of Cedar River, and also along 
the south side of Beaver Creek at a varying distance from the streams; 
they increase in height eastward and merge into the higher and more 
precipitous bluffs of the Cedar. At Cedar Falls the bluffs sweep away 
from the river, leaving a level area on which the older part of the citj 
is built. Below the mouth of Dry Run they gradually recede from 
the river and lose tlieu* height and steepness of slope. Beyond 
Waterloo they maintain a distinct line between the valley and the 
drift plain for many miles, though at a considerable distance from the 
river and with marked diminution in altitude. 

Between Cedar Falls and Waterloo the Kansan drift features are 
manifest in rounded hilltops crowned with loess, though lowan drift 



BLACKHAWK COUNTY. 255 

appears in thin veneerings in the immediate neighborhood, and many 
round granitoid bowlders are seen. 

Outside of the region mentioned the lowan drift plain constitutes 
the surface of the greater part of the townships of Cedar Falls, 
Orange, Cedar, and Big Creek, and the whole of Blackhawk, Lincoln, 
and Eagle. The last three townships are remote from the river, and, 
except in the narrow, sinuous channels of a few small streams, 
show scarcely a scar upon their surface. 

North and east of the Cedar the valley plain rises very gradually 
and as a rule imperceptibly to the general level of the drift plain. It 
is for the most part 3 or 4 miles wide, level, and sandy and was once 
wood clad, but now much of it has been deforested. Nearly every 
part of the valley proper has been traversed- at some time by the river 
and many large oxbows are still connected with it at ordinary stages 
of the water. Narrow, curved bodies of water, locally known as 
lakes, some of which, as in Cedar Township, are 2 to 3 miles long and 
are connected more or less completely, plainly indicate former chan- 
nels. Depressions of every size, but all similar in shape and trend, 
are remarkably abundant. At the time of freshets the river not only 
fills the old channels but also occupies much of the intervening valley. 

A short distance from the place where the Cedar leaves the county 
its valley narrows; it is also noticeably constricted at Waterloo. In 
the northeastern part of the county the entire townships of Union 
and Washington are in the valleys of the Cedar and its tributaries. 
The topography of Union Township differs materially from that of 
any other. The winds seem to have had an unimpeded sweep pre- 
vious to its settlement and to have gathered the sand into dunes of 
considerable height and extent. The poplars, bur oak, and other 
trees and shrubs of similar habitat have taken possession of many of 
these dunes, and all are now covered with vegetation of some kind. 

The drainage of the county is accomplished almost wholly by the 
Cedar River system, though the Wapsipinicon, with its tributary. 
Crane Creek, cuts across the northeast corner. 

The Cedar is formed by the union of three nearly equal streams — 
the Cedar from the north and east, the Shell Rock from the northwest, 
and the West Fork from the west. The Shell Rock and the West Fork, 
however, unite a mile above their junction with the Cedar. From the 
latter point, which is within 1^ miles of the north line of the county, 
the Cedar flows for 4 or 5 miles nearly south, then southeast to Gil- 
bertsville, whence it again goes southward for 4 or 5 miles, finally 
bending to the southeast and keeping that direction till it leaves the 
county. Except for short distances below the dam at Cedar Falls 
and at Waterloo, its bed is in unconsolidated material. Indurated 
rocks outcrop in but few places along its banks^ even the high bluffs 



256 UNDEEGBOUFD WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

in the neighborhood of Cedar Falls and Waterloo being apparently- 
made up wholly of drift material. 

From the west the Cedar receives Beaver, Dry Eun, Blackhawk, 
Miller, Big, and Rock creeks; from the east, Elk, Indian, and Spring 
creeks. It is noteworthy that each of these streams approaches the 
Cedar at nearly a right angle, in marked contrast with the tributaries 
of the Wapsipinicon and the Iowa. The basin of the Cedar is there- 
fore proportionately much wider than that of either of the other rivers 
named. The headwaters of Spring and Elk creeks are within 2 miles 
of Wapsipinicon River and Crane Creek, respectively; the Blackhawk 
takes its rise within 5 or 6 miles of the Iowa. 

GEOLOGY. 

The geologic formations of Blackhawk County are comparatively 
simple. Heavy deposits of Kansan drift covered by a thin veneer 
of lowan drift and in places the intervening Buchanan gravel conceal 
the hard rocks in the northeastern and southern parts of the county. 
Rock is exposed mainly along the margins of the valley of the Cedar 
or outcrops in the banks along the lower courses of its tributaries. 

Except in a small area in the southwest corner of the county, 
where the drift probably rests on rocks belonging to the Kinderhook 
group (basal Mississippian), and a small area in the eastern part of 
Fox Townsliip, where it overhes the Wapsipinicon limestone (Middle 
Devonian), the drift in Blackhawk County is underlain by the Cedar 
VaUey Hmestone (Middle Devonian). The rock is everywhere lime- 
stone, though in places very shaly or earthy. The total thickness of 
the Cedar Valley limestone in the county is not less than 75 feet. 
The rock is for the most part thin bedded, soft, and much jointed 
and serves as a very good water bearer. 

UNDERGIIOUND WATER. 
SOUECE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

Except at Waterloo and Cedar Falls the water supply of Blackhawk 
County is obtained from the Buchanan gravel, the Cedar VaUey and 
Wapsipinicon limestones, and the Kansan drift. On the farms 
pumps are universally operated by windmiUs. Flowing wells are 
rare. 

In the vaUey of Wapsipinicon River, which is confined to the 
eastern half of Lester Township, the northeastern township of the 
county, the alluvial deposits are everywhere underlain by gravels, 
which vary somewhat in fineness and in thickness but which almost 
everywhere afford satisfactory supplies of good water to compara- 
tively shallow wells. The village of Dunkerton, in sections 29 and 
32, gets its water supply wholly from driven wells ending in these 
gravels. Norton reports two flowing wells on the slopes of the river 



BLACKHAWK COUNTY. 



257 



bottom. One, the well on H. Flattendorf s place, flowed up to 1905; 
the other, on William McGee's place, still flows. The depth of these 
wells is not known. 

On the lowan drift plain lying between the Wapsipinicon Valley 
and Cedar River valley in the north tier of townships and in general 
in all that part of the county east of the Cedar River valley a few 
wells end in sand or gravel beds or streaks within the Kansan drift, 
but by far the greater number end a short distance within the under- 
lying Cedar Valley limestone. The wells range in depth from 85 to 
300 feet. 

A well on Clubine's place, 2^ miles north of Dunkerton, on high 
ground near the edge of the Wapsipinicon River bottom, is 274 feet 
deep and ends in sand. In a well in section 21 rock was reached at 
140 feet. 

Near the Bartlett quarry in East Waterloo Township, on the bluffs 
just back from the river bottom, where the thickness of the limestone 
is unusually variable, wells are about 100 feet deep, the depth in rock 
ranging from 60 to 90 feet. Water is found just below the blue 
limestone. 

On a small creek called Rock Run, 2^ miles east and 1§ miles north 
of Waterloo, two flowing wells, 109 and 87 feet deep, are reported by 
Mr. Purington, a pump dealer of Waterloo. Both end in coarse 
gravel without reaching rock. 

In the immediate neighborhood of the flowing wells northeast of 
W/aterloo are several springs. Probably springs and wells have a 
common source in the Cedar Valley limestone. 

In Fox and Spring Creek townships rock outcrops along the slopes 
of Spring Creek valley up to the prairie level in many places, making 
it necessary for the farmers to drill all their wells. 

On the wide river bottom of the Cedar most of the wells are driven, 
are about 18 feet deep, and end in the Buchanan gravel. The depth 
of the wells depends on the surface elevation, the water being found 
at about the level of the water in the river. Some wells on the river 
bottom must penetrate the blue limestone before obtaining an ade- 
quate supply of water. 

At Westfield, in section 22, West Waterloo Township, a 15-inch 
well gives the following section: 

Section of well at Westfield. 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


14 


14 


h 


m 


18 


32i 


7 


39i 


9 


481 


30 


78i 


28^ 


107 



Sand , 

Gravel (Buchanan) 

Clay, lif;ht blue 

Broken rock 

Limestone, porous (first vein, water not abundant) 

Limestone, firm (second vein) 

jjimestone (third vein, water abundant) 

36581°— wsp 293—12 17 



258 UlSTDEEGEOUlSrD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

At Washburn, Cedar Township, wells 30 to 35 feet deep obtain a 
plentiful supply in sand. A mile and a half to the southwest is a well 
60 feet deep, 12 feet in rock, and another 60 feet deep near by goes 
30 feet into rock. Some wells in this vicinity are 100 feet deep. The 
water of these deeper wells is reported as disagreeable to the taste. 

On Mr. Marble's place, half a mile east of the packing house at 
Waterloo, the well is 44 feet deep, 30 feet being in a very hard, 
compact limestone that is unusual in this county. The water rises 
within 14 feet of the surface. 

The city well at La Porte obtains its supply from the Buchanan 
gravel, not entering rock. As La Porte is 812 feet above sea level 
(Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway track elevation), an artesian 
well 1,400 or 1,500 feet deep should yield water that will rise 10 to 
20 feet above the surface. The Maquoketa shale will be reached at 
a depth of about 300 feet, the Galena dolomite at 550 feet, the St. 
Peter sandstone at 930 feet, and the Jordan sandstone at 1,300 feet. 
Such a well should be sunk to the bottom of the Jordan, which is about 
1,450 feet below the surface. 

The area southwest of Cedar River is a typical lowan drift plain, 
crossed diagonally by the shallow valley of Blacldiawk Creek. Lime- 
stone outcrops in the immediate neighborhood of Cedar Falls, Water- 
loo, and La Porte, and in a limestone ridge in sec. 24, Eagle Township. 
Everywhere else the rock is deeply buried beneath the drift materials. 

Wells in this area range in depth from 60 to 250 feet. A few derive 
their supply from sand or gravel beds within the drift, but most enter 
the rock from 2 to 12 feet, and exceptionally penetrate rock to a depth 
of 20 to 60 feet. In the southwest half of this area, making due 
allowance for differences of surface level, the underlying rock surface 
is fairly uniform, but in the northeast haK it varies much more. Most 
of the water is reported as good, but one well driller, whose experience 
is mainly in the southwest half, reports considerable diversity in its 
quality. 

In Waterloo Township, in the W. ^ sec. 22, at the old Hummel 
place, 60 feet of quicksand was passed through below 100 feet of clay. 
Water was obtained, but the supply did not prove permanent. 

In Orange Township, at the county poor farm (NE. ^ sec. 3), where 
the surface elevation is about 100 feet above the river bottom, the 
well is 175 feet deep, 110 feet being in clay and 65 feet in limestone, 
where the second vein yields water plentifully. A well near by is 
139 feet deep, 100 feet of which is in limestone. One mile west of the 
poor farm, on, N. Miller's place, at about the same surface level, the 
well is 115 feet deep, 10 feet being in rock. All these wells yield 
unfaihng supphes. 



29 miles 



-* ^lOi 



Iowa Falls 



s-tocene 



v^:\<^' 



,66^ 



.XNO°^ 



^& 



,NjOn\' ' 



SAufw 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE VI 

47 miles *■ 



^\ Dubuque 



9V 



\.^' 



tti^ 



e^' 



.0© 



\o' 



^0 



rt» 



^^o^-^ 



idstone 



Chien group 



Shakope' 

iNfew Rich m( 

Oneota 

Jorc 



O^®^ 



,^^oV 



c.^N'^' 



.6^' 



,^o<^^ 



) LE MARS , IOWA 




GEOLOGIC SECTION BEl'WEEN DUBUQUE AND LE MARS , IOWA 
By W. H. No 



BLACKHAWK COUNTY. • 259 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Cedar Falls. — The water supply of Cedar Falls (population, 5,012) 
is now taken from wells, but was, until recently, obtained from 
springs in fissured Cedar Valley limestone in Dry Run, a mile from 
the post office. 

A sudden epidemic of typhoid fever occurred in the city in the fall 
of 1911, during wliich more than 100 persons were afflicted and nearly 
20 died. It was the opinion of three independent investigators that 
the city water supply had become infected and was the cause of the 
epidemic. The limestone from wliich the water issues is exposed in 
the beds of Cedar River and of Dry Run and is covered throughout 
a greater part of the city by a mantle of coarse gravel only 5 to 15 
feet thick. Many cesspools and wells enter the limestone and thus 
afford opportunity for contammation, as the rock is broken and full 
of crevices and water channels that allow free circulation of water 
without filtration. 

The abandonment of the springs was recommended and a new 
supply sought. 

After careful consideration, an experimental well was sunk at the 
pumping station, passing through 38 feet of alluvium, sand, and 
gravel, then through 78 feet of limestone, heavy bedded for the most 
part, though shaly for the lower 14 feet. At a depth of 116 feet a 
copious supply of water was encountered, rising within 1 1 feet of the 
well mouth. A galvanized iron cylinder was inserted through the 
alluvial fflHng well into the rock. Within this cylinder an 8-inch 
casing was carried to within 14 feet of the bottom of the well, or to 
the shaly limestone, wliich is the aquifer. Water was pumped for 
24, 36, and 48 hour periods at the rate of 500 and 600 gallons per 
minute without being lowered except for 4 feet at the starting of the 
pumps. At the time of high water, when the spring water taken at 
the station was turbid, the water of the well remained clear. The 
well water, however, is disinfected by calcium hypochlorite as an 
additional protection. 

As a result of this experiment, two similar wells were sunk. No. 2 
at a distance of 20 feet from No. 1, and No. 3 at a distance of 40 
feet from No. 2. 

The city is installing a pumping engine with a capacity of 2,000,000 
gallons daily, against a pressure of 90 pounds per square inch. The 
wells are so connected with the main suction pipe that one or more 
can be used at any one time. 

Waterloo. — The city of Waterloo (population, 26,693) obtains its 
supply from deep wells, 1,373, 1,377, and 1,365 feet deep. (See 
Pis. VI, VII.) Prior to the drilling of these wells the water 
supply had been drawn from Cedar River and treated by mechanical 
filtration. In 1903 and 1904 a severe epidemic of typhoid fever was 



260 



UNDEEGKOUND WATER RESOUECES OF IOWA. 



traced to the contamination of the water supply by sewage from a 
town situated up the valley, filtration having failed to destroy the 
microorganisms of the disease. The city officials then asked the 
United States Geological Survey and the Iowa Geological Survey for 
information as to other possible sources of supply, and W. H. Norton 
was detailed to make an investigation. In his report ^ a hypo- 
thetical geologic section at Waterloo was given, which is reproduced 
here with a parallel column showing actual depths at which the 
formations were encountered by the drill. 

Hypothetical and actual geologic section at Waterloo. 



Estimated 
thickness. 



Estimated 
depth 
of base. 



Actual 
depth 
of base. 



Limestone and shales (Devonian) 

Limestone (Silurian) 

Shale (Maquoketa) 

Limestone (Galena and PlattevDle) 

Sandstone (St. Peter) (50 to 100 feet).... 
Shakopee, New Richmond, and Oneota 
Sandstone (Jordan) 



Feet. 



125 
135 
165 
410 
80 
400 
100 



Feet. 
125 
260 
425 
835 
915 
1,315 
1,415 



Feet. 

158 
265 
480 
815 
862 
1,205 

(?) 1,362 



The report stated that an experimental well, 1,400 feet deep, would 
test the capacities of the chief zones of flow, and the city officials 
were advised to carry the experimental boring as much farther as 
necessary to test the capacity of the Dresbach and underlying Cam- 
brian sandstones. The head was estimated at between 20 and 30 
feet and the discharge from a 6-inch well at between 100 and 300 
gallons per minute. The Waterloo Water Co. had such confidence 
in the artesian resources available that, instead of sinking an experi- 
mental well of small diameter, an 8-inch well was put down to a depth 
of nearly 1,400 feet. As the capacity was found to be 290 gallons 
under natural flow and 700 gallons under the pump, it was decided 
to carry the drilling no deeper to explore the Dresbach and under- 
lying sandstones, but to drill at once a second well of about the 
same dimensions. The two wells together yield under the pump, 
1,550 gallons per minute. 

Detailed information concerning these wells follows: 
Well No. 1 has a depth of 1,373 feet and a diameter of 20 inches at 
top, 8 inches at bottom; casing, 35 feet of 20 inch, 106 feet of 15 inch, 
284 feet of 9 inch, and 122 feet of 7 inch, making a total of 547 feet 
from the surface. The curb is 847 feet above sea level and the head 
20 feet above curb. The well flows 290 gallons per minute; its 
tested capacity is 700 gallons per minute. The water first over- 
flowed, from a depth of- 840 feet, and very shghtly increased between 
this and next strong flow at 1,360 feet. Temperature in August, at 
well mouth, 56° F. The well was completed in 1905 at a cost of about 
$6,000 by W. H. Gray & Bro., of Cliicago. 



1 Contributions to the hydrology of the eastern United States: Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Sur- 
vey No. 145, 1905, pp. 148-155. 



BLACKHAWK COUNTY. 261 

Record of strata in Waterloo Water Co.' swell No. 1 (PL VI, p. 258; PI. VII, p. 212). 



Thickness. 



Depth. 



Quaternary (30 feet tliick; top, 847 feet above sea level): 

Surface deposits; no samples 

Devonian (128 feet thick; top, 817 feet above sea level): 

No samples 

Limestone, light brown, hard, very fine graiaed; rapid eflervescence, some 
chips brecciated, fragments browTi, matrix yellow, facies of Wapsipinicon 

limestone, considerable sand, and yellow limestone from above 

Limestone, blue gray, rough, vesicular, and drab, hard, dense; both of rapid 

effervescence , 

Limestone, buff, porous, mottled; rapid effervescence , 

Chert, gray and black, and hmestone, yellow; rapid effervescence; some gray 

sandstone of fine rounded grains at 136 feet; 2 samples 

Limestone, hght gray; slow effervescence; soft, with dark flint and sandstone 
as above; residue of limestone chips, highly argillaceous, with particles of 
translucent gray flint, rounded grains of fine quartz sand and grains of 

pjrite; 2 samples 

Silurian (107 feet thick; top, 689 feet above sea level): 
Niagara dolomite — 

Dolomite, blue gray, hard, porous, pure, crystalline; in small chips 

Dolomite, as above, with shale, light blue gray, calcareous 

Dolomite, blue gray, crystalline; some shale and some fragments of mot- 
tled sandstone from above 

Dolomite, blue gray 

Dolomite, light blue gray, rough, siliceous, vesicular; with cavities lined 

or filled with crystalline quartz 

Dolomite, in fine meal; light yellow, almost white, highly argillaceous; 
residue shows much cryptoerystalline quartz in flakes and some parti- 
cles of crystalline quartz 

Dolomite, blue gray, rough, crystalline, siliceous, and cherty; 2 samples. 

Dolomite, light yellow gray, finely saccharoidal; 2 samples 

Dolomite, gray; in sand 

Dolomite, light yellow gray, argillaceous, and siliceous; minute grains and 

particles of quartz; 3 samples 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (215 feet thick; top_, 582 feet above sea level)— 

Shale, greenish blue and drab; in concreted masses; calcareous; at 425 

traces of buff dolomite; 21 samples 

Dolomite, crystalline, bufi and brownish gray; in chips and sand; 3 

samples 

Shale, drab, concreted powder, calcareous; 2 samples 

Galena limestone to PlatteviUe limestone (335 feet thick; top, 367 feet above 
sea level) — 

No samples 

Limestone, light yellow gray; thin flakes, earthy; rapid effervescence... 
Limestone, argillaceous, rapid effervescence; in white powder; 6 samples. 

Limestone, soft, buff, and chert, yellow; drillings chiefly chert 

Limestone, light gray; rapid eflervescence; argillaceous; 7 samples , 

Shale, light green gray, highly calcareous (probably Decorah shale) 

Limestone, soft, brownish and gray 

St. Peter sandstone (47 feet thick; top, 32 feet above sea level) — 

Sandstone; white, rounded grains 

Prairie du Chien group — 

Shakopee dolomite (168 feet thick; top, 15 feet below sea level) — 

No sample 

Dolomite, gray and white, hard, crystalline; in chips; much clear 

quartz sand, largest grains 0.8 millimeter in diameter 

Dolomite, pink, vesicular; considerable quartz sand in drUltngs 

Dolomite, gray; with much quartz sand in drillings but no grains 

found embedded in dolomite 

Dolomite; buff, cherty, almost free from quartz sand , 

Dolomite, gray; in chips; sparln.gly arenaceous 

Dolomite, gray; in fine chips with some quartz sand 

New Richmond sandstone (30 feet thick; top, 183 feet below sea level) — 
Sandstone, white; well-rounded grains; largest grains 1.5 millimeters 

in diameter 

Dolomite and sandstone, gray; much quartz sand in fine rounded 

grains 

Oneota dolomite (145 feet thick; top, 213 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, gray and blue; cherty in places; 4 samples 

Marl, in light yellow-gray powder; very large residue of minute par- 
ticles of quartz 

Dolomite, light buff; some white chert 

Marl, in finest yellow-gray meal; very large residue of minute par- 
ticles of chert 

Dolomite, yellow gray, highly cherty 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (157 feet thick; top, 358 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, yellow gray; grains rounded; largest 0.5 millimeter in diam- 
eter; in loose sand and in small chips of buff calclferous sandstone 

Sandstone_, gray; largest grains about 1.5 millimeters; in loose sand, Ts-itli 

some chips of soft, very fine-grained bluish sandstone 

Sandstone, gray; clean roUed grains, largest 1 millimeter in diameter 



Feet. 



15 



165 



47 



Feet. 



3D 
100 



112 
126 



143 



158 



170 
176 



186 
200 



205 



210 
230 
240 
245 

265 



430 



35 


465 


15 


480 


15 


495 


15 


510 


95 


605 


11 


616 


149 


765 


20 


785 


30 


815 



862 



873 



17 
10 


890 
900 


63 
17 
30 
20 


963 

980 

1,010 

1,030 


15 


1,045 


15 


1,060 


65 


1,125 


25 
20 


1,150 
1,170 


15 
20 


1,185 
1,205 



15 



1,220 

1,235 
1,253 



262 UlsrDERGEOUND WATEE EESOUKCES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in Waterloo Water Co.'' swell No. 1 {Pis. VI, VII) — -Contmued. 

Depth. 



Cambrian — Continued . 

Jordan sandstone — Continued. 

Dolomite, liighly arenaceous; in small chips and sand of line rolled grains. 
Dolomite, minutely arenaceous; in fine light yellow-gray powder; large 

residue of minute quartz particles 

Dolomite, yellow-gray, minutely arenaceous; with considerable fine 

quartz sand in drillings 

Dolomite, light gray, crystalline, vesicular, arenaceous; in chips 

St. Lawrence formation (11 feet penetrated; top, 515 feet below sea level) — 
Dolomite, yellow gray 




Feet. 
1,270 

1,280 

1,302 
1,362 



The Waterloo Water Co.'s well No. 2 is located about 1,600 feet 
from well No. 1. It has a depth of 1,377 feet and a diameter of 
20 inches to about 201 feet, 10|- inches to 626 feet, and 8^ inches to 
bottom; 20-inch casing to 139 feet 4 inches, 16-inch to 201 feet 2 
inches, and 9-inch to 626 feet; hemp packing at 198 feet. The curb 
is about 847 feet above sea level and the head, 4 feet 5 inches below 
the curb. The tested capacity is 850 gallons per minute; tempera- 
ture, 54° F. The well was completed in 1907 by W. H. Gray & Bro., 
of Chicago. 

The Waterloo Water Co.'s well No, 3, recently drilled, has a depth 
of 1,365 feet and a diameter of 20 inches to 200 feet and of 12 inches 
to bottom; casing 200 feet of 20-inch and 660 feet of 12-inch, casing 
off the St. Peter. Temperature, 54° F. The well cost $11,000. It 
was drilled by the Whitney Well Co., of Chicago, in 1911. 

BREMER COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Topographically Bremer County is part of the wide lowan drift 
plain of northeastern Iowa. Cedar, Wapsipuiicon, and Shell Rock 
rivers cross it in three wide valleys cut 60 to 80 feet below the adja- 
cent prairie levels. The broad alluvial floor of the Cedar is in places 
2 and even 3 miles wide and is incised below its ancient gravelly 
flood plains, but the Wapsipinicon, whose valley is 1-| to 2 miles 
wide, still flows up to the level of the glacial outwash of its aggraded 
floor. 

About Waverly and near Denver small insular areas of liigh loess- 
capped hills of Kansan drift, separated by intricate and deep ravines, 
overlook the lowan drift plain. 

GEOLOGY. 

Nearly the whole of Bremer County is underlain by rocks of the 
Devonian system. Owing to local deformation the Niagara dolomite 
(Silurian) comes to the surface in two or three isolated areas. An 



BEEMER COUNTY. 263 

ancient wide, rock-cut valley, now completely filled with drift, 
extends from north to south between the valleys of the Wapsipinicon 
and the Cedar, and in it the drill discovers beneath the drift the blue 
Maquoketa shale (Ordovician) . 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOUBCE. 

The ground-water beds of the county consist of alluvial sands and 
gravels on the flood plains of the rivers, sands at the base of the 
loess, lenses of sand included witliin the drift sheets, beds of sand and 
gravel parting the lowan and Kansan drift sheets and separating 
the Kansan from the still earlier Nebraskan drift beneath it, sand 
resting on bedrock, broken layers of rock immediately underlying 
the drift, and indeterminate beds within the Devonian limestones. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

The lateral extent of the beds just named may be briefly stated. 
Alluvial sands and gravels are restricted to the valley floors of the 
larger streams. As a rule they furnish plentiful supphes for stock and 
for house wells, except on well-drained terraces which are remnants 
of ancient flood plains, now left some distance above the present 
stream by the downcutting of the channel. The towns of Plainfield 
and Horton in the valley of Cedar River are thus suppHed. 

Loess is restricted to an area extending southeast from Waverly to 
Denver, and in the northwestern part of this area is limited to 
isolated hills and groups of hills rising from the lowan drift plain. 
In the southeastern part of the area it forms a continuous and heavy 
sheet mantUng a deeply eroded upland of Kansan drift. This porous 
deposit acts as a sponge, absorbing water during rains and discharging 
it somewhat freely, both by evaporation and downward percolation 
in dry weather. But the supplies drawn from its basal silts and 
sands have not as a rule been found to be either permanent or large. 
Moreover, where the loess is thickest and most extensive it rests 
directly on clays of Kansan age with no intermediary gravels to fur- 
nish a reservoir. Even here, however, seepage wells that furnish 
sufficient water for house use or for small farms not carrying much 
stock can be had in favorable situations from the somewhat more 
porous silts at the base of the loess. 

The loess passes downward into a yellow water-bearing sand about 
the margins of the lowan drift plain and along the bases of the isolated 
hills about Waverly, but here there is no great extent of loess to act 
as an intake area, so that the supply must be small. 

The several beds of sand and gravel associated with the drift occur 
throughout the county and form rehable and much-used water beds. 



264 UNDEEGKOUJSTD WATEE KESOUECES OP IOWA. 

The Devonian is also nearly as extensive as tlie county. Where the 
drift is tliick drillers report that in many localities water is found in 
the shattered surface rock broken in part by preglacial weathering. 
As the Devonian hmestones are easily soluble well-opened waterways 
have been dissolved out along joints and bedding planes and in places 
connected with the surface by sink holes. Over a considerable area, 
where these limestones have been cut away by preglacial river 
erosion, wells depend entirely on water-bearing beds in the drift. 

PROVINCES. 

Wapsijnnicon Valley. — The valley of Wapsipinicon River from 
Frederika south to the county line is a plain 1^ to more than 2 miles 
wide, cut about 60 feet below the level of the adjacent prairie. (See 
fig. 3.) The ill-drained valley floor descends from the bases of the 
gentle slopes of the bordering hills by almost imperceptible degrees to 
the little river. From 10 to 20 feet of alluvial sands cover the surface, 
beneath which the drill finds, from Tripoli south, a stony clay 50 to 80 
feet thick, the deposit of an ancient ice sheet, probably the Kansan. 
Underlying these impermeable beds lie water-bearing sands and 
gravels of unknown thickness, laid apparently on the floor of a pre- 
glacial or interglacia,! vaUey cut either in bedrock or in an older drift. 
As this water bed rises up the valley with the gradient and also on the 
valley sides, where no doubt it connects with glacial sands on the 
adjoining uplands, and as it is covered by hea'^'y clays, the water it 
contains is under artesian pressure and wherever tapped gives rise 
to flowing wells. The same conditions obtain in the lower part of the 
valley of the East Wapsipinicon. 

Although farmsteads are few on these valley floors, which, owing 
to their ill-drained condition, are used chiefly for pasture and grass 
land, and although the rivers themselves furnish a supply for stock, 
yet nearly all the farmsteads in the valley and several located some 
distance up the valley sides have obtained copious flows of palatable 
and pure artesian water. 

The pioneer wells of this field were sunk more than 30 years ago, 
and the head of a number has diminished. The static level of some 
wells on the hill slopes has been so drawn down that they ha,ve ceased 
to flow, but the supply is still ample on all the bottom lands. It is 
usuaUy wisely economized by discharge pipes not more than three- 
fourths of an inch in diameter. Some wells are plugged during the 
portion of the day when they are not in use. 

The reported head varies considerably. The highest given is that 
of the J. J. Cook well, in the SE. i sec. 1, T. 92 N., R. 12 W., in wliich 
the water rose to a height of 21 feet above the curb as measured in a 
pipe. This well is situated at the base of the bordering hill slopes, and 



BREMEE COUNTY. 265 

the curb is several feet higher than that of other wells situated well 
out upon the valley floor. Among the latter, that of Christian Baker 
had a head of 30 feet; others are said to have heads as low as 10 feet. 

It is reported that the head of wells on the upland between Wapsi- 
pinicon River and Buck Creek has distinctly lowered, in some wells 
as much as 10 feet, and this decrease has been attributed to the 
flowing wells of the adjacent valley. 

The midsummer temperature of the wells flowing under greatest 
pressure, and hence least warmed in their pipes, is about 47° F. 

Up the valley from Tripoli water rises nearly to the surface but does 
not overflow. The only well near Tripoli of which a section has been 
obtained shows alluvial sand and stony clay to 60 feet, underlain by 4 
feet of sand from which water rises within 5 feet of the surface. 
Another well, 2f miles to the north, in the NW. i sec. 18, T. 93 N, 
R. 12 W., found no blue stony clay but passed directly from 10 feet of 
yellow clay into gravel which became more and more coarse, till at 53 
feet, the bottom of the well, its pebbles were larger than hen's eggs. 

Buried channel of "Bremer River." — A ground-water province of 
special interest is defined by a deep preglacial buried valley which 
traverses the county from northwest to southeast through Douglas, 
Warren, Jefferson, and Maxfield townships. (See fig. 3.) Here 
numerous wells, from 200 to 273 feet deep, end in drift, thus failing 
to reach the rock floor of the ancient valley. The depth in rock to 
which the valley was cut is at least 220 feet, as shown by the elevation 
of outcrops 2^ miles distant. In the southern part of the county the 
ancient fluvial floor lies at least 160 feet below the rock bed of Cedar 
River at Waverly, or at an elevation less than 765 feet above sea 
level. 

The drift is heavy on both sides of this buried valley and particu- 
larly so on the east side, where few wells reaching rock are reported. 
The facts at hand warrant the belief that the valley is at least as wide 
as is that of the upper Iowa in Allamakee County, this valley being 
selected for comparison because it is a preglacial Iowa valley that 
is situated in the driftless area. The spacing of the deeper weUs 
demands a width of at least 1^ miles, and no data are at hand which 
negative an estimate of twice that width. Wells, by no means the 
deepest of the area, which enter rock encounter either the dry shales 
of the Maquoketa or a thin bed of Niagara dolomite. Beyond doubt 
at least the medium portion of the channel was cut in the Maquoketa 
shale, and in this weak rock a wide valley is to be expected. 

As the valley floor is made for the most part of dry shale, wells 
which fail to find water in the drift are compelled to go to an excep- 
tionally great depth to the limestones of the middle part of the 
Maquoketa or even to those of the Galena and the Platteville. The 



266 



UlSTDEEGKOUND WATER EESOURCES OP IOWA. 



large majority of wells in this "deep country, " as drillers term it, find 
water in the sand and gravel associated with the drift. 

In Douglas Township the few wells reported which are referable to 
the channel find little or no sand so far as known, the channel here 




apparently being filled with blue stony clay. Two wells were com- 
pelled to go deep into rock for water, one in sec. 27 to 337 feet and 
one in sec. 6 to 266 feet. Both wells passed through the upper shale 
of the Maquoketa and found water in limestones referred to the mid- 
dle Maquoketa, the shale in the first well being 87 feet thick overlain 



BEEMEK COUNTY. 267 

with 10 feet of Niagara dolomite, and in the second 60 feet thick 
overlain with drift. 

In at least the northern part of Warren Township no continuous 
and heavy bed of sand is found in the channel, although a number of 
wells find water-bearing sands and gravels in the drift amply suffi- 
cient for farm supply. Thus in sec. 5 three wells find water-bearing 
sand at depths of 236, 150, and 92 feet, and in sec. 4 a well entering 
rock at 180 feet was compelled to go to 287 feet before obtaining a 
supply. In sec. 17 a well which enters the Niagara at 212 feet passes 
through 100 feet of shale (upper Maquoketa) before finding water at 
its base at 317 feet below the surface, no gravels or sands being here 
reported from the drift. 

Where the channel crosses the northeast corner of Jefferson Town- 
ship, wells find the stony clays of the Kansan (together with those 
perhaps of the Nebraskan) more than 200 feet in thickness. Here a 
water bed of sand and gravel is entered at about 200 feet and in one 
well was penetrated to a depth of 15 feet. 

In Maxfield Township the channel seems to reach its greatest 
depth. Along it none of the deeper wells reach rock. The drill here 
passes through from 230 to 260 feet of yellow and blue clay before 
reaching water-bearing gravels whose depth is quite unknown. In 
some of these wells water rises to within 50 feet of the surface. 

A httle outside of the channel, in sec. 8 of Maxfield Townsliip, two 
wells failed entirely to find water sands either in or beneath the drift, 
which here consisted of stony clays 190 and 170 feet thick. In the 
first well the drill entered hmestone (Niagara), 3 feet thick, immedi- 
ately below the drift, and thence passed through 300 feet of shale, the 
entire Maquoketa. Entering then the Galena hmestone it was neces- 
sary before finding water to penetrate for 191 feet, making the total 
depth of the well 684 feet. In the second well on this section the 
drill passed through 285 feet of the Maquoketa shale and penetrated 
the Galena limestone 10 feet, the well being unfinished at date of 
writmg. 

The buried channel of ''Bremer River" thus seems to differ from 
many similar "deep countries" in the absence of tliick, continuous, 
and hence rehable water-bearing sands. The sinking of a well in 
this belt is therefore as much of an experiment as anywhere else in 
Iowa. The drill may strike water in one of the scattered lenses of 
sand within 100 feet or may be compelled to go 200 feet and more to 
the main water-bearing sand. Even this may fail, and the drilhng, 
if continued, must be carried at least to the hmestones of the middle 
Maquoketa and possibly even deep into the Galena. Fortunately, 
wells are uncommon in which water is not found in gravels within at 
least 270 feet of the surface. 



268 



UNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOIJECES OF IOWA. 



CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 



Denver. — Waterworks at Denver (population, 224) were built in 
1907 with supply from a well 132 feet deep. The log of the well is 

as follows: 

Log of city well at Denver. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Quarry rock to water 



Feet. 



Feet. 



18 
88 
116 



Water is pumped to an elevated tank and thence distributed 
through 1,200 feet of mains. There are three fire hydrants. The 
house supplies are stUl obtained from wells which differ greatly in 
depth to rock and in depth at which water is found in rock. The 
drift gravels may or may not furnish an adequate supply. A buried 
channel, connecting with that of Bremer River, which runs a few 
miles east of the town, has largely cut away the Devonian and Silu- 
rian limestones, and wells in places may pass from the drift into dry 
Maquoketa shale. The following wells illustrate the various con- 
ditions : 

Log of Clausing' s well, one block fiom Main Street. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Drift 

Gravel and sand 

Drift 

Shale, blue (Maquoketa) 



Feet. 



Feet. 



06 

67 

162 

410 



The Clausing well was a failure, but another well sunk on the same 
lot secured water in gravel at 90 feet. 

Log of IV ell on Main Street, a block from Clausing' s well. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue, pebbly. 



Feet. 



Feet. 



Log of Henry Bauman's well, three blocks east of Clausing' s well. 






Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Drift ... . 


Feet. 
120 
4 

8 

88 


Feet. 
120 




124 




132 


Shale, blue. . 


220 







BEEMER COUNTY. 



269 



This well was a failure, but, the drill being moved 16 feet away, a 
successful well was secured with the following: log : 



Log of second Bauman well. 




Depth. 



Drift 

Limestone (water bearing) . 



Feet. 



120 
160 



Frederika. — Frederika (population, 149) is situated on a rock bench 
covered with a veneer of alluvial sand and gravel 10 to 20 feet thick. 
Wells obtain water from the Devonian limestones at a depth of from 
35 to 45 feet from the surface. 

A hole drilled for the Pioneer Oil Co. in 1903, by L. Wilson & Co., 
of Chicago, 111., was carried to a depth of 1,025 feet. The surface 
elevation at the hole is about 1,050 feet above sea level. 

The strata penetrated are shown by the following section, based 
on the driller's log: 

Record of strata in deep drill hole at Frederika. 



Pleistocene 

Devonian and Silurian (112 feet 
thick; top, 1,012 feet above sea 
level): 

Shale, blue 

Shale, yellow 

Limestone, blue 

Shale, yellow 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (166 feet 
thick; top, 900 feet above 
sea level) — 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Shale, blue 

Galena limestone to Platte- 
ville limestone (349 feet 
thick; top, 734 feet above 
sea level) — 

Limestone, brown 

Limestone, white 

Limestone, dark gray — 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale, blue 

Gumbo 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


38 


38 


14 


52 


20 


72 


31 


103 


47 


150 


85 


235 


65 


300 


16 


316 


51 


367 


23 


390 


90 


480 


97 


577 


23 


600 


25 


625 


32 


657 


8 


665 



Ordovician — Continued . 

St. Peter sandstone (52 feet 
thick; top, 385 feet above 
sea level) — 

Sandstone 

Prairie du Chien group (308 
feet thick; top, 333 feet 
above sea level) — 
Limestone, brown (Sha- 

kopee) 

Sandstone (New Rich- 
mond) 

No record 

Limestone, brown (One- 
ota) 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 



52 



45 
142 



Depth. 



Feet. 



717 



838 



883 
1,025 



1,025 



Plainfield. — Open and driven wells supply Plainfield (population, 
288), which is situated on the terraces of the flood plain of Cedar 
Ri^er. 

Readlyn. — At Readlyn (population, 227), wells drilled to a depth 
of 80 to 125 feet enter rock at about 80 feet. Drillers report the fol- 
lowing succession of deposits: 



270 UNDEKGKOUISTD WATEK EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Log of wells near Readlyn. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, j'^ellow 

Clay, blue 

Clay, yellow to rock. 




Feet. 
60 
70 



Sumner. — The town of Sumner (population, 1,404) is supplied by an 
artesian well 1,770 feet deep, drilled by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago, 
in 1902, The well is 10 inches in diameter to 120 feet, 8 inches to 
234 feet; 6 inches to bottom; casing to 730 feet. The curb is 1,054 
feet above sea level and the head is 144 feet below curb. Water in 
the middle Maquoketa at 260 feet rose to 18 feet below curb; the tem- 
perature of this water was 51° F. Water was also found in the 
Galena at 420 to 660 feet, and in the Oneota at 1,086 feet, the lower 
waters heading 144 feet below curb. The well yields 200 gallons per 
minute with pump cylinder 204 feet below curb. 

The strata penetrated are indicated by the following section of the 
city well at Sumner: 

Record of strata in Sumner city well. 

Pleistocene (128 feet thick; top, 1,054 above sea level): Feet. 

Sand and gravel, yellow 40 

Gravel, coarse; pebbles in sample up to 3 inches diameter 41 

Till, glacial, stony clay, drab; sandy at 90 feet; 7 samples .... 50-120 
Devonian or Silurian (22 feet thick; top, 926 feet above sea level): 

Limestone; largely drab, fine grained, of Wapsipinicon type. 128 
Limestone, hard, light buff ; of rapid effervescence; 2 samples. 135-140 
Limestone and shale; limestone, light, buff, of rapid efier- 

vescence; shale, drab; 2 samples 150-160 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (220 feet thick; top, 904 feet above sea level): 

Shale, blue green, plastic, calcareous; 5 samples 170-220 

"Hard rock" in driller's log at 230 

Drift, sand, and gravel 235 

Limestone, light blue gray; earthy luster, mottled, of 
rapid effervescence in cold dilute HCl, with much 

chert of same color; 4 samples 250-280 

Limestone, soft, semicrystalline, gray; rapid efferves- 
cence; cherty; 1 sample containing crinoid stem; 3 

samples 290-310 

Shale ; light blue green, calcareous ; 5 samples 320-360 

Galena limestone to Platte ville limestone (344 feet thick; top, 
684 above sea level) : 
Limestone, blue gray ; of rapid effervescence ; 3 samples . 370-390 

Shale, calcareous, drab; 2 samples 400-410 

Limestone, cream colored, soft; in thin flakes 410-420 



BEEMBR COUNTY. 271 

Ordovician — Continued . 

Galena limestone to Platteville limestone — Continued. Feet. 

Limestone, light and dark gray; soft earthy luster; rapid 

effervescence; 21 samples 430-610 

Limestone, dark blue, highly fossiliferous; 2 samples. . 640-650 
Shale, bright green, plastic, slightly calcareous; 3 samples 

(probably Decorah shale) 660-668 

Limestone, mottled gray, fossiliferous; rapid efferves- 
cence ; 5 samples 678-710 

Shale, bright green; highly fossiliferous at 665 and 710 
feet; fragments with bits of characteristic fossil brachio- 
pods, etc. , occur in almost all the drillings from below. 710-714 
St. Peter sandstone (66 feet thick; top, 340 feet above sea 
level) : 
\ Sandstone, of clean, white, quartz sand; grains well 
rounded, rather fine; at 720 feet some limestone chip- 
pings in the drillings; 5 samples 720-770 

Prairie du Chien group : 

Shakopee dolomite (140 feet thick; top, 274 above sea 
level) : 

Dolomite, white, gray, and light buff; in places 

cherty, crystalline ; 7 samples 780-850 

Dolomite, cream colored ; much quartz sand in drill- 
ings 860 

Dolomite, pink, arenaceous; with minute rounded 

grains of crystalline quartz; 2 samples 870-880 

Dolomite, light buff and pinkish;- 3 samples 890-910 

New Richmond sandstone (40 feet thick; top, 134 feet 
above sea level) : 

Sandstone and dolomite; drillings chiefly fine grains 
of quartz sand, but with chips of light-gray dolo- 
mite; 2 samples 920-930 

Sandstone, fine grained, white; grains well rounded. 940 

Sandstone, white, and dolomite, gray 950 

Oneota dolomite (200 feet thick; top, 94 feet above sea 
level) : 

Dolomite, white or light gray; in places saccharoidal, 
in places with white chert; at 980 feet drillings con- 
tain considerable sand ; 13 samples 960-1, 080 

Sandstone ; of white clean quartz, grains well rounded ; 

moderately fine 1, 090 

Dolomite, white and light-gray and buff; siliceous 
residues of finely divided quartzose matter; at 1,150 

feet finely arenaceous; 3 samples 1, 120-1, 150 

Cambrian : 

Jordan sandstone (120 feet thick; top, 106 feet below sea 
level) : 

Sandstone, fine grained, white; grains of clear quartz, well 

rounded; 2 samples 1, 160-1, 170 

Sandstone, as above, but coarser, largest grains 1 milli- 
meter in diameter 1, 180 

Sandstone; 3 samples , ..„,,.,..,..,,.,. 1, 210 



272 UNDERGROUISTD WATEE RESOUECES OP IOWA. 

Cambrian — Continued. 

Jordan sandstone — Continued. Feet. 
Indecisive; at 1,236 feet highly calcareous shale resem- 
bling Maquoketa; at 1,230 and 1,240 limestone, clearly 
Galena or Platte ville and fallen in the boring; consid- 
erable quartz sand may have fallen from above but is 
the only material in samples in which the drill appar- 
ently could have worked; 3 samples 1, 230-1, 240 

Sandstone, fine, white; Galena or Platteville limestone 

in the drillings; 2 samples 1, 260-1, 270 

St. Lawrence formation (460 feet thick; top, 226 feet below 
sea level) : 

Dolomite, highly siliceous; minute angular particles of 
crystalline quartz; in places green grains of glauconite; 

13 samples 1, 280-1, 425 

Shale, reddish, slightly calcareous 1, 430 

Shale, green slightly calcareous; 3 samples. . .' 1, 440-1. 460 

Shale, green, fossiliferous, practically noncalcareous; 

minutely quartzose; 5 samples 1, 480-1, 520 

Shale, bright and light green, highly arenaceous; minute 

grains of quartz; glauconiferous ,1, 530-1, 550 

Sandstone, gray, fine grained; glauconite grains 1, 560 

A few water- worn fragments of shale 1, 570 

Chiefly rusted chips of iron, from a fallen slush bucket, 

cut up by the drill 1, 580 

Sandstone, gray, fine grained 1, 600 

Shale, dark and bright green; minutely arenaceous and 

glauconiferous; 20 samples 1, 610-1, 620 

Sandstone, fine grained; some greenish argillaceous ma- 
terial; dried blocks set after pouring from slush bucket 

are readily friable 1, 630 

Shale, light green, finely arenaceous, slightly calcareous, 

plastic 1, 640 

Marl, green, greenish yellow, or greenish gray; highly 
arenaceous with almost impalpable quartz grains; cal- 
careous and argillaceous; glauconite present in round 
dark-green grains; some samples easily friable when 
dried, others more clayey and somewhat tenacious; 9 
samples 1, 660-1,740 

The water is distributed thi'ough 2^ niiles of mains to 92 taps and 
14 fire hydrants under 50 pounds pressure. 

Tripoli. — The town of Tripoli (population, 755) is supplied from a 
well 113 feet deep, said to be capable of furnishing at least 70 barrels 
an hour. Water is distributed from a tank (capacity, 2,000 barrels) 
set on posts 90 feet high. There are 6,000 feet of mains, 16 fire 
hydrants, and 50 taps. Most wells in the village find water in gravel 
resting on bedrock. 

Waverly. — The city of Waverly (population, 3,205) is supplied by 
an artesian well 1,720 feet deep, drilled in 1899 by J. P. Miller & Co., 
of Chicago. (See PL VII.) The well is 12 inches in diameter to a 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE VII 



29 miles 



'~----_Pleistocen( 



Vinton 




GEOLOGIC SECTION BEiTWEEN ST. ANSGAK AND VINTON, IOWA 
By W. H. Norton 



BEEMEE COUNTY. 273 

depth of 15 feet, 10 inches to 100 feet, 8 inches to bottom, and is 
cased to a depth of 100 feet. The curb is 930 feet above sea level. 
The head was not tested, but the natural flow is 225 gallons per 
minute. Water was found at a depth of 730 feet (in the St. Peter), 
at 840 to 900 feet (in the Shakopee, first flow), and at 1,120 to 1,200 
feet (in the Jordan). The temperature is 53° F. 

The strata penetrated are shown by the following table: 

Record of strata in city ivell at Waverly (PI. VII, p. 272). 

Devonian (70 feet thick; top, 930 feet above sea level): Feet. 

Limestone ; buff, earthy 20 

Limestone; light buff, earthy 30 

Limestone; dense, hard, brittle, brownish drab and light 
buff, of finest grain and conchoidal fracture; rapidity of 
> effervescence in cold dilute HCl indicated a very slight per- 
centage of magnesium carbonate; facies of Wapsipinicon 

limestone 40 

Limestone; as above, with a few chips of flint and some of 

light-yellow arenaceous limestone 50 

Limestone; light buff, earthy, rapid effervescence. 60 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (50 feet thick; top, 860 feet above sealevel)— 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone; gray; earthy luster. .. . 70 
Dolomite or magnesian limestone; in coarse chips, with 
flakes of bluish-white subtranslucent cryptocrystalline 

quartz 80 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, ' yellow gray; in fine 

sand 90 

Dolomite; in large chips, gray; earthy luster, with crypto- 
crystalline silica 100 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, soft, blue, subcrystal- 

line 110 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (150 feet thick; top, 810 feet above sea 
level): 

Shale, blue; with small nodules of pyrite and fine sand of 

» bluish limestone chippings 120 

Limestone, soft, blue, saccharoidal, of brisk effervescence, 

pyritiferous 130 

Shale, calcareous, bluish or greenish; 13 samples 140-260 

Galena limestone to Platteville limestone (420 feet thick; top, 
660 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, mottled, light and dark drab, fine saccharoidal, 

magnesian 270 

Flint, light drab; in large chips; with blue-gray lime- 

A stone, of rapid effervescence 280 

Limestone, blue, gray; of rapid effervescence; soft, 

argillaceous, with considerable flint; 3 samples 290-320 

Limestone, white, light gray and cream colored; in thin 
flakes; rather soft, somewhat argillaceous; luster 

earthy; effervescence rapid ; 16 samples ' 360-590 

Shale, green; with some fine chips of limestone 600 

36581°— wsp 293—12 18 



274 UI^DEKGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OF lOV/A. 

Ordovician — Continued. 

Galena limestone to Platteville limestone — Continued. Feet. 

Limestone, soft, earthy, nonmagnesian, light gray, fossil- 

iferous GIO 

Limestone and shale; the latter green; two samples for 
this depth, one of limestone and one of shale, may rep- 
resent the interval between 610 and 630 feet 620 

Shale, green; in angular chips, with some chips of light- 
gray limestone, as above G30 

Limestone, soft, earthy; with much green shale; 3 sam- 
ples 640-660 

Shale, green, bright, plastic; large pieces of dried clay 

cleaned from drill; 2 samples 670-680 

St. Peter sandstone (30 feet thick; top, 240 feet above sea 
level) : 
Sandstone, white, soft; grains of pure quartz, moderately 

well-rounded and rather fine; 3 samples 690-710 

Prairie du Chien grouj) : 

Shakopee dolomite (240 feet thick; top, 210 feet below sea 
level): 

Dolomite, gray, cherty; with chips of white sac- 

charoidal sandstone and much quartz sand 720 

Dolomite, hard, crystalline, light gray and cream 
colored; in chips A\dth much quartz sand; 3 sam- 
ples 740-780 

Dolomite, light, yellow gray; in chips mingled with 

much white sand 790-920 

(Drillings said to have washed away because of over- 
flow at 840 feet.) 
Dolomite, white, ciystalline, cherty; with much 

moderately fine quartz sand ; 2 samples 930-940 

Dolomite, cream colored 950 

New Richmond sandstone (20 feet thick; top, 30 feet 
below sea level): 

Sandstone, white, fine grained, calcareous cement; 
in small chips, ^vith some pink dolomite and grains 

of sand 960 

Dolomite, light gray, cherty, arenaceous 970 

Oneota dolomite (150 feet thick; top, 50 feet below sea 
level): 

Dolomite; mostly in clean sand and chips, vesicular, 

white, gray, pink; some cherty; 13 samples 980-1, 120 

Cambrian : 

Jordan sandstone (110 feet thick; top, 200 feet below sea 
level): 

Sandstone, white, soft; of clear quartz, grains rounded, 
general size of grains of last sample about 0.5 millimeter 

in diameter; 3 samples 1, 130-1, 150 

Sandstone; drillings aj^parently consist in part of angular 
sand of light yellow dolomite, effervescing freely in hot 
HCl. Under the microscope it is seen to consist of 
minute angular grains of limpid crystalline quartz "with 
calcareous cement; much of the drillings consists of 
rounded grains of white sand; 2 samples 1, 160-1, 170 



BEEMER COUNTY. 275 

Cambrian — Continued. 

Jordan sandstone — Continued. Feet. 

Sandstone; quartz, moderately fine and well rounded, 

with chippings of gray dolomite 1, 180 

Sandstone, calciferous , 2 samples 1, 190-1, 200 

Sandstone, fine grained, white 1, 210 

Sandstone, calciferous; with some flakes of dolomite; 2 

samples 1, 220-1, 230 

St. Lawrence formation (480 feet thick; top, 310 feet below sea 
level): 

Dolomite, highly siliceous; with finely divided quartzose 
matter of angular particles, somewhat arenaceous; with 

bright green grains of glauconite; 4 samples 1, 240-1, 270 

Chert and dolomite and siliceo-calcareous shale 1, 280 

X Dolomite, highly argillaceous and siliceous 1, 290 

Dolomite, gray, siliceous; silica in form of minute angular 
crystalline particles constituting a large part of the 
rock; some green grains of glauconite; 5 samples. 1, 300-1, 340 
■ Shale, bluish green, slightly calcareous; 4 samples. . 1, 410-1, 440 

Shale, pink, buff, and green, noncalcareous 1, 450 

Shale, blue green, somewhat indurated, noncalcareous; 

8 samples 1,460-1,530 

Sandstone; rather coarse grains, drillings contain clayey 

admixture and dolomite chips 1, 540-1, 580 

Shale of various colors; yellow and dark-green set thickly 
with grains of red; arenaceous, Avith small, partly 

rounded quartz grains 1, 590 

Shale, blue green; -with considerable red shale, probably 
from above; 9 samples 1, 600-1, 720 

The water is pumped to a tank with a capacity of 60,000 gallons, 
and distributed through 8 miles of mains to 52 hydrants and 350 
taps. Domestic pressure is 70 pounds, and fire pressure 125 pounds. 

The excellent artesian supply has largely displaced the house wells 
of the town. Weils sunk before its introduction found water at vary- 
ing depths. On the river terrace of Sturtevant's addition driven wells 
were used 15 to 20 feet deep. On the high liills of the first ward 
wells were sunk through loess and drift nearly 100 feet to rock. On 
the east side of the river a former channel of the Cedar is sounded by 
wells, which on the bottom lands of the fourth ward descend between 
90 and 100 feet in river sand throughout, showing that the old rock 
floor lies scores of feet below the present rock-cut channel of the 
river through the town, 

Waverly Junction. — At Waverly Junction (population, 80) wells 
range in depth from 30 feet (driven) to 100 feet (drilled). Rock is 
entered at 30 to 40 feet below the surface. 



276 UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

WELL DATA. 

The following tables give data of typical wells in Bremer County: 

Typical wells in Bremer County. 











Head 










Depth 


above 




Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


to 
rock. 


or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


T. 93 N., R. 14 W. 












(Polk). 
















Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 




R. P. Black 


NE.iSE. isec. 3 

SE. JNE. J sec. 4 


75 
139 


40 

lis 


'"'"i24" 




M. Carrier 


Sai 1 to be flowing stream at bot- 












tom. 


T. 93N., R. 13W. 












(Douglas). 












J. Neuendorf 


NB. 1 SE. isec. 2 


200 


190 








NE. iNAV. isec. 3... 
SE. iSE. isec. 6 


200 
266 


170 
200 






C. Zwanziger 


Blue clay, 200; soft rock and shale 












(upper Maquoketa), 60; hard 












limestone (middle Maquoketa) 
6. 


Republic Creamery.. 


NAV. i SAAT. i sec. 9 . . . 


180 


178 




A. Hiarniann. . 


SE.iSAV. J sec. 26... 


111 


100 




Creek bottom. 


H. AVinzenberg 


SAA^iSAV. isec. 27... 


220 


49 




Yellow clay, 30; blue clay, 19; 
limestone (Niagara), 10; shale 
(upper Maquoketa), 87; "sand- 
stone" (perhaps sharp yellow 
sand cut from colomite of mid- 
dle Maquoketa), 20. 


L. Burgman 


SAA^. iSE. i sec. 17.... 


65 




-10 




D. Moler 


NAV. iNW. i sec. 35.. 


196 


170 




First rock struck a soapstone 




(shale) at 20; then 6 of gray 












rock containing water. 


J. S. Leamon 


1 mile SE. Dickey 
post oJTice. 




200 






T. 93 N., R. 12 W. 












(Fredekika and 












PART OF LEROY). 












M. Collins 


SW. isec. 5 


100 


80 






J. N. Johnson 


SE. iSAV. isec. 6 


53 


13 






M. Mowatt 


NW. iNE.isec. S ... 


105 


55 






J. Pinierton 


NE.iNE.isec. 8.... 

SE. iNE.isec. 8 

NAV. iNE. isec. 9.... 


72 
100 
SO 


52 
92 
60 






W. J. Meier 




M. O.Comiell 




r. AVolfgramm 


NAV. iNW. isec. IG.. 


97 


91 






C. L. Rima 


SE. iSW. isec. 18.... 


53 


13 






F. Schultz. 


SE. iNE. isec. 31.... 


103 






Yellow clay, 12; blue clay, 86; 








sand, 5; ends in sand. 


C. F. Schwem 


NAV. iNAV. isec. 32.. 


87 


60 




Yellow clay, 10: blue clay, 24; 
sand, 16; blue clay, 10; rock, 27. 


C. E. Faleher 


NW. iNE. isec. 22... 


146 


136 




Upland. Yellow clay, 12; bhie 
clay, 63; old ill-smelling soil, 20; 
blue clay, 41; rock, 10. 


H.J. Pelton 


NAV. iSE. isec. 1.... 


190 




-60 


Upland. Yellow and blue clay; 
struck 25 feet of soft jumping 
clay, 156; water-bearing sand to 
bottom. 


T. McConjQell 


NW. iNE. isec. 3.... 


73 




-10 


Close to East Wapsipinicon bot- 
toms. 


J. Leach 


NE.iNE.isec. 3.... 


112 




-40 


All clay to water-bearing gravel 












at bottom. 


LH. Fay 


NW. isec. 11 


(?) 


100 






F. H. Friedman 


3 miles NE. Tripoli... 


230 




+ 2 


Ends in water-bearing sand; 
yields 10 gallons per minute. 


John McQueeny 


NAV. i NE. i sec. IS... 


283 


200 


-50 


Divide. Drift, 200; shale (upper 
Maquoketa), 60; lime rock (mid- 
ble Maquoketa), 23. 












A. Schmidt 


NE. iNAV. isec. 18.. . 


222 


220 




Divide. Drift clays, 135; quick- 
sand (fine dark gray), 60; blue 
clay, 25; soft shale (Maquo- 
keta), 2. 


AV. B. Barnes 


NW. iNAV. isec. 18.. 


158 




+4 


Near foot of hill by Mentor Creek. 
Blue clay, 96; quicksand and 
wood, 60; coarse gravel and 
water, 2 


E. AVebster 


NE. isec. 19 


49 






AA''ater in gravel. 



BEEMER COUNTY. 

Typical ivells in Bremer County — Continued. 



277 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Head 

above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


T. 93 N., R. 11 W. 
(Sumner and 

PAET OF LerOY). 

P. O'Connell 

Creamery 


NW. iNE. Jsec. 8.... 

SE. JSE. isec. 5 

SE. JSE. isec. 9 

NE. iNE. isec. 10... 
SW. iSW. Jsec. 14... 
NW. JNW. isec. 15.. 
SE. iNE. Jsec. 17.... 
SW. Jsec. 21 


Feet. 
310 

128 
153 
195 
141 
120 
116 
138 

56 
130 

(?) 
(?) 
80 

102 

13S 

130 

136 
112 
112 
136 

287 

150 
92 
236 
80 
201 
385 
317 
352 

236 
190 
130 
240 
130 
148 
141 
128 

120 

30 

100 

89 

110 


Feet. 
170 

116 
147 
194 
136 


Feet. 
-80 


High prairie. Yellow clay, 15; 
blue clay, 155; limestone, 140. 


J. M. Jenks 

F. C. Krause 

C. Shophonster 


Blue clay, 194; limestone spalls, 1. 
All clay to rock. 
Ends in 6 feet of sand. 


H. Friend 


112 






G. Hamrnetter. . . 


Blue clay, 132; sand, 6. 


T. 92 N., R. 14 W. 
(Lafayette and 

PART OF AVaSH- 
INGTON). 

T. McCartney 

W. S. Grover 


SW. iSW. isec. 2.... 

SE. J NE. J sec. 3 

SW. iNWisec. 4.... 
NE. iNE. Jsec. 10... 
NW. J sec. 17 . . 








100 
29 

130 
80 

30 

70 

30 

90 
60 
70 
75 

180 




Bottoms of Cedar River. 


H. S. Bunth 

C. A. Kingsley 

W. M. Coltou 

B. Bennett 


Upland. 

Yellow clay, 15; blue clay, 65; 
white limestone, 80. 

On upland. Drift, 30; limestone, 
25; soapstone, blue soft (Inde- 
pendence shale member), 30; 
limestone, 17. 

Yellow clay, 10; blue clay, 60; 


SE.JNE. Jsec. 20-..- 
SE. J SW J sec. 20 

NW. JSW. Jsec. 21... 
Sec. 29 


'i 
E. Chase 


limestone, 44; shale gray (In- 
dependence), 10; limestone, 14, 
containing water. 
Drift, 30; limestone, 50; limestone 




and shale, the latter in several 
beds 4 or 5 feet thick (Inde- 
pendence), 40; limestone, 10. 


J. Boglston . 


SE.JNE. isec. 31.... 
NW. Jsec. 32 








Wm. Cook 


SW. JSW, J sec. 36... 

SW. JSE. isec. 4 

SW. iNW. isec. 5.... 
SW. iSW. isec. 0.... 

SE.JNE. Jsec. 5 

SW. iSW. isec. 7.... 
NW. iNW. isec. 7... 

SW. iSE. Jsec. 7 

SE. JSE. Jsec. 17 

SW. JSW. Jsec. 16... 

NE. iNE. Jsec. 17... 
SW. JSW. Jsec. 18... 
NW. JSE. Jsec. 24... 
NW. JNE. Jsec. 27... 
SE. JNW. Jsec. 31... 
SE. Jsec. 32 


Drift, 75; limestone (Devonian), 


T. 92 N., R. 13 W. 
(Warren). 

L. Ladage 


45; shale (Independence), 2; 
limestone, 14. 

Water lowered on drilling of 


J. Wilkins 


Wixenburg well, 2 miles north. 
Ends in water-bearing gravel. 
Do. 


J. Alcock 














W. B. IngersoU 

L. Armstrong 

T. E. McCoy 








196 
(?) 
212 
210 






F. Potliast....(. 

F. C. Pothast 


Drift, 212; limestone, 5; shale, 100. 
Drift, 210; limestone, 5; shale, 135; 

sandstone mth water, 2. 
All in drift. 


n. S. Hoover 

Bremer County farm. 
F. Kohagen 


18.5 
105 


-.30' 




M. Sharp 

Chas. Gors 


70 
60 




No shale. 


M. Bsntradt 


SE JNW. J sec. 32 

SE. JSW. J sec. 35.... 

SW. JNW. Jsec. 36... 

SE. JSE. isec. 6 

NE. JNE. Jsec. 19.... 
NE. JSE. Jsec. 4 

NE. J sec. 23 




W. T. Weideman 






Bottoms of quarter section mn. 


S. Clausing 

T. 92 N., R. 12 W. 
(Fremont). 

C. F. Davies 

H. Henniags 


(?) 

12 

100 

84 

100 


-30 


Blue clay, 128 feet; sand. 
Flowing well. 

Lowland, about 2J miles from aa 
outcrop of Niagara limestone. 


Miller 


No sand worth mentioning; 


A. D. Chapin 


water in rock. 
Yellow clay, 7; blue clav. 93. 




limestone", 10. 



278 



■^JNDEKGROUND WATEE RESOUECES OF lOV/A. 
Typical wells in Bremer County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Head 

above 

or 

below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


T. 92 N., R. 11 W. 
(Dayton). 

C. Seehase 


SE. i SW. 1 sec. 8 

SW. -i NW. i sec. 14... 

SW. iSW. i-sec. 24... 
NE. iSW. isec. 25... 

NE. JNE.isec. 27.... 
SW. iSE.Jsec. 2S..-- 
SW. iSW. isee. 30... 
SW. iNAV. J sec. 31... 

NW. JNW. 1 sec. 33.. 

SW. JSE. J sec. 5 

NV^^iNE. isec. 6.... 

SW. iSE.isec. 7 

SW. JSW. isec. 7.... 
NW. Jsec. 7 


Feet. 
195 

171 

183 
150 

130 

148 

109 
128 

150 

104 

136 
95 
65 

120 

327 

92 
214 

(?) 
214 

214 
220 

110 
132 

122 
82 

90 
120 
122 

95 

158 

95 
80 

50 
100 
100 

90 


Feet. 
190 


Feet. 


Divide between Wapsipiuicon 

River and Buck Creek. 
Divide between Buck Creek and 


J. C. Sell 


H. Nuss 






Little Wapsipiuicon; ends in 
sand. 
Ends in sand 


I. Leverton 


145 




Yellow clay, 30; blue clay, 115; 

limestone rock, 5. 
Ends in sand. 


C. Sch%vahn 


>v. Mersch 


PO 
120 


-30 

- 9 

- S 


Ends ia sand. Yellow clay, 20; 
blue clay, 126; sand, 2; typical 
of wells in this and adjacent 
sections. 

West bank of WapsipLnicon Val- 
ley. 

West bank of Wapsipiuicon Val- 
ley. Yellow clay, 40; blue clay, 
SO; hard gray limestone, 8. 
Water at 128. 

All clay to water-bearing sand at 
bottom. 

Yellow clay, 10; blue clav 35" 


Wm. Franklin 

Geo. Watts 

F. Pohler.. 


T. 91 N., R. 13 W. 
(Jefferson and 
PARTS OF Wash- 
ington AND Jack- 
son). 

Washington Cream- 
ery. 

F. Soklwisah 

Hans Christian 

M. Siuot 

Chicago Great 


81 

90 
25 
40 
45 

156 

60 
29 

SO 


-90 


Western R}^ (E. 
N. Perry). 
Wm. Ilenning 

L.Cory 


SW. JNE. isec. 8 

SE. iSW. isec. 17.... 
NE. iSE. isec. 30.... 

SE. iSE.isec. 30 

NW. iNW. isec. 2... 

SW. iSE. isec. 2 

SE.iNW. isec. 2.... 

NW. isec. 4 


limestone, 75. 

Blue clay, 156; limestone, 75: 
shale (Maquoketa), 96. Well 
unsuccessful; on another part 
of same farm water was found 
in drifts and at 150 feet. 

High hill. 


Geo. Baskins 

J. Lewis 

II. A. Knief 


Drift, 29; limestone (Devonian 
and Silurian), 87; shale (upper 
Maquoketa), 95; sandstone, 3. 

Ends in sand, all blue clay above 


W. II. Knief... 






sand. 
Do. 


John Knief 






Blue clay, 210; sand, fine gray 
and black, with some wood at 
10. 


Wm. Baskins... 


100 
63 

122 




W. FaiTis 


SE. iSW. isec. 23.... 

NE. isec. 25 

NE. iNE. isec. 26.... 

NW. iNW. isec. 27.. 
NE. iSE. isec. 33-... 
NE.iSE. isec. 35.... 

1 mile N. and 1 mile 
W. of Denver. 

NW. i N W. i sec. 1 . . . 

SW.iSE.isec.il.... 
SAV. iSE.isec. 21.... 

SW. iSW. isec. 22... 
SE. iNE. isec. 23.... 
NW.iSE. isec. 24... 
NE. iNE. isec. 35... 


Loess and yellow till, 22; blue 


Julius Wille 

M. E.Bloeser 

H.Walter 


clay, 41; limestone, 69. 
High hill. 
Soft yellow clay, 13; blue clay, 69; 

rock at 82. 


G. B.Briden 

M. FaiTington 

John Dornbush 

T. 91 N., R. 12 W. 

(Max FIELD). 

M. Gauske... 


40 
110 

lis 

SO 


— 70 

"'"-lo' 


Drift, 40; rock, 80. 

Yellow clay and gravel, 30; sand 

at 30; blue clay, 80; rock, 12. 
Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 25; 

limestone, 50. 

Yellow clay, 20: blue clay, 98, to 
rock. 

A few feet above level of flood 


H. Olendorf 

Geo. Knief 




plain of Crane Creek. 
Ends in sand. 


J. P. Ottrogge 

J. P. Ottrogge 

P. 0. Klinger 






Do. 















BKEMEE COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Bremer County — Continued. 



279 



OwTier. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
cui'b. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


T. 91 N., R. 12 W. 
(Maxfield)— Con. 

H. Vv'. Meggerhoff... 


NE. iSE. Jsec. 14.... 
NW. J sec. 20 


Feet. 

86 

GO 
273 

240 

275 

130 
123 

128 
98 

140 

130 

120 

112 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Yellow clay, 30; blue clay, 40; 

sand and gravel, 16. 
Yellow clay, 13; blue clay, 47. 
All blue clay to bottom, where 

water was found in sand and 

gravel. 

Drift clays, 200; "yellowish sub- 
stance between rock and clay," 
30; solid limestone with water, 
10. 

Clay, 200; sand, gray, very fine, 
dry, 70; gravel and sand with 
water, 5. 

Ends in sand. 


J. Kolling 


230 


— 35 
-73 

-30 
-24 


II . Poock. . 


SE. JNE.7isec. 32.... 

SW. JSW. Jsec. 7.... 

NE. JSW. isec. 7.... 

NW. JNE.isec. 19... 
NE. iNE. Jsec. 13.... 

NE. iSE. Jsee. 12.... 

NE.JNE.isec. 12.... 

SW. JSW. Jsec. 1.... 
SW. J-NW. Jsec. 1.... 
NW. JNW. Jsec. 1... 
SW. JSE. Jsec. 2 

NE. J SE. Jsec. 26 


T. 91 N., R. 11 V\'. 
(Feankun). 

B. Bierie^. 


J. H. Rohrson 

G. Vander Walker.. . 


Orrin Station 

R. Rundle 


98 

100 
90 

120 

100 

103 

108 

100 

75 
80 
90 
60 
45 
60 

90 

80 
70 
100 
40 


-40 
-30 


Yellow clay, 40; blue clay, 58, to 

rock: water in rock. 
Clay, 100, to rock; water in rock 


Shippy and Har- 

wood. 
Haas Kahler... 


Yellow clay, 50; sand, 10; blue 

clay, 30, to rock. 
Yellow clay, 30; sand, 10; blue 


"\Vm. Mundt.. 


clay, 80, to rock; water in rock. 
Drift clays, 80; gray sand with 

mnddy water, 20; rock, 30. 
Yellow clay, 30; blue clay 58' 


J. T. Nuss.. 


Chris. Nieland 

D. Kerns 


sand, 15; limestone, 17. 
Yellow clay, 30; blue clay, 78, to 
rock; water in rock, no sand in 
well. 


T. 91 N., R. 14 W. 
(PARTS OF Wash- 
ington AND Jack- 
son). 

G. W. Bowman 

Bowman Bros 

Geo. Moodv. . . 


NW. JNW. Jsec. 5... 

SE. JNE. Jsec.4 

NE. JNE. Jsec. 9 

SW. JNW. Jsec. 11... 

NE. Jsec. 13 

NE. Jsec. 12 

NE. JSE. Jsec. 1 

NW. JNW. Jsec. 1... 

NE. JSW. Jsec. 21... 
NE. JNW. Jsec. 22... 
SE. JNW. Jsee. 28... 
NE. JSW. Jsee. 34... 


112 
112 
136 
90 
45 
89 

126 

151 
126 
126 
70 
40 


High ground. 
Hill. 


E. Taylor 




Geo. Curtis 

Chicago Great 'West- 
em Ry. (J. Carry). 
A. S. Mores 

CM. Barber 

Allen Sewall.. 


Sand, 20; yellow clay, 25. 

Yellow clay, 25; blue claj^, 65.' 
limestone, 36. 


0. Babcock 




D. Lehman.. 




School No. 1 













Typical wells in the Wapsipinicon Valley artesian field, Bremer County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Head. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


T. 93 N., R. 11 W. 
(Sumner and part 
OF Le Roy). 

W. B. Barnes .. 


NAV 

SW. 

NE. 


Jsec. 18 

Jsec. 31 

Jsec. 13 


Feet. 
156 

140 
120 


Feet. 
4 

- 4 


Blue clay, 60, fine soft quicksand 
some wood at bottom; coarse grave 
water. 

Ends in gravel. 

Overflows. 


with 


William Kuker 


land 


Hiram Lease 





280 UNDEEGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OE IOWA. 

Typical wells in the Wapsipinicon Valley artesian field, Bremer County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Head. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


T. 93 N., R. 12 W. 
(Le Kot). 

J. Playman 


SW \ sec 25 


Feet. 
So 

110 

64 
53 

16 
230 


Feet. 

12 

- 5 

- 6 

- 9 


Near East Wapsipinicon; diameter, ^ 
inches. 


Louis Testorff 


NW. isec. 26 


John Barbknecht 


NW. Jsec. 28 


On East Wapsipinicon. 


Bertha Gericke 


NW. J sec. 18 


Yellow clay, 10, then gravel which grew 
coarser to bottom. 


Fred Hahn 


NW \ sec 21 


F. H. Friedman 

T. 92N.,R. IIW. 
(Dayton). 

William Kuker 


3 miles NE. of Tripoli. . 
NW. Jsec. 6 


Valley ends in sand and gravel. Flows 
10 gallons per mmute. 


Jacob ITmbrose 


SW. J sec. 7 








Chi-istian Bulir 


SE. Jsec. IS 




30 




D. W.Buhr 


SW. J sec ''0 






W. C. Gode 


SE. \ sec 20 


110 
75 
121 

'"'ios' 


6 

""io" 


Water jetted 15 feet from top of 3 -inch 

pipe. 
Yellow clay, 10; sand and gravel, 30; blue 

clay, 25; limestone, 10. 


P. Wynkoff 


SE 1 sec 30 


N. Traufler 


NE ^ sec ''9 


0. A. McCumber 

Robert Watts 


NE.isfiC.31 

fcW. -|sec. 31 


10 or 12 feet above valley floor. Sand, 4; 


T. 92 N., R. 12 W. 

(Feemont). 

A. P. Chapin 


SE. \ sec. 13 


yellow clay, blue clay"; limestone at 82; 
water in rock near bottom. 


C. C. Cook 


NE i sec 1 






Temperature, 47° F. 

About 10 feet above Wapsipinicon bot- 
toms. Diameter, 5| inches. Temper- 
ature, 47.3° F. Sand, 8; blue clay, 94; 
cemented gray gravel, 18. 


J.J. Cook 


SE. 1 sec 1 


120 


21 


J. y. Hazlett 


SE. \ sec. 24 


A. Countryman 


SW. J sec. 1. 






Hillside. Flows only when Cook's well 
is shut off. 


T.91N.,R. IIW. 
(Fkanklin). 

W. Benzow 


SE. Jsec. 5.... 






CarlBalte 


NW. Jsec. 9... 








Charles Peck 


NE. Jsec. 7 








Peter Watrine 


NW. Jsec. 27 


100 
100 
93 






George Meier 


NE. Jsec. 5 . 




Anthony Schmeltzer. 


SW. Jsec. 22 


Hillslope; has now ceased to flow; drilled 


William Green 


NW.Jsec. 6 


about 1875. 


Albert Judish 


NW. Jsec. 8 








Frederick Hartman . . 


SE. Jsec. 8 


100 






Eugene Hemfseed 


NE. Jsec. 8 




F. H. Schroeder 


SE. Jsec. 8 








Henry Fulu" 


NE. Jsec. 17 


92 
98 

102 
71 

107 
92 


4 
12 

"■"lo" 

36 
4 


Hillside, 20 feet above Wapsipinicon 
bottoms. Diameter, 5 inches; drilled 
in 1903. 

Diameter 2 inches; elevation, 9 feet above 


Wniiam Beal 


SE. Jsec. 17 


B. F. Call . . 


SW J sec 1-5 


Wapsipinicon River. Temperature, 
48° F. Loam, 2; sand, 28; blue stony 
clay, 67J; gravel, J. 

Hillside. Well just overflowed. 

Diameter, 5 inches. Temperature, 49° F. 


J. W. Rommell 


NE. Jsec. 20 


Leopold Leistikow. . . 

George Rommell 

J. Campbell 


SW. Jsec. 20 


Flow, 2 gallons through |-inch pipe. 
Yellow sand and clay, 20; blue clay, 51; 
gravel. 

Temperature, 47.3° F. Rims 30 gallons 
per minute through ll-inch pipe plug- 
ged into square iron rod. 

Temperature, 49.5° F. Flows 1? gallons 
per minute tlurough J-inch pipe. 


NW. Jsec. 21 

NW.Jsec. 21 


Louis Fettkether 


NW. Jsec. 29 








H . lyeistiko w 


NW. Jsec. 29. ... 


113 




Temperature, 49° F. Drill lifted when 




NW. Jsec. 29 


water was struck at base of blue till at 

113 feet. 
Temperature, 49° F. Now a feeble flow. 
Formerly used for earn ponds. 


Charles Liebert 


NW. Jsec. 29 






M. E. Perry 


NE. J sec. 32 . . . . 


100 
lOfi 
138 


-20 




Grove Hill Creamery. 

Carl Ha?enow 

Henry Tiedt 


NW.Jsec. 22 


Slope. 


S. isec.6 

NE. I sec. 18 


30 -feet aljovc river. Ends in gravel. 













UJSTDERGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 281 

BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

By M. F. Arey. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Topographically Buchanan County does not differ greatly from 
the other parts of the lowan drift prairie. The inequalities in its 
surface are a Httle more pronounced in the southern half than in the 
northern, for the stream courses trend southward. 

Wapsipmicon River crosses the county from northwest to south- 
east. Its principal tributaries in the county, the Little Wapsipinicon, 
Otter, Harter, and Pine creeks, enter from the northeast. Buffalo 
Creek, which joins the Wapsipinicon in Jones County, flows for about 
25 miles of its course in the eastern part of Buchanan County. Tribu- 
taries of the Maquoketa drain almost all of Madison and Fremont 
townships, in the northeast corner; Spring, Lime, and Bear creeks, 
branches of the Cedar, drain the southwest corner. 

GEOLOGY. 

The mdurated rocks in Buchanan County are everywhere covered 
by drift, which attains a maximum tliickness in section 4, Buffalo 
Township. Well records indicate that the underlying rock surface 
is very uneven, partly owing to irregularities in the original deposits 
and partly to preglacial erosion. 

Over about 190 square miles of the northeastern portion of the 
county the drift rests on Silurian rocks, the Niagara dolomite. 
Calvin,^ in his report on the geology of Buchanan County, describes 
the Niagara here as a "coarse, granular, vesicular, dolomite, inter- 
bedded at certain localities with large quantities of chert." In the 
remaining areas the drift rests on the Wapsipinicon and Cedar Valley 
limestones (Middle Devonian). 

The Wapsipinicon, which underlies an area of about 140 square 
miles in the central part of the county, mainly east of Wapsipinicon 
Eiver, comprises a lower member (Independence shale member) , con- 
sisting of dark shale alternating with the beds of limestone, and a 
much thicker and more widespread upper member of brecciated 
limestones. The lower shale member is ill defined, but it undoubt- 
edly has an important effect in determining the underground water 
conditions west of the area assigned to it on the geologic map. 

The Cedar VaUey limestone, which underlies an area of about 240 
square miles in the west and southwest portions of the county, is in 
large part soft, earthy, and somewhat porous, and on exposure 
weathers quite readily. The middle beds are firmer and carry much 
less water. 

I Aim. Kept. Geol. Survey Iowa, vol. 8, 1898, p. 216. 



282 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The ground-water supplies of Buchanan County are obtamed from 
the Buchanan gravel, which lies beneath the alluvial deposits in the 
stream valleys and forms local upland deposits; from the Kansan 
drift; from the sand, gravel, or broken rock underlying the Kansan 
drift; and from the more or less porous beds of the Devonian a,nd 
Silurian limestones. 

A supply of good water ample to meet all existing demands is found 
in every part of the county, but in some localities wells must be sunk 
to a depth of more than 200 feet. The deepest wells are in localities 
where the drift material is deepest. 

Forty or fifty years ago all the water needed for use in the home or for 
stock, aside from that afforded by springs and surface streams, was 
obtained from dug wells, which, m the valleys of many of the larger 
streams, commonly ended in the Buchanan gravel. The water was 
plentiful and usually was considered wholesome, but was likely to 
taste of iron, and such wells were liable to become polluted with 
organic matter washed from the surface. Fortunately improved 
dramage facilities have rendered the supply somewhat uncertain in 
many places, compelling a resort to drilled wells ending in the under- 
lying rock. On the open prairie some of the early settlers obtained 
water by wells ending m the upland phase of the Buchanan gravel, or, 
more commonly, in the pockets or streaks of gravels in the Kansan 
drift. Nearly all of these wells were abandoned long ago. 

The layers of sand, gravel, or broken rock underlying the Kansan 
drift afford a plentiful supply of excellent water, but the water-bear- 
ing material is variable. In many places it comprises a bed of sand 
or gravel from 1 foot to 12 feet thick; m others it is a layer of frag- 
mentary rock mingled with geest or till. In many wells this layer 
affords the first water, but when the supply obtamed is msufRcient 
the driller is compelled to continue mto the rock, where second or 
third flows invariably give ample supplies. So variable, however, 
is the reported depth to water in rock that it is impossible to refer 
the source of supply to any particular beds. 

In the area immediately underlam by the Niagai'a dolomite the 
drift is in many places thin, and most of the wells obtain water in 
the rock. The wells range in depth from 100 to 400 feet, and the 
distances in rock have an equally wide range. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

In the SW. I sec. 1, Washington Township, a well 100 feet deep 
ends in gravel just above the rock. Northwest of the drift well Ij 
miles a well 110 feet deep is 30 feet in rock. A few rods east of the 



BUCHANAN COUNTY. 283 

drift well another well 110 feet deep is oiil}^ 10 feet in rock. A hun- 
dred rods southeast of this, m Washmgton Township, a well 104 feet 
deep is only 4 feet in rock, and another, in Bryan Township, a little 
east of the last, is 12.3 feet deep, 23 feet in rock. 

Calvin^ reports a well in section 22, Buffalo Township, 152 feet deep, 
endmg at the rock in a bed of gravel. In 1898 this well furnished a 
constant stream of water 1 inch in diameter; it is now reported as 
no longer fiowmg. 

In the area in which the drift is immediately underlain by the 
Wapsipinicon limestone wells range in depth from 45 feet (as at Inde- 
pendence) to 136 feet. 

A weU in the NE. I sec. 34, Washington Township, is 73 feet deep 
and is in rock for 70 feet. Rock outcrops in many places for 15 to 
20 mdes not far from the banks of the river and nearly parallel with it. 

In a well in the NE. I sec. 36, Washington To^\mship, rock was found 
20 feet from the surface. The well is 136 feet deep, the last 40 feet 
being chiefly in a gritless clay called "soapstone" by the well driller — - 
undoubtedly the Independence shale member of the Wapsipinicon 
limestone. The well ends m a flinty rock — the Niagara — a good 
water bearer m all this region. In SE. | sec. 36, a well 80 feet deep^ 
72 feet in rock, ends in the ''soapstone," although, of course, the 
water comes from the rock just above it. 

In the area immediately underlain by the Cedar VaUey limestone 
rock weUs range m depth from 85 to 220 feet, and penetrate rock 
from 5 to 170 feet. North of Wapsipinicon River in this area water 
is obtamed in the Buchanan gravel and accurate data for rock wells 
are not available. 

In Westburg Township, m the SW. | sec. 23, a well 220 feet deepj 
140 feet in rock, must reach nearly if not quite to the Independence 
shale member of the Wapsipinicon. In Sumner ToMnnship a well near 
the center of section 19 is 155 feet deep, the last 15 feet bemg in graveL 
No rock occurred anj^where. Another, in the NE. | sec. 22, is 100 
feet deep, the last 20 feet being in rock. This well possibl}^ is in the 
area underlain by the Wapsipmicon. In Homer Township two weUs 
are reported — one in the north half of section 3 is 85 feet deep, 5 feefe 
bemg m rock; the other in the SW. | sec. 23 is 95 feet deep, 15 feefe 
being in rock. In Jefferson Township, in the NE. I sec. 2, a well 
220 feet deep, 170 feet in rock, undoubtedly ends at the top of the 
Independence member of the Wapsipinicon. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs are not very numerous in Buchanan County, and most of 
those found are seep from the drift material. In the SW. i sec. 6^ 
Westburg Township, however, on G. W. Young's farm near the border 

1 Geology of Buchanan County: Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. S, 1S98, p. 253. 



284 UjSTDEEGROUND water resources of IOWA. 

of Spring Creek Valley, a large fissure spring of excellent water emerges 
at the base of a long, gradual slope 75 feet or more high. No rock 
outcrops in its immediate vicinity, but the lower beds of the Cedar 
Valley limestone are exposed in two quarries a mile to the northeast, 
and it is probable that the water comes from a gravel layer just above 
the Independence shale member of the Wapsipinicon limestone. 

A large spring of good water is reported within the corporate limits 
of Jesup, on the place of J. D. Land; another is reported on the farm 
of Mrs. Joseph Pa.tten, 2 miles northeast of Jesup. Others are 
reported at Winthrop, on the land of W. H. Eddy, R. L. Wright, 
R. W. Adams, and Mrs. A. Mulford; and at Rowley, on land of Theo. 
Hirsh and Robert Eldridge. An old resident of the county asserts 
that springs are diminishing in importance throughout the county, 
many no longer being serviceable. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Independence. — The public well at Independence (population, 
3,517) is on Second Street NW., 525 feet west of the river and 10 feet 
above its level. It is reaUy a cluster of driven wells supplying a 
common reservoir from wliich the water is pumped. The first wells 
were put down in 1886 and improved in 1906. 

The wells end on the rock at a depth of 45 feet and obtain water 
from the Buchanan gravel. When highest the water from a depth of 
35 feet stands within 8 feet of the surface; when lowest, within 16 feet. 
The strainer is 6 feet long. The temperature of the water taken in 
August was 50° F. and does not vary greatly. A compound duplex 
waterworks pump is used. The maximum yield is 600 gallons per 
minute, and the supply has not perceptibly varied. The water is 
soft. The cost of the wells was $2,000 and of the pumps $6,000. 
The water is used for fire protection and for all general purposes, sup- 
plying homes, schools, railroads, canning factory, and the State 
hospital for the insane. The daily average demand is 400,000 gallons. 

In Rush Park, three-fourths of a mile west of the city well, a well to 
the Buchanan gravel yields an ample supply of water at a depth of 29 
feet. One-half mile west of the Rush Park well a well 77 feet deep, 
7 feet in rock, obtains an abundance of water; less than one-fourth of 
a mile west of this is another well about 112 feet deep, of which 12 feet 
is in rock. Most of the differences in these wells are due to difference 
in surface elevation. 

The possibihty of obtaining an artesian water supply at Inde- 
pendence for the hospital for the insane was considered some years 
ago at the request of the State board of control, and forecast was 
made by W. H. Norton substantially as follows: 



BUCHANAN COUNTY. 285 

Independence is 921 feet above sea level (Chicago, Rock Island & 
Pacific Railway track). After passing the hard limestones of the 
Devonian the drill will pass into the heavily bedded Niagara dolomite, 
where water will probably be found in channels opened by solution 
and will rise to a level of 25 feet or less below the surface. At 
about 280 feet the drill will enter the plastic Maquoketa shale, here 
probably somewhat more than 200 feet thick. The Galena dolomite, 
Decorah shale, and Platteville limestone will then be traversed, their 
aggregate thickness being estimated at 350 feet. In these terranes 
the drill may strike water-bearing crevices. The St. Peter sandstone, 
recognized by its whiteness, should be reached about 850 feet below 
the surface or about 70 feet above sea level. The water from this 
sandstone will not overflow at the surface and mil probably not rise 
to the level of the w^ater in the formations above. A well to be used 
for city or institutional supply should be sunk to a total depth of 
about 1,420 feet. Such a well would tap the water veins of the 
Prairie du Chien group (Shakopee, New Richmond, and Oneota) and 
the Jordan sandstone. The drills should not go below the beginning 
of the glauconiferous shales underlying the Jordan except on expert 
advice. These deeper waters mil also fail to reach the surface. As 
in all this part of Iowa, artesian water at Independence mil be of good 
quality. 

A flowing well situated on a slope in the NE. | sec. 1, Jefferson 
Townsliip, 65 miles southwest of Independence, owned by J. E. Cook 
and R. E. Leach, of Independence, was drilled in 1897. It is 6 inches 
in diameter throughout and enters rock, but neither the depth to 
rock nor the total depth could be ascertained. The water rises 2^ feet 
above the surface. A decrease in the supply is attributed to bad 
casing. The water is used for all farm purposes. 

Jesup, — The public well of Jesup (population, 697), is 312 feet deep, 
but the depth in rock is not known. The water is abundant and of 
good quality. 

Winthrop. — The well owned by the town of Winthrop (population 
529) starts 100 feet above the level of Buffalo Creek. It is 8 inches 
in diameter at the top, 5 inches at the bottom, and is 400 feet deep, 
entering the rock at the depth of 193 feet. The water bed is in rock, 
undoubtedly the Niagara dolomite. Water was also found at the 
top of the rock and at 260 feet. The casing is 8 inches for 198 feet 
and 5 inches for 61 feet. Water stands constantly at 120 feet from 
the surface and is pumped by a gasoline engine at the maximum rate 
of 35 gallons a minute. The supply has not diminished. The weJi 
cost $600 and the pump $200. The water is used for all domestic 
purposes. 



286 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE RESOUBCES OF IOWA. . 

CHICKASAW COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 

TOPOGHAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The surface of Chickasaw County is part of the lowan drift plain, 
which is well drained when compared with the areas covered with the 
j^ounger Wisconsm drift and but slightly dissected when compared 
with the areas where the older Kansan drift lies at the surface. 
Numerous small streams cross the county, flowing southeastward m 
more or less parallel courses. 

Over most of the county the deposits of glacial drift form a mantle 
for the most part 100 to 200 feet thick, though in some places itis 
still thicker and in others, as along Cedar and Little Cedar rivers in 
Chicaksaw and Bradford townships and along Little Turkey River 
in LTtica Township, where postglacial erosion has been effective, it is 
entirely lacking. The bedrock consists of limestone, probably all of 
Devonian age. Its surface, as shown by well sections, is irregular — 
not unlike the rugged rock surface found farther east in the State, 
where the glacial drift is absent. 

UNDERGHOUND WATEH, 
SOUECE. 

The water supply is derived from alluvial and outwash deposits, 
from glacial drift, from Devonian limestone, and from older lime- 
stones — probably Niagara or those belonging to the Maquoketa shale. 
Water could also be obtained from still deeper formations of lime- 
stone and sandstone. 

The alluvial and ancient outwash gravels are found at the surface, 
chiefly in the valleys. As they commonly occur in low areas and rest 
upon impervious clays, they are usually saturated with water which 
they surrender freely to very shallow wells and hence are utilized 
largely. 

Most of the wells in the county obtain water from the glacial drift — 
either from the upper layer, which is loosely aggregated and some- 
what pervious, or from deeper sand and gravel beds which are in fact 
alluvial and outwash deposits that have been buried beneath bowlder 
clay. Many wells also penetrate the limestone, the ratio between the 
number of drift wells and rock wells in different localities varying 
with the thickness of the drift cover. 

The wells in Chickasaw County may be grouped m four classes — 
driven wells, open wells, drilled drift wells, and drilled rock wells. 
A well of the first class consists merely of an iron pipe with a sand 
point driven (usually b}^ hand) to a depth seldom exceedmg 25 feet 
into sand and gravel where these materials lie at or near the surface. 



CHICKASAW COUNTY. 287 

Such wells are very inexpensive and they furnish much of the supply 
in the villages located near streams where alluvial and outwash 
deposits are best developed. Shallow open wells were the principal 
reliance of the early settlers, but they have generally proved unsatis- 
factory, both as to quantity and quality of water, and have been 
largely abandoned for deeper wells. Most of the drilled wells derive 
their water from sand or gravel in the glacial drift. If the sand is 
fine it tends to come into the well with the water, in which event it 
should be cased out and drilling should be continued. In all parts 
of the county some wells extend into the limestone where large and 
permanent yields of good water are obtained. Experience shows 
that it is poor economy to stop the drill before limestone is reached 
unless the supply coming from the drift is entirely satisfactory. In 
depth the drilled wells range from 50 to 330 feet. Their average 
depth is perhaps between 125 and 150 feet. 

In many of the rock wells and deep 'drift wells the water rises 
nearly to the surface, and where the altitude is especially low may 
overflow. An example is afforded b}^ a well on the farm of D. W. 
Lowry, a mile north of Fredericksburg. This well is 94 feet deep, 
ends in sand, originally had a head of more than 15 feet, and at 
present flows about 3 gallons a minute. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs are foimd along the principal streams, especially where the 
latter have cut through to limestone. In general, howeA^er, the 
county is a level prairie without springs of any consequence. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Fredericksburg. — The village well at Fredericksburg (population, 
588) is 271 feet deep, the last 10 feet of which are in limestone. Its 
diameter is 6 inches at the top and 4 inches at the bottom, and the 
casing extends to rock. The water stands 6 feet below the surface, 
or about 1,070 feet above sea level. The water is pumped to an ele- 
vated tank connected to a short system of mains and is used chiefly 
for fire protection. 

Nashua. — At Nashua (population, 1,102) the supply for the public 
waterworks is taken from Cedar River and is pumped by water 
power. The system comprises 2 miles of mains, 29 fire hydrants, 
and 162 taps. 

New Hampton. — The city well at New Hampton (population, 
2,275) is 235 feet deep, the last 100 feet being in limestone. (See 
PL V, p. 238.) The well is 10 inches in diameter at top and 8 inches 
at bottom, and it is cased to rock. The water is hard but otherwise 
of excellent quality and stands 40 feet below the surface, or 1,140 feet 



288 UNDEKGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

above sea level. The well is pumped at about 35 gallons a minute and 
is reported to have been tested at 125 gallons. The water is raised 
into an elevated tank from wliich it is distributed through 2| miles of 
mains to 22 fire hydrants and 198 taps. The daily consumption is 
estimated to be only 12,000 gallons, although about 500 people, or 
one-fifth of the population, are reported to be supplied and the water 
is also used in the locomotives of the Chicago Great Western Railwa}^. 
According to W. H. Norton, a deep well at New Hampton would 
probably obtain a moderate amount of water from the St. Peter sand- 
stone, wliich here lies about 750 feet below the surface, and from the 
overlying limestones. A more bountiful supply, however, would be 
obtained by sinking the well to a depth of 1,250 or 1,350 feet, at which 
depth the shales of the St. Lawrence formation should be reached, 
beyond which drilling will be unprofitable. Owing to the high eleva- 
tion of the town (1,159 feet above sea level) a flow need not be 
expected. 

CLAYTON COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Like other counties of the extreme northeastern part of Iowa, Clay- 
ton County comprises many geologic formations and has a diversi- 
fied topography. Measured from the highest divides to the flood 
plain of the Mississippi, the maximum relief is 650 feet. The massive 
ridge that divides the valleys of Turkey and Yellow rivers attains an 
elevation of 1,185 feet between Luana and Monona. The prominent 
secondary ridge which extends southward between Turkey and Mis- 
sissippi rivers gradually declines in height from 1,160 feet above sea 
level near National to 1,060 feet at Garnaville, and to 1,000 feet west 
of Guttenberg. The wedge-shaped ridge dividing the Turkey from 
its affluent, the Volga, reaches a height of 1,250 feet above sea leveL 
South of the Volga the upland reaches the same elevation. 

The upland south of the Volga is deeply dissected as far west as 
Strawberry Point and Edgewood, where it passes into undulating 
prairie. Here, in the southwest portion of the county, lies an area of 
lowan drift in strong topographic contrast to the remainder of the 
county. Old valleys have been filled and the surface has been 
molded to gentle constructional sags and swells. 

The topography of the remainder of the county is due to long- 
continued and deep erosion. The northern townships and a belt about 
8 miles wide along Mississippi River are included in the driftless area. 
But outside the small area of lowan drift the older drift forms little 
more than a veneer and its topographic influence is generally quite 
neghgible. The topography of the entire county outside of the lowan 
drift plain, therefore, is that of the driftless area. The ancient base 



CLAYTON COUNTY. 289 

plain of erosion to wliich this area liad been reduced lias been uplifted 
to more than 1,000 feet above sea level. It has been deeply dissected 
by its master streams and their numerous tributaries. Nowhere are 
tabular areas of any width left on the divides as remnants of the 
ancient erosion level. The flanks of the broad interstream areas have 
been carved to a maze of steep branching and rebranching spurs. The 
summits have been worn to broad-shouldered, gently rounding crests, 
which have been utilized as the sites of towns and villages and followed 
by the railways and the more important roads. On these ridges 
ground water necessarily stands far below the surface, as it is held only 
by friction and capillarity above the drainage levels of the adjacent 
valleys; wells are deep and windmills are everywhere. 

GEOLOGY. 

The Pleistocene deposits comprise the loess, the lowan drift, the 
Kansan drift, which extends over a large portion of the county, and 
the blue-black Nebraskan drift, the first deposit of the ice sheets 
that invaded Iowa. The loess is a fine yellow silt or dust deposit, 
which mantles the driftless area and the Kansan drift with a maxi- 
mum observed thickness of about 20 feet. Well records seem to indi- 
cate that the loess has a thickness considerably greater than 20 feet 
in places, but it can seldom be. discriminated from other Pleistocene 
deposits. The drift rests on residual deposits derived by long pre- 
glacial weathering of the rocks. Where that rock was limestone the 
deposits consist of red cherty clay ; where it was Maquoketa shale the 
residual material is clay or "soapstone" differing little in composition 
from the original shale but softer and reddened by the oxidation of 
its iron constituents. 

The Niagara, the youngest of the rock formations in the county 
(PL V, p. 238), is everywhere a buff dolomite, as a rule cherty and 
heavily bedded, cutting under the drill to a sharp limestone sand. 
Like other dolomites of the county it is liable to be called ''sand rock" 
by the driller, but the cuttings are readily distinguished from the 
rounded quartz grains of true sandstone by their form and by their 
brisk effervescence in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid. 

The Maquoketa, a variable formation, including clay shales 90 
to 100 feet, cherty dolomitic beds 30 feet, and basal shales and impure 
limestones 60 to 180 feet thick, lies beneath the Niagara. The 
shaly beds are known as mud rock or soapstone by many of the drillers, 
or, where somewl^^at harder, as slate. The Maquoketa forms the bed- 
rock over the uplands of Garnavillo Ridge and of Monona Ridge 
west of Girard Township. In many sections the limestones are 
dark and more or less argillaceous. 

36581°— wsp 293—12 19 



290 UNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

The Maquoketa shale rests on the Galena limestone, the term 
as here used including the entire body of limestone lying between 
the Maquoketa and the Decorah shale, which, however, may be . 
locally absent. Beneath the Decorah is the Platteville, consisting I 
of limestone with a shale bed at its base. The Galena limestone 
has been changed in whole or in part into dolomite. The thick- 
ness of the dolomitized portion may reach 200 feet, but the 
depth to which dolomitization has extended varies greatly. Where 
dolomitized, the rock is hard, buff, and vesicular, cutting under the 
drill to yellow sparkling sand or brownish crystalline sand; where 
undolomitized, both the Galena and the Platteville comprise com- 
monly light-colored, rather soft limestones that are broken by the 
drill to flaky chips. The total thickness of the Galena, Decorah, 
and Platteville at Elkader measures 285 feet. The combined thick- 
ness of the Decorah and Platteville is 50 to 60 feet. The three 
formations constitute the bedrock over a large part of the upland 
of the county. 

Drillers distinguish as "oil rock" a brown petroliferous shale 
which is found in many places by the drill and which outcrops 
near the base of the Platteville; occasionally they report an oily 
scum in the water when, the drill is working in this shale. 

The Platteville is underlain by the St. Peter sandstone, a white 
rock made up of rounded grains of pure quartz, so little cemented 
that where quarried in the county for glass sand it is readily broken 
up by the pick and a stream of water from the hose. Even at 
Picture Rocks, below McGregor, where the sand is highly colored 
and partly cemented by films of the iron oxides deposited by ground 
water on the grains, the stone is so friable that it is difficult to obtain 
specimens of any size. The observed thickness of the sandstone 
in the county ranges from 40 to 85 feet. The St. Peter is not always 
recognized by the drillers. Thus it is said to be absent in the narrow 
wedge-shaped tongue of upland separating the Turkey from the 
Mississippi near their junction; at a depth corresponding to the 
horizon of the St. Peter, however, there is reported a "river sand," 
which may be assumed to be the upper layers of the St. Peter; it 
underlies a shale, which is probably the basal shale of the Platteville. 

Next below the St. Peter is the Prairie du Chien group, comprising 
the strata formerly known as the "Lower Magnesian limestone," and 
consisting of an upper dolomite (Shakopee), an intermediate sand- 
stone (New Richmond), and a basal dolomite (Oneota). The total 
observed thickness measures 230 feet. It outcrops only north of 
Guttenberg along the Mississippi bluffs and for 4 miles or less up the 
valleys of the tributary creeks. The dolomites of the Prairie du 
Chien group are hard, light gray or wliite, and in many places are 
cut by the drill into fine sharp limestone sand. They may be dis- 



CLAYTON COUNTY. 291 

tinguished by the driller by their lithologic character and also by their 
position between the St. Peter and the Jordan sandstones. The New 
Richmond sandstone is inconstant, but quartz sand is not uncommon 
in the dolomite, either as interbedded layers or as disseminated 
grains. 

The Jordan sandstone, the lowest rock outcropping in the county, 
is made up of pure quartz and is generally of coarse grain. In some 
layers the grains are firmly cemented with lime carbonate; in others 
they are incoherent and show little interstitial matter. At McGregor 
the Jordan is so soft as to be readily excavated with the spade for 
cellars and vaults in the hillsides. Here it rises 70 feet above the 
level of Mississippi River, though 2 miles below the city it sinks from 
sight below the flood plains of the stream. It outcrops only along 
the bases of the river bluffs in the northeastern townships, but it under- 
lies the entire county and the waters stored in its pervious layers 
are accessible to the drill. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Gravels at the base of the loess locally yield sufficient water for 
house supply. Gravels lying between the Kansan and Nebraskan 
tills and probably at other horizons furnish a supply on the prairie 
areas of the southwestern part of the county, but are little drawn 
upon elsewhere. In an area of especially thick drift stretching from 
the southwestern part of Grand Meadow Township northeastward 
nearly to Postville many wells less than 100 feet deep draw water 
from drift gravels lying beneath 25 or 30 feet of yellow clay (loess 
and oxidized Kansan) and then pass into blue till (either unoxidized 
Kansan or Nebraskan), beneath which sands and gravel are again 
found on rock, or water is found in broken limestone or residual 
flints beneath heavy drift. 

About 160 feet of the lower portion of the Niagara outcrops in the 
southern townships of the county and on the ridge separating the 
Volga from Turkey River. In this area water is found above the 
impervious shales of the underlying Maquoketa. On the more level 
ground of the lowan plain the entire body of limestone may be 
saturated with water and yield a good supply to wells that enter the 
rock a few feet. Thus at Strawberry Point the city supply is obtained 
from wells drilled only 35 feet into the Niagara dolomite. Here, as 
in many places in the southwestern part of the county, the porous 
and creviced limestone forms a reservoir in which waters descending 
from the heaVy overljdng drift have accumulated. 

Outside the dissected area covered by the Kansan drift the Niagara 
forms escarpments on the summits of the ridges and is drained out 
for a considerable distance back of these outcrops. 



292 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUKCES OP IOWA. 

The limestone beds in the Maquoketa furnish an important water 
supply to villages and farms located on the outcrops of the formation. 
The water held in the median limestones of the Maquoketa between 
the upper and lower shales of that formation is under good head, 
at National rising within 40 feet of the curb. 

The Galena and Platteville limestones hold large stores of water 
in crevices and porous beds, the chief horizons being just above the 
Decorah shale and above the basal shale of the Platteville. They are 
utilized by many farm wells in the areas of their outcrops and they 
form a very important supply on uplands capped with the Maquoketa 
shale or Niagara dolomite. At Farmersburg water from the Galena 
rises within 40 feet of the surface. 

The head of the water in the Galena, Maquoketa, and Niagara is 
considerably liigher than that in the underlying St. Peter, so that as 
the drill enters the St. Peter the upper waters often flow through it, 
and the water in the tube falls. Although the St. Peter water may 
not staiid high in the well, the supply is copious, permanent, and of 
excellent quality and is assured to any well in any part of the county 
which reaches its level. 

The St. Peter sandstone is the lowest formation reached by wells. 
It is utilized in the northern townships, in the townships adjacent to 
Mississippi River, and even in the western and central townships as 
far south as Highland and Cox Creek townships. The dip of the 
strata carries the sandstone increasingly deeper south and west from 
its outcrops along the Mississippi, so that on the ridges of the western 
part of the county between Turkey and Volga rivers it is entered by 
wells at depths of about 600 feet. 

The waters in the underlying Jordan have not yet been tapped in 
Clayton County. They are, however, everywhere accessible. 

FLOWING WELLS. 

In the valley of Turkey River, from Elkader down to Motor, wells 
sunk into the St. Peter sandstone obtain flowing water. At the fair- 
grounds at Elkader the St. Peter is reached about 110 feet below the 
water level of Turkey River, or about 610 feet above sea level; at the 
James Russell estate farm (sec. 26, Boardman Township) it was 
reached about 100 feet below the river level; and at Fritz Freitag's, 
still farther down the valley, at about the same depth. At Motor, 4 
miles in straight line southeast of Elkader, the St. Peter is 155 feet 
below the river, or approximately 525 feet above sea level. The head 
of water, from 40 to 60 feet above the river, encourages drilling at 
other points in the area. Statistics of these weUs are given in the 
appended table; 



CLAYTOlSr COUNTY. 



Statistics of flowing wells in the Turkey River valley. 



293 



Owner. 


Location. 


e 


i 


o . 

§2 

5 


be 

a 
1 

Q 


X2 

3 
o 

> 

S 


3 
o 


c3 

O 


1^ 


•9° . 

aa| 


o 
o 

■2-^ 

-as 
ft 


£| 
CO 2 

1 


City of Elkader (2 
wells). 

Elkader Fair Ass'n 


Between High 
Street and river. 

Elkader 


|l896 


186 

167 
161 

155 
196 


{? 


1 70 


O740 

ti20 
d30 

d26 

/ dl7 
\o697 


20 


760 


&35 


6500 


70 

75 

20 

50 


155 

J 130- 

\ 135 

128 

122 


James Russell es- 
tate. 
Fritz Freitag 

Louis Klinck 


Sec. 26, Boardman 

Township. 
Sec. 25, Boardman 

Township. 
NE. i sec. 6, Read 

Township. 


1905 
|l906 


5 


«75 


28 
34 


753 
760 

737 


35 




4 


/135 






172 













a Above sea level. 
b Both wells. 
<: Surface. 



d Above Turkey River. 
e Of 5-inch. 
/Of 3 and 2 inch. 



If the head of the St. Peter water is the same up valley as at Elkader 
flowing wells should be obtained at water level in the river as far as 
the south line of section 22, Marion Township. As the head should 
increase somewhat upstream, wells in the St. Peter may yield flows 
as far even as the Fayette County line. Down the valley from Elkader 
flows can probably be obtained from the St. Peter at very moderate 
depths along the entire valley to its mouth. The large number of 
springs, the use of open and driven wells tapping alluvial sands and 
gravels, and the use for stock of the never-failing water of the spring- 
fed river no doubt have prevented the exploration of the deeper 
water beds; but the St. Peter sandstone, with its inexhaustible sup- 
plies, should be found within 200 feet below the valley floor at any 
point from Elkader to the Mississippi. 

It is highly probable that in the valley of the Volga flows from the 
St. Peter can be obtained from Osborne to the mouth of the stream. 
The exact depth can not be definitely predicted, as the depth to the 
St. Peter is variable, and local changes or reversals of the dip are 
hidden from view. The data for prediction include an assumed 
uniform southwestward dip, the elevation of the summit of the St. 
Peter at Clayton at 776 feet above sea level, and the elevation of the 
same horizon at about 600 feet above sea level 14 miles west-southwest 
of Clayton; these give a dip of about 12.5 feet to the mile. If the 
same line be extended 10 miles west-southwest from Elkader to the 
Volga at the mouth of Deep Creek, the elevation of the summit of the 
St. Peter at the latter point is found to be 125 feet lower than at 
Elkader, or 475 feet above sea level. As the level of the river is here 
800 feet above sea level, the St. Peter would be found about 325 feet 
below the surface. If the water of this sandstone had no higher head 



294 UNDEEGROUKD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

on the Volga than at Elkader, it would fall short of reaching the sur- 
face by about 40 feet. The fact that the head of the St. Peter waters 
increases westward gives ground for hope that as far up valley as 
Volga flowing wells may be obtained. If a similar section from Clay- 
ton to Motor is taken and the data are used to calculate the water 
prospects in the Volga Valley at Mederville, where the level of the 
river is 710 feet above sea level, the St. Peter should be encountered 
at 485 feet above sea level, or 225 feet beneath the stream level. The 
head above the river here should be equal to that at Elkader. 

SPRINGS. 

The springs of Clayton County are exceptionally numerous and 
large, and come from several well-marked geologic horizons. 

The St. Peter, exposed in a narrow strip along the bluffs of the 
Mississippi from Guttenberg north, gives rise to oozes and springs 
where its edges outcrop. The largest springs of the county issue 
from the base of the Galena limestone. The limestone is creviced and 
even cavernous; definite channels have been formed by solution by 
ground water moving down the dip, along the floor of the impervious 
Decorah shale, to outlets along the valley sides. The same sequence 
of soluble limestone and underlying shale gives rise to the springs 
of the limestones of the middle Maquoketa and those at the base of 
the Niagara. Where, as is often the case, these formations are cut 
by valleys above their bases, these underground streams issue high 
above the bottom lands in lateral ravines and can be led down to vil- 
lage or farm under considerable head, with power adequate for many 
utilities. Springs are thus found along the entire course of the 
Mississippi and along the principal creeks whose valleys have been 
cut in rock. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Clayton. — ^The village of Clayton (population, 145) utilizes two 
springs issuing from limestone about 75 feet above the level of 
Mississippi River, leading the water through one-half mile of mains 
down the principal street. There are six hydrants from which most 
of the houses obtain their supply. 

Elkader. — The water supply of Elkader (population, 1,181) is drawn 
from two flowing wells, 182 and 184 feet deep, 25 feet apart, situated 
on the bank of Turkey River. They pump 500 gallons a minute. A 
reservoir nearly 300 feet above the town affords ample pressure. 
There are 2 miles of mains, 28 hydrants, and 200 taps. 

If for any reason the city supply should become insufficient it may 
be greatly increased by drilling to the top of the St. Lawrence forma- 
tion, which here should be found 600 or 700 feet below the surface at 
the city water works. 



CLAYTON COUNTY. 295 

Guttenberg. — The water supply of Guttenberg (population, 1,873) 
is obtained from a dug well on the bank of Mississippi River. The 
water is liable to be contaminated by sewage, which passes readily 
downward through the sandy alluvium of the river terrace on which 
the town is built. Water is" pumped to a reservoir, giving a gravity 
pressure of 105 pounds. There are 36 hydrants and 4 miles of mains. 

The elevation at the corner of Herder and First streets is 630 feet 
above sea level, and an artesian supply might readily be obtained by 
drilling a well to the Jordan sandstone. The summit of the St. Peter 
outcrops near the town at the base of the bluffs bordering the Missis- 
sippi. The thickness of the St. Peter is variable, but a maximum of 
85 feet may be assumed. The Prairie du Chien group, which under- 
lies it, is probably at least 230 feet thick — the maximum thickness 
where it is exposed along the river bluffs in this vicinity. At 315 feet 
from the surface the Jordan sandstone should be struck; a well 500 
feet deep should draw the available water from this horizon. 

As the town is situated well out over an ancient channel of the 
Mississippi, the drill will first pierce 100 or 150 feet of river sands and 
gravels. The St. Peter sandstone will therefore be cut out, and the 
bed in which the water-tight casing should be securely packed will 
be the Shakopee dolomite. If shaly beds in the Prairie du Chien are 
competent to form a cover for the Jordan sandstone the well should 
flow under moderate pressure. 

If a well to the Jordan sandstone should not peld sufficient water by 
natural flow the supply might be increased by installing an air lift, 
by sinking other weUs to the Jordan, or by deepening the well to the 
Dresbach or underlying Cambrian sandstones and tapping the water 
horizons which supply the McGregor weUs. 

McGregor. — The water supply of McGregor (population, 1,259) is 
drawn from a weU 502 feet deep. Water is pumped to a reservoir 
affording a pressure of 110 pounds. There are 24 hydrants and 2 miles 
of mains. 

The first artesian well at McGregor was drilled at the head of Main 
Street, about 60 feet above the lower part of the town, where the 
deep wells were afterward sunk. The water reached the surface but 
did not overflow. The well was about 500 feet deep and ended in 
sandstone. 

City weU No. 2 (PL V, p. 238), completed in 1877, is in the City Park 
and supphes one of the finest fountains in the State. This well is 
1,006 feet deep, 6 to 3 inches in diameter, and is cased with 4-inch 
copper to a depth of 40 feet. The curb is 632 feet above sea level; 
the water rises 62 feet above curb. The flow is 630 gallons a minute. 
Water was found at a depth of 317 feet and in aU sandstone beds 
below to the bottom of the well. At a depth of 520 feet salt water 



296 UNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

was found in 4 feet of white sandstone. The temperature of the 
water is 54.5° F. 

City well No. 3, completed in 1890, is not now used. This well is 520 
feet deep and 6 inches in diameter; 3-inch casing extends to 215 feet 
and is packed at the base with rubber gasket. The curb is 618 feet 
above sea level, and water originally rose 20 feet above curb. In 
1895 the head was below curb. Water comes from a depth of 303 
feet. Its temperature is 52° F. 

The log of this well shows sandstone with white roUed grains at 250 
feet, dolomite from 400 to 415 feet, and white sandstone with well- 
rounded grains from 450 to 520 feet. 

City well No. 4, put down in 1898 by S. Swanson, of Minneapohs, 
s 502 feet deep and 12 to 8 inches in diameter; 12-inch casing 
extends to 70 feet and 9-inch casing to 200 feet. The curb is about 
618 feet above sea level. Water originally rose a foot above the curb, 
but six months later it stood below the curb. The tested capacity 
shows that it is sufficient for the city. 

No records of the wells at McGregor are available except that 
afforded by a few samples described below from cursory examination. 

Description of samples from city well No. 4, at McGregor. 

Depth in feet. 

Gravel 35 

Sand, yellow, and gravel of pre-Cambrian rocks ' 50 

Sandstone, fine grained, yellow 60 

Sandstone; as above, but coarser 70 

Dolomite, dark bluish, drab, and lighter drab crystalline 74-97 

Sandstone, yellow; with yellow dolomitic powder 95 

Dolomite, bluish drab, arenaceous; in angular flakes and in sand. 97-143 

Shale, light blue 143-158 

Sandstone, calciferous, or dolomite, arenaceous, light-gray 160 

Shale, fine, greenish 158-220 

Shale, light green 185 

Sandstone, light gray, medium coarse; grains well rounded, far 

from uniform in size 305 

Sandstone, pure white, medium coarse; grains well rounded, 

similar in fades to St. Peter 350 

Sandstone; as above but fine-grained 400 

Sandstone; as at 350 415 

Sandstone, light gray, calciferous, very fine 444 

J. Goedert's well at McGregor has a depth of 294 feet and a diameter 
of 6 inches. The curb is 622 feet above sea level and the original 
head was 22 feet above curb. The weU was completed in 1889. 

The following carefully kept record of one of the early deep weUs at 
Prairie du Chien, Wis., illustrates the geologic section at McGregor. 
This record^ has been modified by assigning the Hthologic subdivisions 

1 Wisconsin Geol. Survej^, vol. 4, 1882, p. 61. 



CLAYTON COUNTY. 



297 



given in the log as originally published to the appropriate geologic 
subdivisions, and by adding a column showing the depth, in feet, to 
the bottom of each Hthologic unit. The Hthologic descriptions have also 
been transposed, to accord with present survey practice. Another 
well at Prairie du Chien was sunk to a depth of 1,040 feet without 
reaching crystalline rocks. 

Strata in well at Prairie du Chien, Wis. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



[Pleistocene (old channel of Mississippi River 147 feet thick; top, 627 feet above sea 
level):] 

1 . Sand and gravel 

[Cambrian:] 

[St. Lawrence formation (115 feet thick; top, 480 feet above sea level):] 

2. Clay, fine, light blue 

3. Limestone, hard, arenaceous 

4. Grit, blue 

5. Shale, bluish green, argillaceous 

[Dresbach and underlying Cambrian strata (697 feet penetrated; top, 365 feet above 

sea level):] 

6. Sandstone, white, friable; alternating with hard streaks [Dresbach] 

7. Grit, blue 

8. Slate rock 

9. Sandstone, reddish and yellow ochery 

10. Shaly rock 

11. Sandstone, white [carrying brine] 

12. Slaty rock 

13. Sandstone 

14. Sandstone, red. . .• 

15. Conglomerate; white waterworn quartz pebbles 

16. Sandstone, coarse 



Feet. 
147 



2 

6 

107 



118 
35 
65 

6 
24 

4 

75 

310 

45 

5 
10 



Feet. 
147 



1471 
149 
155 
262 



380 
415 
480 
486 
510 
514 
589 
899 
944 
949 
959i] 



Monona. — The water supply of Monona (population, 792) is fur- 
nished by two deep wells and a spring. The wells are owned by 
F. L. Wellman, are 27 feet apart, are under one roof, and supply the 
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Hallway as well as the town. They 
were completed in 1885. One is 437 feet deep and the other is 448 
feet. The wells are 6 inches in diameter and are cased for 20 feet. 
The curb is 1,216 feet above sea level and the head 226 feet below 
the curb. The combined capacity is 70 gallons a minute. The tem- 
perature is 51° F. The water is lowered full depth by continuous 
pumping. 

The water is pumped to a tank affording a pressure of 40 pounds, 
which is considered insufficient by the town officials. There are 3 
miles of mains, 100 taps, and six hydrants. 

North McGregor. — An artesian well, 585 feet deep, belonging to the 
town of North McGregor (population, 588), is used for fire protection. 

The well is 6 inches in diameter and is cased 180 feet to rock; the 
original head was about 17 feet above the curb. The temperature 
is 52° F. In 1904 the flow ceased, but was restored with head of 10 
feet by recasing. 



298 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



Driller's log of North McGregor city well. 

Depth in feet. 

Dolomite, reddish 300 

Sandstones, white 350 

Sandstone, grayish white 392 

Sandstone, white, pure, medium coarse; rolled grains of similar 

facies to St. Peter 420 

Sandstone, white, fine-gi-ained 423 

Strawberry Point.— The water supply for Strawberry Point (popu- 
lation, 1,052) is obtained from two wells, 160 feet deep and 10 feet 
apart, penetrating 125 feet of drift and 35 feet of the underlying 
Niagara dolomite. Water is distributed from a standpipe 110 feet 
high with a capacity of 800 barrels. There are six hydrants and 
one-half mile of mains. 

The sinking of deep wells is not recommended at either Strawberry 
Point or Edgewood, as the high elevation above sea level of these 
towns (Strawberry Point 1,217 feet and Edgewood 1,165 feet at Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway tracks) makes it impossible to 
obtain a flowing well. The St. Peter sandstone should be found at 
about 350 feet above sea level, judging from its steep dip of more 
than 18 feet to the mile from Elkader to Manchester; the Prairie du 
Chien and the Jordan lie about 500 feet deeper; to reach these waters 
wells at Edgewood must be sunk to a depth of 1,315 feet from the 
surface and at Strawberry Point to about 1,365 feet. The water in 
the St. Peter sandstone would stand several hundred feet below the 
surface. 

Minor supplies. — Information in regard to water supplies in the 
smaller villages and the typical wells used tlirough the county is pre- 
sented in the following tables : 



Village supplies in Clayton County. 



Town. 


Nature of supply. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
water 
bed. 


Source of supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Depth 
rock. 


Springs. 


Edgewood 

Farmersburg... 

Froelich 

Littleport 


Wells 


Feet. 
12- 16 
50-160 

}l00-200 

' 15 
70-100 
50- SO 
10-100 


Feet. 
12 

"eo^'go" 

75 

15 




Feet. 
6-8 
-40 

/50- 75 
tlOO-175 


Feet. 
36' 

]■ 10-25 




Drilled wells 

/Drilled wells and 
\ cisterns. 

Driven wells. ..•. 

Drilled wells 

do 


Galena to St. 
Peter. 

Limestone 

Gravel 


Small. 

Large and small. 

Large. 

Large and small. 

Small. 


Luana 


Limestone 

do 


60-70 
-45 
-10 


40 
20 




Volga 


Dug and driven 
wells. 


Sand and gravel. 









CLAYTON COUNTY. 299 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Clayton County: 
Typical wells in Clayton County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 91 N., B. 3 W. 
















(Malloey). 




















Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




L. W. Flenniken... 


NW.iSE.isec. 
21. 


180 


40 


50 


Clay 


140 


500 feet above river. 
Diameter, 6 
inches. 


J. H. Brown 


NW. isec. 28... 


589 


29 


' 580 


Slate rock. 


400 


500 feet above river. 


, \ 














Clay, 29; hme- 
stone (Niagara); 
200; shale (Ma- 
quoketa), 200; 
limestone ( Ga- 
lena), 160. Yields 
3 gallons per min- 
ute. Diameter, 5 
inches. 


T. 91 N., R. 6 W. 
















(Cass). 
















Hugh Mlddleton . . . 


Near Straw- 
berry Point. 


265 


65 




Limestone 




Drift, 65; llm&- 
etone, 200. 


R. M. Peck 


SW.isec.28.... 
Sec. 21 


237 
70 


SO 
24 


140 
65 




180 
55 


Diameter, 6 inches. 


W. C. Barnhart 




Do. 


T. 92 N., R. 6 W. 








(Sperrt). 
















F. E. Ambrose 


NW. i sec. 14. . . 


146 


31 


145. 


Limestone 


31 


Water at about 55. 
Diameter , 6 
inches. 


T. 93 N., R. 6 W. 
















(Highland). 
















C. Dufl 


Sec. 20 


56 


25 




Sandstone 


30 


Valley. Diameter, 
6 inches. 
















Henry Baars 


SW.iNE.Jsec. 


665 








415 


Yellow clay, 15; 




36. 












rotten yellow 
sandstone (Niag- 
ara), 20; blue 
shale, 205; Ume- 
stone, 350; shale, 
10; hmestone,35; 
clear sandstone, 
St. Peter, 30. 
About 545 above 
sea level. 


JohnRinkerts '.. 


1 mile west of 
Baars. 


527 






....do 


















T. 92 N., R. 5 W. 
















(Cox Creek). 
















Henry Jennings 


Sec. 5 


120 
25 


100 


110 
20 




100 
20 


Diameter, 5 inches. 


Town 


Volga 


Gravel 


Flood plain of Tur- 
key River. Di- 




























ameter, 3 feet. 


L. Beute 


SW.iNE.isec. 
11. 


515 








265 


Struck St. Peter 










sandstone. 


Henry Leubke 


SE.iNW.Jsec. 
4. 


689. 






Sandstone 


349 


Yellow clay, 60; 
shale, 140; hme- 






















stone, 371; shale. 
















green, 8; St. 
















Peter sandstone. 
















10. About 521 
















above sea level. 


T. 95 N., R. 6 W. 
















(Grand Meadow). 
















Charles Shult:: 


SW.iSW.isec. 
21. 


165 


160 


160 


"Loose 
flint" 
residual. 




Yellow clay, 20; 
quicksand, 140; 
loose flint (resid- 


T.Gordon 


Sec. 6 


66 






Gravel 




ual), 5. 
Blue-black till 












from 40 to 60, 
















gravel below. 



300 tJKDEEGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

Typical wells in Clayton County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Depth 

to 

water 

supply. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(log'given in feet). 


T. 94 N., R. 6 W. 
















(Marion). 




Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 




■ Feet. 






NE.iSW.isec. 
16. 


150 








115 


Ravine; all lime- 










stone from curb. 




SW.^NW.Jsec. 

4. 


75 


20 






57 


Sand rock at 20; 








ends in blue clay. 




NW. i NW. \ 
sec. 11. 


115 


80 




Sandstone 


20 


Yellow clay, 40; 




blue till, 40; 
















sandstone, 35. 


Mrs. Bowder 


NW. i NW. i 
sec. 18. 


237 


60 




Limestone 


225 


Ridge. Drift, 60; 
blue shale, 100; 
sand rock, 77. 


W. Houg 


NW. i NW. i 


120 






....do 


100 


Ridge. "Sand- 




sec. 23. 












stone" brown, 
50; shale, blue, 
50; limestone, 20. 


T. 95 N., R. 4 W. 
















(GiRAKD). 
















J. Smyzer 


3§ miles east of 
Monona. 


404 










To sandstone, 288. 
















J. W. Tewes 


NW.iNE.isec. 
17. 


405 


45 




Sandstone 


375 


Water in St. Peter 
sandstone; temp. 
48° F. Diameter, 
6i inches. 


T. 92 N., R. 2 W. 
















(PART OF Jeffer- 
















son). 
















Peter Burr 


SW.iSW.Jsec. 


370 


33 


370 


Sandstone 


359 


Clav,33;hmestone, 




29. 












222; St. Peter 
(shale and sand, 
clean sand at bot- 
tom), 115. Water 
at bottom of St. 
Peter in large 
supply. 
Loess, 40; lime- 


A. E. Schroeder 


NW. \ SW. i 


275 


40 


180-225 


Limestone 


185 




sec. 7. 








on shale. 




stone, 185; shale 
blue, fossilifer- 
ous, 6; limestone, 
39; shale, blue, 4; 
St. Peter sand- 
stone, 1. 


Gustav Ditmar 


NW.iSE.isec. 
30. 


275 


40 


270 


On shale.. 


215 


Limestone, 230; 
shale, 5. Water 
in shale (large 
supply). 


L. Mueller 


NW.JNE.isec. 
31. 


257 


40 


254 


Limestone 


167 


All limestone be- 




low 40. 


N. Niehause 


NE.iSW.isec. 
33. 


367 








349 


Curb about, 940 










above sea level. 
















Clay, 40; lime- 


" 














stone, 250; shale, 
















10; light-colored 
















sand from 340 to 
















342; limestone 
















from 342 to 360; 
















shale, blue, 7; 
















footing in red- 
















dish sand and 
















gravel. 


T. 92 N., R. 3 W. 
















(part of Jeffer- 
















son). 








J 








William Ball 


NE.iNE.isec. 
28. ' 


403 


30 




Limestone 


183 


Oil rock at 380; 
water above oil 
rock; a weak 
vein. 


P. J. Schmidt 


N.JSE.isec. 15. 


120 


80 


120 




60 


Clay, 80; slate, 20; 
















brown hard rock, 
















20. 


T. 93 N., R. 5 W. 
















(Boaedman). 


















SE. i sec. 8 


449 


40 






244 


Divide. Yellow 








clay, 40; soap- 
















stone, 40; slate 
















with water, 20; 
















soapstone, lime- 
















stone, St. leter, 
















at 435. 



CLAYTON" COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Clayton County — Continued. 



301 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply, 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(log given in feet). 



T. 93 N., R. 5 W. 

(BOAKDMAN) — Con. 

George Cassuth 



T. 93 N., R. 4 W. 
(Read and part 
or Ganavillo). 

S. Schmidt 



T. 95 N., R. 5 W. 
(Monona). 

Selder 

T. 91 N., R. 4 W. 
(Elk). 

T. 91 N., R. 2 W. 

(MiLLVILLE). 

JohnMinger 

J. S. Gray Mil 

John Patrick 

William Smith 

A. Brockman 

J. Beeker 

L. Troester 

J. T. ColUns 

E.Smith 

A. Andrus 

P.Hellas 

T. 95 N., R. 1 W 
(BuENA Vista). 

J.Hafel 



SE.JNW.isec. 
21. 



SE.iSE.Jsec.7 



Luana . 



SW.iNE.-isec. 

15. 
NW.i-NE.isec. 

23. 
NW'.JSE. isec. 

23. 
Nw'.iNE.Jsec. 

15. 
SE.iNW.Jsec. 

10. 
NW. i NW. 1 

sec. 16. 
S. 4 sec. 7 



NW.JNE.isec. 
17. 



NE.iSW.isec. 
36. 



SE.iSW. isec. 
26. 



SW.JSW.isec. 
26. 



SW.JSW.isec. 
20. 



Feet. 
219 



398 



SO 
213 

233 
266 

66 
220 

30 
290 

90 

140 



330 



500 



Feet. 
30 



Feet. 
215 



Slate. 



20 



Sandstone 



Gravel . 



Hard rock. 



Rock. 



Sand 

Limestone 
...do 



188 

246 

18 

200 



268 
30 

100 



205 



Yellow clay, 24; 
sand with a little 
water, 4; yellow 
clay, 2; soap- 
stone, 35; slate 
with water, 15; 
soapstone, 20; 
limestone to 219. 



Ridge. Yellow 
clay, 20; Ume- 
stone, 210; soap- 
stone, 70; slate. 
30; shell, 8; hard 
limestone, 40; 
blue soapstone, 
5; St. Peter sand- 
stone, 15. About 
611 above sea 
level. 



Water-bed gravel 
below blue-black 
till. 



Hill. 

Insufficient sup- 
ply- 



Large supply. 

Dug well on bot- 
toms. 

Footing in shale 
(Platteville). 

60 feet soUd Galena 
limestone; house 
well. 

Loess, 30; blue clay, 
70; black hard 
slate from 117 to 
140. 

Loess, 24; red flint 
(residual), 6; 
limestone, 188; 
slate, 7. 

Drift, 24; red flint, 
6; soft limestone, 
110; light-colored 
limestone, 185; 
shale, 5. 



Shale, 120; lime- 
stone, 60; oil 
rock; water in 
limestone below 
oil rock. 



302 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 
Typical wells in Clayton County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(log given in feet). 


T. 9.5 N., R. 6 W. 
(BuENA Vista)— 
Continued. 

Hafel 


NW.JSE.isec. 
20. 

NW.JNE.isec. 

20. 
NE.isec. 21.... 

SE.isec. 22 

NW. i NW. i 
sec. 31. 


Feet. 
243 

280 
230 

220 
167 


Inches. 
38 

30 
30 

30 


Feet. 




Feet. 


Limestone from 38 


Frank Nagel 

R. Meuth 


275 
220 


Limestone 


250 
200 

180 
75 


to 235; shale, 5; 
fine soft sand- 
stone of white 
quaUty, 3; water 
at 170. 
All limestone; wa- 
ter in crevice. 


A. Weeks 




fhnts; limestone 
to 220; black rock 
hard, in chips, 
with water, 10. 

Clay,30;hmestone, 
130; dark rock, 
60. 

Under bluff; light- 
colored clay, 60. 
black slate, 10' 
dark limestone"' 
.30; oil rock, 5, 
limestone, 1; oil 
rock with black- 
jack, 5; limestone 
with pockets of 
blackjack, 38; 
glass rock, 18; 
strong vein. 




70 









DELAWARE COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The topography of Delaware County is somewhat complex. In 
the northern part lies a rugged upland of loess-covered Kansan drift, 
dissected in interglacial time by the headwaters of streams tributary 
to Turkey River. A similar tract of maturely dissected Kansan ex- 
tends from Earlville and Delhi south along Maquoketa River, and 
other insular patches of upland occur in Richland and Coffin Grove 
townships. 

Bordering or surrounding these areas of rugose uplands lies the 
plain of lowan drift, its fairly level surface diversified with low, ice- 
molded swells of stony clay and glacial gravels. 

GEOLOGY. 

Three drift sheets are represented in the county. The lowan drift 
sheet, the uppermost of the three, is comparatively thin. The lowest, 
the Nebraskan, is revealed in wells where an old soil bed (Aftonian) 
separates the basal stony clay from the overlying Kansan drift. The 
Nebraskan and the Kansan tills together make up the great bulk 
of the drift deposits of the county. The loess, a yellow silt, too fine 



DELAWARE COUNTY. 303 

for sand and too coarse for clay, is spread as a blanket over the dis- 
sected surface of the Kansan uplands. 

In well records it is very difficult to distinguish the different 
deposits of the drift. Even the pebbleless, soft yellow loess may not 
be set apart from the brighter yellow, hard, and stony Kansan drift 
on which it lies, although their discrimination on the spot is extremely 
easy. In the contents of the slush bucket it is hardly possible for the 
driller to distinguish the oxidized lowan drift from the still more 
highly oxidized Kansan till, and yet more difficult to separate the 
blue unoxidized Kansan from the blue Nebraskan drift on which it 
rests. In places, however, the Kansan till is covered with old, 
rusted glacial gravel (Buchanan), which separates it from the lowan 
drift. In some places this gravel has been left heaped in hills; in 
others it underlies low plains or occurs as outwash in the river valleys. 

The basement rocks underlying the county belong to three forma- 
tions. The youngest are Devonian limestones, which are supposed 
to lie beneath the heavy cover of drift over an area comprising about 
7 square miles in the extreme southwestern part of the county. Next 
in age is the Niagara dolomite, which forms the bedrock over nearly 
the entire county. It outcrops in many sections and, where con- 
cealed from view by the mantle of drift, is discovered beneath it by 
the (irill. The lowest rock exposed is the Maquoketa, a bluish, plastic 
shale, which outcrops in the deep valleys of Elk Creek and Little 
Turkey River and is reached by wells in different parts of the county. 
(See PI. VI.) 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

Drillers in Delaware County, as in other counties of eastern Iowa, 
report a general lowering of the surface of permanent ground water 
during the last two or three decades, leaving dry or inadequate the 
drift sands which in earlier years were sufficient to the needs of the 
population. Twenty years ago on the lowan drift plains about 
Manchester ground water stood within 50 to 75 feet of the surface 
and wells of that depth sufficed; at present most wells in that area 
exceed 100 feet and penetrate the rock. In many wells which have 
not gone dry a distinct lowering of water has been noticed, amounting 
to as much as 20 feet. 

Exceptions to the present insufficiency of the drift strata may be 
noted where drift sands are unusually thick, as in buried river chan- 
nels, where they are unusually extensive overlying the rock, and 
where outwash sands whose upper surface lies little above the level 
of a river are well supplied with water from higher ground adjacent. 
Thus on the east side of Honey Creek, from Manchester nearly to 



304 UlS^DEKGKOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Millheim, driven wells in sand are used. An ancient bed of the 
Maqiioketa at Rockville, filled to a depth of 80 feet with sand, sup- 
plies farm wells in that locality. At Manchester, where Maquoketa 
River now flows over a bed of rock, a wide ancient channel, 100 feet 
deep and filled with sand, lies but two blocks from the river banks 
and is utilized for many house wells. At Sand Springs also wells 
are sunk through sand to a depth of 75 feet, where they reach the 
Niagara dolomite, and obtain water that rises within 1 foot of the 
surface. On the prairie southwest of Petersburg wells still find 
water in glacial gravels overlying rock. A belt of exceptionally 
thick drift passes east of Ryan through Hazel Green and into south- 
western Milo Township. Several wells reported from this belt show 
drift from 200 to 240 feet thick, and each of these wells enters rock 
for a few feet, probably to secure attachment for the casing. 

The drift over most of the northwestern part of the county is 
chiefly of a hard blue stony clay or till, with included sand veins 
4 to 6 feet thick. In places it is 15 feet thick, but at present it does 
not afford a supply of water adequate for the ordinary farm. Most 
of the wells are sunk to the underlying rock. 

Over much of the county, especially in the northern and eastern 
portions, where the Niagara approaches or reaches the surface, 
water is found at varying though usually moderate depths in the 
country rock. 

In the southeastern part of the county wells commonly find water 
above the base of the Niagara and the summit of the underlying 
impervious Maquoketa shale. Northwest of Monticello few wells 
exceed 80 or 100 feet. As the Niagara in the southeast townships 
attains a thickness, according to some well sections, of 160 to 200 
feet, wells not infrequently find water at depths of 80 and 100 
feet at a greater or less distance above the floor of the shale. Six 
miles southeast of Delhi a well entered the Niagara at 40 feet; at 
200 feet it encountered loose, caving, shelly rock; and at 280 feet it 
struck a mud-rock shale, both the caving rock and shale being refer- 
able to the Maquoketa. The mud-rock shale was penetrated to a 
depth of 120 feet, the total depth of the well being 400 feet. The 
boring was abandoned before it reached the Galena limestone, and 
a new well, located 50 feet from the first, found plenty of good water 
on the shale. 

In Delhi Township, occupied largely by an area of Kansan drift, 
the thickness of the drift varies from practically nothing to 240 feet 
and wells find water in the subjacent limestone at depths of 60 to 
225 feet from the surface of the ground. 

In the northeastern townships of the county much the same con- 
ditions prevail as in the southeastern. Wells 100 feet deep draw 
water from glacial sands on the lowan prairie southwest of Peters- 



DELAWARE COUNTY. 305 

burg, where rock is reached as a rule. In Colony Township, in an 
area of well-dissected Kansan drift mantled with loess, blue Kansan 
till is heavy and wells find water in the subjacent limestone. 

The Maquoketa shale, brought up toward the north and east, 
by the general southwestward dip of the strata, outcrops at Eockville 
and in the valleys of Little Turkey River and Elk Creek. Hence 
the depth of wells in the Niagara decreases toward Dubuque and 
Clayton counties. In northern Colony and Elk townships the deepest 
wells penetrate the Maquoketa shale and resemble those described in 
the adjacent parts of Clayton County. 

In the four northwestern townships no wells are reported as reach- 
ing the Maquoketa, all finding water either in Niagara dolomite at 
different depths or, less commonly, in the sands and gravels of the 
drift. Wells seldom exceed 160 feet in depth, although some are as 
deep as 265 feet, penetrating the Niagara to 200 feet. 

In the southwestern townships the drift thickens toward the south 
and west. The deep drift east of Ryan, due probably to a buried 
channel, has already been noted. To the east of this "deep coun- 
try," as the drillers term it, the rock rises to the surface at Maquo- 
keta River. A mile west of the buried channel rock approaches 
within 50 feet of the surface of the lowan drift plain. In southern 
Prairie Township wells are drilled from 70 to 100 feet and more in 
the Niagara dolomite after passing through from 80 to 120 feet of 
drift. In Adams Township the same conditions prevail, except that 
in the southwest corner of the township the bedrock belongs to the 
Devonian system. 

The deeper Ordovician and Cambrian sandstones lie too far below 
the surface to be reached with profit, except for the water supply of 
the largest towns. It is from these affluent sources that the supply 
of Manchester is drawn, the artesian well of that city being 1,870 
feet in depth. (See Pis. VI and VIII.) 

SPRINGS. 

Delaware County is favored with many large springs in all parts 
except the southwestern, where the country rock is deeply blanketed 
with drift and the area has suffered but little dissection. 

A well-marked spring horizon occurs in the Niagara dolomite below 
the base of the Pentamerus zone, which lies 150 feet above the summit 
of the Maquoketa shale along Elk Creek. From this horizon issue 
the copious springs which supply Spring Creek in southern Delaware 
and northern Milo townships, and the waters of which are utilized 
by the large fish hatchery of the United States Bureau of Fisheries 
near Manchester. Other large springs from the same horizon occur 
near Hopkinton, near Millhein, and at different points in Honey 
36581°— wsp 293—12 20 



306 UNDEKGEOUND WATEE EESOUKCES OF IOWA. 

Creek and Delaware townships along the valleys of the creeks tribu- 
tary to the Maquoketa. In Richland Township many springs issue 
from the same beds at the base of the picturesque limestone cliffs 
north of Forestville known as the "Devil's Backbone." 

A stUl lower horizon is at the contact of the pervious and creviced 
Niagara dolomite with the Maquoketa shale. The underlying imper- 
vious bed of shale collects the water descending through the lime- 
stone and leads it down the dip to outlets where valley and ravine 
have trenched the strata. Dissolving little by little the rock through 
which it seeps, the ground water has developed a system of passage- 
ways in the transition beds overljdng the shales and issues from its 
trunk conduits in powerful springs. The many springs along Elk 
Creek and its numerous branches in Elk and Colony townships 
emerge at this horizon. 

A few examples of these fine springs must suffice. The spring of 
L. Schnittjer, sec. 26, Delhi Township, issues with a temperature 
of 52° F. from the Niagara. The water is lifted to a convenient 
level for domestic use and the watering of stock by a hydraulic ram — 
a device also used by other farms in the vicinity. The Silver Spring 
Creamery, Delhi, uses two springs issuing from the Niagara dolomite 
at the bottom of a ravine. Like most of the springs of the county 
the water carries no sediment, and its flow and clearness are not 
affected by storms or wind. The water flows through the creamery, 
where it is used for all purposes. The temperature is stated to be 
about 50° F. Big Spring, sec. 3, Colony Township, issues from 
the base of the Niagara, as does the spring of J. D. Chase, of Greely, 
which flows from 100 to 120 gallons a minute. From the same hori- 
zon issues the spring of J. C. Odell, sec. 16, Elk Township, whose 
discharge is 10 barrels or more a minute and whose water is carried 
by a flume 40 rods long and develops 30 horsepower. It is utilized 
to run a gristmill. The temperature is stated to be 48° F. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Earlville. — ^Earlvifle (population, 552) draws its water supply from 
a weU and uses it chiefly for fire protection. The pressure is 39 
pounds, and there are 11 hydrants and 1 mile of mains. 

HopMnton. — Water for Hopkuiton (population, 797) is obtained 
from a drilled well 83 feet deep and 8 inches in diameter. Water is 
foimd in the Niagara dolomite, which the well enters at 30 feet. The 
Maquoketa shale was reached by the well. Water rises within 40 
feet of the surface and is lowered but 5 feet under pumping. It is 
pumped by gasoline engine to a tank, which supplies a gravity pressure 
of 55 pomids. There are 3,300 feet of mains and 7 fire hydrants. 

Manchester. — The supply for Manchester (population, 2,758) is 
drawn from an artesian weU 1,870 feet deep. (See Pis. VI, VIII.) 



DELAWARE COUNTY. 307 

The well is 10 inches in diameter to 260 feet, 7 inches to 890 feet, and 
6 inches to 1,650 feet. A 7-inch casing extends from 260 to 890 feet, 
and a 5-inch casing from 1,300 to 1,650 feet. The curb is 926 feet 
above sea level and the head is 14 feet below the cm-b; with the 
Niagara waters cased out the head is 150 feet below curb; the present 
head is the same. The tested capacity was originally 200 gallons a 
minute and is now 250 to 300 gallons a minute from depths of 1,200 
to 1,296 feet (Jordan). No water was found below 1,500 feet. No 
repairs have been made. The temperature after 10 hours' pumping 
was 48° F. The well was completed in 1896 by J. P. Miller & Co. 

Previous to the completion of tliis well the water supply of Man- 
chester had been an excellent spring, situated near the business por- 
tion of the town on the banks of Maquoketa River. A reservoir 
excavated in solid Niagara rock receives the water of the spring, and 
to develop the flow to the utmost several wells of moderate depth 
have been drilled within it. As the water was msufficient to supply 
the increasing population of the town, it was wisely decided to sink 
an artesian well, and a site was selected adjoining the reservoir and 
some 24 feet higher than the water in it. 

Wliile the drilling was in progress to at least a depth of 1,400 feet, 
water stood in the shaft at about 14 feet from the surface, and there 
were indications that this height was due to the influx of water from 
the spring. When water-bearing strata were reached at 1,200 feet 
and below, and the well was cased to 260 feet, the water dropped to 
150 feet from the surface. On removing the upper casing to a depth 
of 260 feet, the water again rose within 14 feet of the curb, and on 
the final pumping test of the well the spring adjacent nearly ceased 
flowing. The well, therefore, receives a supply of water from the 
Niagara dolomite from the same som-ce as that of the spring. The 
St. Peter is cased out, if the record is correct, and it is not known 
whether or not it is water bearing. The main flow seems to come 
from the Jordan sandstone, from 1,200 to 1,296 feet. Below 1,500 
feet it is reported that no water was found — a remarkable fact, as 
the driU penetrated the entire thickness of the Dresbach sandstone. 

The lower flow alone was tested with a pump throwing 75 gallons 
a minute for 24 hours without lowering the water. On the final test 
of aU waters with a pump throwing from 160 to 200 gallons per 
minute from a 7-inch pipe 200 feet deep, the water soon sunk to 33 
feet from the surface and there remained during the entire test of 
20 consecutive hours. 

The pumping cylinder is now set 200 feet below the surface in the 
well and the engines also pump from the spring reservoir. When the 
deep-well pump is in operation no water flows from the spring and 
the reservoir is drained. When the pump of the spring is working 
at its maximum the pump of the deep well jerks as if sucking air. 



308 



UNDEKGKOUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The spring alone supplies about 40,000 gallons a day. The deep well 
pumps from 250 to 300 gallons a minute all day without difficulty. 
In this connection should be noted the abnormally low temperature 
of the water pumped from the deep well after 10 hours' pumping and 
some 20 minutes after the pumping from the spring had ceased. 
Without question the well receives from the Niagara a large amount 
of water of low temperature. 

Record of strata in city well at- Manchester (PI. VI, p. 258; PI. VIII, p. 352.) 



Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (225 feet thiclf; top, 926 feet above sea level)— 

Dolomite, buff, 6 samples 

Dolomite, blue gray, highly cherty, 6 samples 

Dolomite, blue gray, cherty, pyritiferous, slightly argillaceous 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (205 feet thick; top, 701 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, blue, gray green, and drab; 18 samples 

Magnesian limestone or dolomite, dark drab, subcrystalline, somewhat 

argillaceous, in flakes; 2 samples 

Shale, blue and gray green; 7 samples 

Galena limestone to Platteville limestone (354 feet thick; top, 496 feet above sea 
level) — 

Limestone, magnesian, dark drab, argillaceous 

Limestone, light gray; earthy luster; briskly effervescent; 16 samples 

Dolomite, light yellow gray, subcrystalline; stained with ferric oxide in \ 
minute rounded spots; much of the superior limestone in small fragments. 
Limestone, light and darker blue gray; generally rather soft; earthy luster; 

in flakes and chips; 20 samples 

Shale, bright green, fossiliferous, containing Orthis perveta Conrad, Stroph- 

omena trentonensis W. and S. and Bryozoa (Decorah shale) 

Limestone, light blue gray, fossiliferous 

Limestone, light blue gray, earthy to crystalline; 11 samples 

Shale, green, somewhat calcareous 

St. Peter sandstone (33 feet thick; top, 142 feet above sea level): 

Sandstone, with small chips of limestone, la which no embedded grains 

are noticed 

Sandstone, as above, but free from admixture; 4 samples 

Prairie du Chien group— 

Shakopee dolomite (65 feet thick; top, 109 feet above sea level)— 

Dolomite, buff and gray; angular sand, mostly quartz sand, probably 

from above; 3 samples 

Dolomite, light gray 

Dolomite, slightly arenaceous 

New Richmond sandstone (49 feet thick; top, 44 feet above sea level) — 
Dolomite, highly arenaceous, grains rounded and some enlarged by 

crystalline facets; 2 samples 

Dolomite, gray, arenaceous; some light-drab shale 

Dolomite, arenaceous; some highly arenaceous shale; 2 samples 

Sandstone, calciferous 

Dolomite, gray, arenaceous, with argillaceous powder 

Oneota dolomite (275 feet thick; top, 5 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, gray; 8 samples 

Dolomite, light gray, arenaceous; 3 samples 

Dolomite, gray; arenaceous from 1,100 to 1,103 feet; 27 samples 

Dolomite, arenaceous, gray 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous, or sandstone, calciferous; 4 samples 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (90 feet thick; top, 280 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, white; grains rounded and ground, with considerable diversity 

in size; 7 samples 

Shale, highly arenaceous and calcareous 

Sandstone, as at 1,256; 5 samples 

St. Lawrence formation (242 feet thick; top, 370 feet below sea level)— 

Dolomite, gray; some sand, probably from above 

Sandstone, calciferous, or highly arenaceous dolomite 

Dolomite, light yellow gray 

Dolomite, gray ; in fine sand mixed with considerable quartz sand; 2 samples 

Dolomite, light gray; in clean chips; a little sand from above 

Dolomite, as at 1,346; 2 samples 

Marl, arenaceous, argillaceous, and calcareous; in fine green-gray powder; 
6 samples, all of a pulverulent powder, seen under the microscope to be 
composed of minute angular particles of quartz, dolomite, and chert, 

with much argillaceous material; glauconiferous 

Sandstone, fine grained; in greenish-yellow powder; aigillaceous 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 
140 
60 
25 



10 
106 

10 

142 

5 

8 
66 



11 
6 

19 
3 

10 

54 

24 

170 

5 

22 



153 
13 



DELAWARE COUNTY. 

Record of strata in city well at Manchester — Continued. 



309 



Cambrian — Continued. 

Dresbach sandstone and underlying Cambrian strata (332 feet thick; top, 612 

feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone, white; grains fine and rounded 

Sandstone; greenish argillaceous material mixed with drUlings 

Sandstone, fine; light buff from ferruginous stain 

Sandstone, fine 

Sandstone, coarser; uniform roimded, smooth-surfaced grains of limpid 

quartz 

Sandstone, white 

Sandstone, yellow, glauconiferous; said to be argillaceous 

Shale, light "blue, arenaceous, calcareous, somewhat glauconiferous 



Thick- 


Depth. 


ness. 




Feet. 


Feet. 


22 


1,560 


13 


1,573 


6 


1,579 


19 


1,598 


13 


1,611 


79 


1,690 


25 


1,715 


155 


1,870 



The water is pumped to a standpipe (capacity, 105,750 gallons) and 
distributed under domestic pressure of 50 pounds and fire pressure 
of 80 to 110 pounds, through 6 miles of mains, to 38 fire hydrants and 
350 taps. 

Ryan. — ^The water supply of Ryan (population, 511) for fire pro- 
tection is drawn from a drilled well 258 feet deep, which enters rock 
at 90 feet. Water was found at 150 feet and rises within 60 feet of 
the surface. The capacity of the well is 150 gallons a minute. 
Water is distributed from an air-pressure tank under pressure of 
60 pounds. There are 400 feet of mains and five hydrants. 

Minor supplies.— IidoTm.a.tloB. concerning the water supplies of 
the smaller communities in the county is presented in the following 

tables : 

Village supplies in Delaware County. 



Town. 


Nature of supply. 


Depth. 


Depth to 
water 
bed. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Source of supply. 


Compton 


Driven and drilled wells 

Drilled wells 


Feet. 

12-150 

75-100 

40-250 

70-200 

65-140 

50-125 


Feet. 


Feet. 
10-20 
65-80 
20-40 




Delhi. 




Niagara dolomite. 


Dundee . . . 


Wells 


70-100 
90 

90-140 
60 


Do. 




Drilled wells 


Do. 




Deep wells 


50-100 


Do. 


Oneida 


Wells 


Do. 


Sand Springs 

Thorp 


Driven and drilled wells 


i 


Sand. 


Drilled and dug wells 


15-100 




Niagara dolomite. 











WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Delaware County : 

Typical wells in Delaware County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source of supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 87 N., R. 6 W. 
(Dams). 

T. Williamson 


4 miles north of 
Coggon. 


Feet. 
305 


Feet. 
65 




Feet. 
55 


20 feet away a well 
sunk to 160 feet 
found no water, 
rock being struck 
at 108 feet. 







310 UNDEEGROUKD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical tvells in Delaware County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Source of supply. 



Head 
below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 87 N., R. 6 W. 
(Dams)— Contd. 

W. Montgomery . . . 

R. Flatten 

T. Henderson 

A. Swidle 

Charles Beny 

T. 87 N., R. 5 W. 
(Hazel Geeen). 

William Porter 

G. Abbey 

T. 87 N., R. 4 W. 
(Union and part 
OF South Fork). 

James O'Neil 

T. 87 N., R. 3 W. 
(PART OP South 
Fork). 

Charles Root 

Jacob Land 

Mauser 

T. 88 N., R. 5 W. 

(MILO). 

Haynes 

Charles Thorpe 

T. 88 N., R. 6 W. 
(Prairie). 

LeeM. Smith 



4 miles north and 
1 mile east of 



4 miles northeast 

of Coggon. 
44 miles northeast 

of Coggon. 
Silver Creek 



Northwest of Ryan 



S. i sec. 35 

NE.iNE.isec.23. 

SW.JSAV.isec.l. 
SW.iNW.isec.35 



3 or 4 miles east of 

Ryan. 
NW. iSW.isec.28 



NE.iNE.isec.32. 
NE.iSE.isec.28. 



Southwest of B.op- 
kinton. 



NW. J sec. 18 

Northeast of Sand 

Springs. 
2§ miles south of 

Worthington. 
NW.iNE.isec. 1. 



NE.iNE.isec.29, 
SW. iSW. isec.28 



NW. iNW. Jsec. 

33. 
N W. i N W. i sec. 

32. 
N W. i N W. i see. 

30. 
SW.iSW.isec.19 

7 miles south of 

Manchester. 
SW.iSW.isec.2. 



NW. JNW. isec. 

24. 
4 miles southwest 

of Manchester. 



Feet. 
108 



70 
350 



207 
130 



160 
280 



262 
205 

160 
242 



200 



200 
125 



208 
162 



215 
190 



210 
145 
70 
60 
180 
85 

160 
100 



Feet. 
108 



30 
200+ 



20 
120 



120 

260 

200 

155 
240 



200 ± 
130 

50 

60 
150 

15 



Feet. 



Niagara dolomite. 



Gravel . 



110 



108 feet to water 
bed. 



68 feet to water 
bed. 

70 feet to water 
bed. 

Sandy soil, 2; clays 
to 6; soil, 8; Ni- 
agara, bufl dolo- 
mite, 130; lime- 
stone, nearly 
white, 20; blue 
shale, Maquo- 
keta, 40. 

207 feet to water 
bed. 

Mostly blue clay to 
rock. 

All in drift. 



High ground. 

Mostly blue clay 

to rock. 
Somewhat 1 o w er 

ground than last. 
Much lower ground 

than last two. 



All blue clay to 
rock. 



Limestone. 



Sand , 20 ; limestone, 
140; shale, 2. 



High ground. 

Lower ground. 
Ends in gravel 60 
feet lower than 
the pre ceding 
and following. 

Nearly all in drift. 



Low ground. 

Low ground; clay 
from top to rock. 
Blue clay to rock. 



Blue clay to rock. 



DELAWAEE COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Delaware County — Continued. 



311 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source of supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 88 N., R. 6 W. 
(Prairie)— Contd. 

Sherman Harris 


6 miles southwest 
of Manchester. 

NE. iSE. isec.W- 
NE. iSE. isec.6. 

NE.isec.18 

SE.iNE.isec.l9. 
NW.iSW.isec.29 
NE.iSW.Jsec.31. 
NW.iNW.isec.22 
SE.iNW.isec.22. 
SE. iSE. isec.l4. 

S.*sec.l4 

W.'jsec. 13 

SE.iNW.isec.24. 
E. J sec. 23 

Roekville 


Feet. 
121 

185 
120 

125 
185 
204 
220 
65 
165 
214 
150 
168 
225 
141 

80 
160 

130 
320 

105 

75 
302 

61 
92 

160 

110 
80 
160 

130 


Feet. 
101 

180 
118 

65 




Feet. 


Blue clay to rock. 








High knoll; nearly 
all blue clay to 
rock. 








T. 88 N., R. 4 W. 
(Delhi). 












165 






50 
100 

35 
100 
100+ 
140 

15 

40 

46 

12 

10 
90 

101 

50 
104 

60 
90 

102 
72 
130 

122 










200 






































148 
150 










George Morris 

T. 88 N., R. 3 W. 
(North Fork). 

Mrs. Georgian 

Frank Kerns 




Bottom of ravine. 


Sand and gravel 




Log feet: Drifter 
alluvium, 46; dol- 
omite (Niagara), 
75; "shell rock" 
described also as 
a "blue clay" 
(Maquoketa). 

Maquoketa bot- 


2J miles south of 
'Dyersville. 

2 miles south of 
Dyersville. 

2 miles northwest 
of Worthington. 

Manchester 

SW.iNE.isec.23. 
Manchester 

SW.iNW.isec.l5 
SE. iSE. isec.31. 

Centerof sec. 22... 

SE. iSE. isec.21. 
Center of sec. 21... 
SE. iSE. isec.15. 

SW.iSE.isec.3.. 






toms. All sand 
and gravel. 
Surface deposits. 


• Harris 


Limestone 




12; limestone, 
100; Maquoketa 
shale, 48. 
Surface deposits, 




.do 




10; limestone, 
119; shale, 1. 
Ridge; drift, most- 


T. 89 N., R. 5 W. 
(Delaware). 






ly blue clay, 90; 
limestone, - 70; 
shale, 150; lime- 
stone, 10. 

All blue clay to 




Limestone 




rock. 
Blue clay to rock. 


School well 






Sand to rock; Ma- 




Sand 




quoketa shale 
struck at 220 feet 
from surface; 
ends in shale. 
Sand to rock. 








All blue clay to 




Gravel 




rock; on low 
ground; would 
overflow years 
ago in wet sea- 
sons. 


T. 89 N., R. 6 W. 
(Coffins Grove). 














Ravine. 




Limestone ! 


Till to rock; a few 








streaks of quick- 
sand. 
Sand to thin clay, 
overlying rock; 
one sand well in 
locality. 









312 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF TOWA. 

Typical wells in Delaware County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Sources of supply. 



Head 
below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 89 N., R. 6 W 
(Coffins Grove)— 
Continued. 



Charles Thorpe. 
Do 

John Robinson. 



T. 89 N., R. 4 W. 
(Oneida). 

D. B. Bushnell 



T. 89 N., R. 3 W. 
(Bremen). 



Henry Leschy. 
Groffman. 



Nachmann . 

Henry Goertz... 



Henry Lichtenberg 



T. 90 N., R. 4 W. 
(Elk). 

A. B. Holbert 



T. 90 N., R. 3 W. 
(Colony). 



90 N., R. 6 W. 
(Richland). 

-Wood 



W. H. Sherwin.... 
Allix Schaufner . . . 



NE. JSE. isec.4.. 



NW.JNW.Jsec.SO 
9 miles west of 

Manchester. 
8 miles northwest 

of Manchester. 
6 miles northwest 

of Manchester. 



5 miles east of 
Manchester. 



li miles northeast 
of Earlville. 

2fj miles southwest 
of Petersburg. 

5 miles west of 
Dyersville. 



do.... 

4 miles west of 

Dyersville. 
34 mUes northwest 

of Dyersville. 



Greeley . 



Sec. 19. 



NW.iNE.isec.26 

Near Forestville... 

Schaufner 

4 miles southeast 

of Strawberry 

Point. 



Feet. 
120 



132 
140 



120 
102 



100+ 
100+ 
99 



119 

85 



206 



131 
380 
230 



Feet. 



130 



100 
80 



25 



60 
105 



100 

30 
250 
230 



Limestone . 



Gravel 

Limestone . 



Sand. . . 
Gravel . 
Sand. . . 



.do. 
.do. 



Limestone . 



Sand. 



Sand. 



Feet. 



Clays, 90; s h e 1 1 
rock, 10; solid 
rock, 20. 

All blue clay to 
gravel. 



Nearly all sand. 

All sand and 
gravel. 

Flowing well from 
sand under blue 
till. 
Do. 

High prairie; near- 
ly all blue till. 

High ground. 
Drift, 25; lime- 
stone, 181. 



Diameter, 6 inches. 



Ends in sand under 
heavy pebbly 
blue till. 



Yellow clay, 
blue clay, 92. 



Blue till, 215. 



DUBUQUE COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The topography of Dubuque County is composite. The eastern 
part, rising 600 feet and more above Mississippi River, which flows 
along its eastern border, was deeply gashed by the tributaries of the 
master river during the long periods preceding the glacial epoch, and 
the hiUs and valleys thus developed have been accented by erosion 



DUBtJQUE COUNTY. 313 

since that time. The western part of the county, because of distance 
from the main channels of erosion, was perhaps not so deeply and 
thoroughly dissected in preglacial time, and it has been blanketed 
with sheets of glacial stony clays deposited by successive ice sheets 
from the northwest. Its valleys have thus been partly or wholly 
filled and the sharp erosion profiles characteristic of the eastern 
driftless portion of the county have been blurred or quite obhterated. 

The youngest drift present, the lowan, forms two long lobes, one 
occupying the summit of the ridge reaching from Dyersville to 
Epworth, the other stretching from Worthington southeastward 
down John Creek Valley. These are areas of gently undulating 
prairie with a local relief on the more level portions of not more than 
40 or 60 feet in a square mile. 

The remainder of the western and southern part of the county is 
occupied by older drift, the Kansan. Here the relief depends on two 
factors — the degree to which the preglacial rock-cut valleys were 
filled with drift, and the degree to which the drift has been removed 
by streams since its deposition. The time since the deposit of the 
Kansan drift has been long enough to permit a well-marked and fully 
developed drainage system to be initiated or restored. Streamways 
are incised below the upland crests to a depth of 150 feet about New 
Vienna and to more than 200 feet at Mellary. So broad, however, 
are the valleys that the local relief in places may not exceed 80 or 100 
feet in a square mile. 

The Kansan drift extends as far east as Bankston and Centraha 
and southeast to the Jackson County line. It reaches the edge of the 
main body of upland underlain by the Niagara dolomite, but fails to 
follow out upon the long spurs which render the escarpment of this 
upland so strongly digitate. The remainder of the county hes in the 
driftless area. 

In this area broad flat-floored valleys have been opened by the 
larger streams, such as the Little Maquoketa. It may be noted that 
adjacent to the Mississippi there has been developed a wide upland, 
now maturely dissected, standing about 240 feet above the river and 
about the same distance below the Niagara upland to the west. 
This upland is underlain by the Maquoketa shale, and upon it are 
located the towns of Asbury, Julian, KicardsviUe, and Key West. 
The origin of the upland, which is whoUy comparable to that devel- 
oped on the St. Peter along upper Iowa Kiver in Allamakee County, 
need not here be discussed. Whether it is due to cliff recession of 
the overlying Niagara or is a peneplain uplifted and dissected it is of 
no special importance in the water supply of the county. 



314 



UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOtTRCES OP IOWA. 



GEOLOGY. 

The following geologic formations are present in Dubuque County: 

Quaternary : 

Alluvium. 

Loess. 

lowan drift. 

Kansan drift. 

Aftonian soil. 

Nebraskan drift. 
Silurian : 

Niagara dolomite. 
Ordovician : 

Maquoketa shale. 

Galena dolomite. 

Decorah shale. 

Platteville limestone. 

St. Peter sandstone. 

Prairie du Chien group. 
Shakopee dolomite. 
New Richmond sandstone. 
Oneota dolomite. 
Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone. 

St. Lawrence formation. 

Dresbach sandstone and earlier Cambrian strata. 

The following hypothetical geologic section is based on the scanty 
and in places conflicting data supplied by the records of the deep 
wells of Dubuque. (See PL VI, p. 258.) The thickness of the 
Galena dolomite is obtained by measurement of its outcrop. 

General geologic section at Dubuque. 



Eleva- 
tion of 
stratum. 



Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone: 

Dolomite 

Limestone, bituminous shale, green shale 

St. Peter sandstone: 

White sandstone, water bearing 

Prairie du Chien group: 

Dolomites (Shakopee and Oneota), arenaceous in places, New Richmond sand- 
stone perhaps at 376 feet, with some shaly beds 

Jordan sandstone: 

Sandstone, water bearing 

St. Lawrence formation: 

Dolomites and shales; dolomites to sea level, shales, red marls, arenaceous and 

glauconiferous 

Dresbach sandstone: 

Sandstone, water bearing 

Unnamed Cambrian strata: 

Shales 

Sandstone, water bearing above 



Feet. 
+ 550 
-I- 504 

+ 446 



+ 136 
+ 41 

- 138 

- 359 

- 480 

-1,248 



The lowest formation exposed to view in the county, the St. Peter 
sandstone, outcrops at several places near Spechts Ferry at the base 
of the bluffs bordering the Mississippi. In these places the normally 



DUBUQUE COUNTY. 315 

loose white sandstone has been discolored and hardened by iron 
compounds leached from the rocks above. The drill, however, 
everywhere throughout the county finds the St, Peter in its normal 
phase — a soft friable sandstone of round clear grains of quartz. 

The Platteville limestone overlies the St. Peter and appears along 
the Mississippi as far south as Eagle Point, Dubuque. It consists 
of a basal shale (the Glenwood shale of the Iowa State Survey), over- 
lain by limestones, some magnesian and some fossiliferous, blue and 
brittle, and cut by the drill into flaky chips. Bituminous brown 
shales may be interbedded with these limestones. Above the Platte- 
ville lies the Decorah shale, a highly fossiliferous plastic shale with 
lenses of limestone. The Decorah is succeeded in ascending order 
by the Galena dolomite, which as now defined includes all from the 
summit of the Decorah shale to the base of the Maquoketa shale. 
The entire body of the Galena may be dolomitized, as at Dubuque, 
or more or less of the body of rock may have escaped the process and 
remain in its original nonmagnesian or slightly magnesian state. 
Wliere dolomitized, the Galena is porous and cavernous. It is the 
lead-bearing rock at Dubuque, where its thickness reaches 237 feet. 
The Galena forms the bedrock over a considerable area in the immedi- 
ate vicinity of the streams in the northwestern part of the county. 

The Maquoketa consists in Dubuque County of 50 feet of friable 
shale with earthy limestones overlain by 150 feet of plastic blue 
shale. These impervious and dry rocks immediately underlie a 
large upland area in the eastern part of the county (p. 313). The 
shale is well known to drillers throughout the county. The progress 
of the drill is retarded in this formation by the fact that the drill 
hole must be washed out every 2 or 2 J feet. 

The uppermost geologic formation of the county and the most 
extensive in its outcrops is the Niagara — a buff dolomite, in many 
places cherty, especially toward the base. It underlies the super- 
ficial deposits west and south of the conspicuous sinuous line of cliffs 
of the Niagara escarpment. As rock, the Niagara closely resembles 
the dolomitized Galena and could hardly be told from it by the cut- 
tings of the drill, although the Niagara tends in color to blue-grays 
and to lighter buffs rather than to the darker buff of the Galena. 
The two formations are readily distinguished by their surface distri- 
bution and by the thick shale which parts them. 

The drift sheets of the county are three. The oldest, the 
Nebraskan, is separated from the overlying Kansan by the inter- 
glacial Aftonian deposits, consisting of old forest beds representing 
an interval during which soils accumulated and forests grew on the 
older glacial ground moraine. Both the Kansan and Nebraskan 
drift sheets are tough blue stony clays, although superficially the 
Kansan is deeply reddened by long weathering. The lobes occupied 



316 UNDERGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

by the thin sheet of lowan drift have already been mentioned, 
(p. 313). 

The loess, a yellow or ashen silt or dust deposit, mantles every- 
where the eroded surface of the Kansan and the driftless area. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOUECE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

With the wide range of formations exposed in Dubuque County the 
number of horizons at which ground water may be found is excep- 
tionally large. 

The drift water beds consist of different sands and gravels either 
separating different drift sheets, inclosed within the stony clay of an 
individual drift sheet, or resting immediately on bedrock. The upper 
interglacial gravels have long since been left behind by the gradual 
lowering of the ground water since the country was opened to culti- 
vation. Drillers state that no water is now found between the yellow 
and blue clays, and the seepages at the base of the loess have also 
gone dry. Only the basal sands of the drift supply stock wells at 
present, and these sands carry little water except where the drift 
is of considerable thickness. Drift wells drawing their water from 
this source are naturally most numerous on the slightly dissected 
lowan drift plains. Thus about Worthington wells are commonly 
from 100 to 120 feet deep and "just about reach rock;" on the Farley 
lobe of the lowan drift wells are reported as supplied from gravels 
135 and 160 feet below the surface and covered chiefly by blue till. 
The depth of wells in drift is affected by the varying thickness of this 
glacial deposit, due in part to the preglacial relief of the country. A 
strip of "deep country" is reported in Taylor Township, extending 
from southeast to northwest and running out northwest of Epworth, 
the drift here being 100 feet and more in thickness. West of Bankston 
rock may be covered with 70 feet of drift within 1,000 feet of its 
outcrops. In Epworth rock is reached at 35 feet in places on the 
low ridge at the west end of town, whereas at the east end the drift 
is 135 feet deep. In places, as on the ridges about Farley, drillers 
report a stiff vmctuous clay 5 or 6 feet thick, resting on rock. This 
is probably the red residual clay to be looked for on ancient weathered 
limestone surfaces, and to the driller it is a far less desirable formation 
than the water-carrying glacial gravels that in many places rest 
directly on the rock. 

The Niagara is the chief water bed of the county in the southern 
and western parts. The well records give no section of the formation 
as more than 135 feet, although the measured outcrops give a thick- 
ness of somewhat more than 200 feet. No special horizons within 



DUBUQUE COUNTY. 317 

this thick body of dolomite have been noted at which water can be 
expected. Where local conditions permit its ready drainage, as on 
the long spurs along its border, water will be found, if at all, only at 
its base; back from the margin, where, owing to lack of dissection, 
ground water stands high and the larger part of the dolomite is water- 
logged, water may be found wherever the drill encounters a crevice 
or an especially porous layer. 

Even far mthin the border of the Niagara the drill may occa- 
sionally fail to strike such a crevice or porous bed and may reach the 
base of the formation and enter the Maquoketa shale without having 
found a water supply. If the well is continued it should be with the 
full understanding that this shale is dry throughout its thickness of 
200 feet and more, and it may be necessary to drill some distance into 
the Galena before finding a good water bed. Wells in the Niagara 
are reported which thus reached a total depth of 400 and even of 
500 feet. 

On the ancient weather terrace or peneplain developed on the 
Maquoketa shale about Dubuque, wells do not find water until they 
reach the basal portion of the Maquoketa, consisting of earthy non- 
plastic layers, or the upper thin-layered beds of the Galena. 

In the northeastern parts of the county water is found in the Galena 
and Platteville at depths depending on the height to which these 
bodies of dolomite and limestone are locally water-logged and on the 
success of the drill in striking a water vein. At Linwood, Dubuque, 
a well which entered the Galena at 40 feet found water within 145 feet 
of the surface of the ground. Another well at Linwood in the Roman 
Catholic cemetery was sunk to 312 feet, some water being found at 
190 feet. On the bluffs at Dubuque the ground-water level stands 
about 150 feet below the surface, lowering, however, toward the river, 
as seen in the Fourteenth Street mine. In this area a number of 
wells, about 100 feet deep, are used for cesspools, the contents dis- 
charging freely into the ground water, from which house wells in the 
same district are supplied. Northeast of Sherrills Mound, an outlier 
of the Niagara, wells run about 200 feet in depth, finding their supply 
in the Galena and Platteville. 

The St. Peter, the lowest water bed except those of the deep 
artesian wells of Dubuque, is tapped only near Mississippi River 
in the northeastern portion of the county. Thus, on the Peru 
bottoms the 160-foot well of William Cavanaugh (SW. i SW. i sec. 35, 
T. 90 N., R. 2 E.) struck light-yeUow water-bearing sandstone 6 or 7 
feet thick, beneath 154 feet of alluvial quicksand and gravel. 

The alluvial deposits outside of the broad flood plains of the 
Mississippi are so small in extent that they hardly need mention. 
An interesting belt of country where water is ob tamed in river 



318 UNDEEGROUISrD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

deposits is that of the Couler Valley, which extends northwest from 
the city of Dubuque to Sageville. In this ancient abandoned river 
channel driven wells furnish sufficient water for household and 
ordinary farm uses. The deep well at the works of the Dubuque 
Malting Co. shows that the alluvium in this valley is 117 feet thick. 
At Eagle Point, Dubuque, the well of Amos Baily, on the flood plain 
of the Mississippi, was sunk through 160 feet of alluvium before 
striking rock, the total depth of the well being 170 feet. 

SPRINGS. 

The two best-marked spring horizons m Dubuque County are at 
the summits of the Maquoketa shale and of the Decorah shale. At 
both these horizons ground water is arrested in its descent by an 
impervious floor of shale and finds way to open air wherever the 
basal strata of the limestones are trenched by the channels of surface 
dramage. The large quantity of water gathered and the easy solu- 
bility of the limestones, which permits the opening of passageways 
of considerable size, give rise to copious springs. Along each of 
these horizons the spring may not mark the exact line of junction 
of two formations; it may lead out through talus cloaking the hill- 
side to issue from this loose rock waste at some lower level than the 
summit of the shale; or it may issue at some higher level than the 
shale, owing to the devious windings of the subterranean passages 
dissolved in limestone. 

Of less importance is the Niagara dolomite. Springs are found 
issuing from its crevices along the North Fork of the Maquoketa. 

These water beds are cut by the valleys of the streams in almost 
every section of the northeastern part of the county, and springs 
are correspondingly numerous. The perennial flow of the Little 
Maquoketa is due to its supply by springs issuing from the summit 
of the Maquoketa shale, which takes its name from its outcrops 
along this stream. On the other hand, the next stream to the 
south, Catfish Creek, which drains the plain developed in the Maquo- 
keta shale, goes dry each year for lack of springs within its catchment 
area, although this area is large enough to give rise to torrential and 
destructive floods from the run-off of heavy rains. 

Among the more important of the springs of the county may be 
mentioned that at Washington Mills, which issues at the exact 
contact between the Niagara and the Maquoketa; a large spring 
near Rochester; one in sec. 4, Georgetown Township; and the springs 
issuing along the bluffs of the Mississippi which supply the villages 
of Spechts Ferry and Waupeton. 



DUBUQUE COUNTY. 319 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Cascade. — Cascade (population, 1,268) pumps water from a 
spring issuing from the Niagara dolomite to a tank with a capacity 
of 20,000 gallons. The amount used daily is 70,000 gallons. The 
gravity domestic pressure is 56 pounds and the fire pressure 100 
pounds. The system comprises 1 mile of mains, 52 taps, and 15 
fire hydrants. 

Dubuque. — ^The city of Dubuque (population 38,494) is supplied 
with water from artesian wells from which 4,000,000 gallons daily 
are pumped to a reservoir and distributed under gravity pressure of 
45 pounds. There are 63 miles of mains, 363 fire hydrants, and 
3,300 taps. (See pp. 318 and 319.) 

Near Dubuaue the chief water beds are the Dresbach and earher 
Cambrian sandstones, the St. Peter sandstone, Prairie du Chien 
group, and Jordan sandstone being of minor importance. Wells 
about 1,000 feet in depth tap all reservoirs except those below the 
Cambrian shale underlying the Dresbach sandstone, and wells 1,300 
feet or more in depth reach the stores found in the Cambrian sandstone 
underlying this shale. If the conditions reported at the deepest 
well of the Linwood Cemetery prevail throughout the field, no water 
need be expected below 1,650 feet. 

The head of the water of the lower sandstone of the Cambrian just 
described seems somewhat higher than that of the Dresbach sand- 
stone, as seen in the well of the Key City Gas Co., where the two 
waters are kept apart. 

The first deep wells drilled at Dubuque were put down about 1,000 
feet, tapping the Jordan and the Dresbach sandstone. They had a 
static level of more than 700 feet, heading a little more than 100 feet 
above the lower ground of the city. Thus the well of the Butchers 
Association is reported to have headed at 740, the Juhen House well 
at 724, and the well of the Steam Heating Co., drilled in 1884, at 704 
feet above sea level. The enormous discharge of the 10-inch well 
drilled in 1888 by the waterworks company at Eighth Street reduced 
very generally the head of the other wells, and later wells from 900 
to 1,300 feet in depth showed a distinctly lower static level (Schmidt 
well, 645 feet above sea level; Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Ry. 
well, 683 feet above sea level). The latest well of this class, that of the 
gas company, had a static level of 667 feet above sea level. 

Of the deeper wells tapping the lower sandstone of the Cambrian 
the initial head of the Linwood Cemetery well was 742 feet above 
sea level, but in 1900 this had declined to 661, and the Sixth Avenue 
well at Eagle Point showed an initial head of but 647 feet. 



320 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The use of compressed air in several wells has caused a sudden 
loss of pressure in neighboring wells, and this lowering of static level 
may be expected to widen in area and increase in amount. 

In 1905 several old wells still held their waters up to from 630 to 
645 feet above sea level, and the Julien House well and the gas com- 
pany well showed heads respectively of 685 and 667 feet above sea 
level. In 1908 the wells reporting in response to letters of inquiry 
showed heads not exceeding 625 feet above sea level, except in one 
or two doubtful cases. 

The early failure of some of the wells points to defective or dete- 
riorated casings, but the general loss of head, a loss in several wells 
sudden and coincident with the completion of new wells of great 
capacity on low ground or with the installation of air lifts in other 
wells, finds its cause in a general lowering of static level due to over- 
draft. For this condition there is no remedy except the partial one of 
restriction of outflow so far as possible. Wells in plants not in 
operation should be closed, and lateral escape of waters through 
defective casing and through channels opened in the rock where the 
well is not cased should be prevented by keeping all wells effectively 
cased to the chief aquifers. 

The Butchers' Association well has a depth of 1 ,000 feet and a diam- 
eter of 8 inches to the bottom; it is cased to 300 feet. The curb is 607 
feet above sea level. The original head was 133 feet above the curb 
and the head in 1896 was 41 feet above the curb. The original flow 
was 580 gallons a minute. No record of the present head and 
discharge has been obtained. Water was first tapped at a depth 
of 600 feet and gradually increased to the bottom. The temperature 
is 56.5° F. The well was completed in 1887 by J. P. Miller & Co., 
of Chicago. 

The Lorimer House well has a depth of 1,057 feet and a diameter 
of 5 inches. The curb is 652 feet above sea level. The original 
head was 57 feet above the curb and the head in 1896 approximately 
at curb. The original flow of 400 gallons a minute had ceased in 
1906. The well was drilled by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. It 
has not been in use since 1892. 

The Julien House well had an original depth of 896 feet but was 
deepened in 1898 to 1,660 feet. Its diameters are 12, 6, and 5 
inches, cased originally to 212 feet. The curb is 615 feet above sea 
level. The original head was 109 feet above curb; head in 1896, 97 
feet above the curb; head in 1905, 70 feet above the curb. The 
original flow was 480 gallons a minute. The well was drilled in 1872 
by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

Before the weU was deepened the flow had ceased. The sinking 
of the city wells had no influence on the flow, but the first night that 
the air compressor was set working in the city weU, about 1 1 blocks, 
away, the Julien House well discharged about 2 bushels of sand. 



DUBUQUE COUNTY. 

Driller^ s log of Julien Eoitse well at Duhuque. 



321 




Depth. 



Loose material 

Sandstone 

Marl 

Sand, marl, and limestone mixed 

Sandstone 

Limestone 

Marl, red 

Shale, sandy 

Marl, red 

Sandstone 



210 
370 
436 
486 
546 
651 
691 
737 
744 



The Linwood Cemetery well No. 1 has a depth of 1,765 feet. Its 
curb is approximately 776 feet above sea level and its original head 
was 23 feet below the curb. The well is now pumped with a cylinder 
200 feet below the curb. 

The Linwood Cemetery well No. 2 has a depth of 1,954 feet and a 
diameter of 8 inches to 1,000 feet and 6 inches to bottom; casing to 
1,025 feet. The curb is 706 feet above sea level. The original head 
was 36 feet above curb; head in 1896, 1(?) foot above curb; head in 
1900, 45 feet below curb. The original flow was 40 gallons a minute; 
flow in 1896, 20 gallons a minute; well now pumped. Water from 
a depth of 100 feet rose nearly to the surface. The first rock flow 
was at about 1,250 feet and graduaUy increased until drill reached a 
depth of 1,650 feet, below which no water was found. The weU was 
completed in 1891 by J. P. Mifler & Co., of Cliicago. 

TMs well is sometimes obstructed by a "fibrous sediment" which 
may be Crenothrix and which is removed by churning an iron rod 
in the tube. At times tliis treatment has doubled the diminished 
flow. 

The J. Gushing factory weU has a depth of 965 feet and a diameter 
of 7 inches to 60 feet, 5 inches to 190 feet, and 4 inches to bottom; 
cased to bottom. The curb is 642 feet above sea level. The original 
head was 31 feet above the curb and the head in 1896 at curb. Water 
comes from 600 feet and lower. The temperature is 60° F. The 
well was completed in 1888 by J. P. MiUer & Co., of Chicago. 

The Packing & Provision Co.'s well has a depth of 955 feet and a 
diameter of 8 and 6 inches; cased to 200 feet. The curb is 607 feet 
above sea level. The original head was 55 feet above the curb; head 
in 1896, 50 feet above curb; head in 1905, 23 feet above curb. The 
original flow was 340 gaUons a minute; the present tested capacity, 
with pump cylinder 16 feet above curb, is 90 gallons a minute. The 
well was completed in 1889 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Cliicago. 

The Consumers' Steam Heating Co.'s weU has a depth of 802 feet 
and a diameter of 4 inches. The curb is 617 feet above sea level. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 21 



322 



UISrDEKGEOUJSrD WATEK EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



The original head was 87 feet above curb and the head in 1896 at 
curb. The original flow of 260 gallons a minute had ceased in 1896. 
The water comes from depths of 353, 480, and 780 feet. The well 
was completed in 1884 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

Driller'' s log of Steam Heating Co.'s well at Dubuque. 



Depth. 



Depth to rock [alluvium] 

Sandstone 

Sand and shale 

Limestone, white 

Limestone, gray 

Sand and lime [inspection of the tube shows that this Includes a cherty limestone 
perhaps arenaceous, a gray limestone, and lowest a brown cherty, arenaceous lime 
stone] 

Sandstone, brown 

Marl, yellow 

Sand and lime 

Sandstone 

Lime 

Marl, red 

Shale, sandy , green 

Marl, red 

Sandstone, cream yellow 



Feet. 



165 
171 
176 
304 
346 



481 
501 
504 
614 
576 
594 
681 
745 
755 
802 



The Schmidt brewery well (W. Weiss Beer Co.) has a depth of 886 
feet and a diameter of 8 to 6 inches; 8-inch casing to 80 feet, 5-inch 
casing to 120 feet. The curb is 630 feet above sea level. The head 
in 1896 was 15 feet above curb; the present head is below curb; water 
rises nights and Sundays. The well now pumps 35 gallons a minute 
with the cyhnder set 16 feet below curb. The water comes from 
depths of 500 feet, 700 to 800 feet (main flow), and below. The well 
was completed in 1891 by J. Bicksler, of Dubuque. 

Record of strata in Schmidt brewery well at Dubuque. 

Depth 
in feet. 

Sand and gravel 25 

Sand, yellow 30 

Sand, reddish 56 

Dolomite, buff; aspect of Galena 60-65 

Limestone, dark bluish gray and buff 80 

Limestone, magnesian, or dolomite; dark drab, mottled with 

lighter color; in small angular fragments, residue after solution 

large; argillaceous, siliceous, and pyritiferous; three samples.. 100-114 
Sandstone, white, moderately coarse; grains rounded, smooth, and 

comparatively uniform in size 126 

Dolomite, light yellow gray, nearly white, with much sand in 

drillings 140 

Sandstone, as at 126 feet 156 

Dolomite; drillings chiefly chert 189 

Dolomite, gray, highly cherty at 250 feet 210-250 

Sandstone, white, many grains faceted; some dolomite chips in 

drillings 254 

Dolomite, light buff, in fine sand, with chert and quartz sand 258 



DUBUQUE COUNTY. 323 



Depth 
in feet. 



Sandstone, white, with calcareous cement 267 

No samples 267-426 

Dolomite, buff, cherty 426 

Dolomite, brown; chip pings splintery; mostly of flint with some 

of drusy quartz 430 

Sandstone, cream yellow, moderately fine, calciferous as shown by 

dolomitic and cherty material in drillings; three samples 465-474 

Dolomite, buff; in fine sand, with some quartz sand 478 

Sandstone, light reddish yellow, fine, calciferous 535 

Dolomite, in fine buff sand and gray chips 581-584^ 

Shale, highly arenaceous, glauconiferous; in chips which pulverize 
into reddish yellow powder at 632 feet and reddish brown at 636 

feet, quartzose material, microscopic and angular 632-636 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous, glauconiferous; in fine brown angu- 
lar sand at 724 feet and in coarser sand at 726 feet 724-726 

Sandstone, yellow; grains moderately fine, the larger rounded and 

smoothed 730 

Sandstone, pure, white; grains rounded, moderately fine 841 

The Bank and Insurance Building well had a depth of 973 feet, but 
was deepened in 1900 to 1,380 feet. Its diameter is 8 to 4|- inches. 
The casing extends to 150 feet, and also covers 50 feet of shales below 
200 feet. The curb is 638 feet above sea level. The original head 
was 10 feet above the curb; the present head is 3 feet above curb 
(water pumped to tank on roof). The original flow was 120 gallons 
a minute, which increased in 1900, after deepening, to 125 gallons a 
minute. The first flow was at a depth of about 900 feet. Tempera- 
ture, 61° F. Date of completion, 1894; drillers, J. P. Miller & Co., 
Chicago. 

The E. Hemmi dairy well has a depth of 973 feet. The curb is 627 
feet above sea level. It was completed in 1895 ( ?). 

This well stopped flomng on the starting of the air compressors of 
the malting company. It is now pumped by a windmill. 

The Dubuque Brewing & Malting Co.'s well has a depth of 999 feet, 
but was deepened in 1904 to 1,165 feet. Its diameter is 8 to 6 inches. 
The curb is 624 feet above sea level. The well was completed in 
1895 by J. Bicksler, of Dubuque, and was deepened and recased to 
450 feet in 1904 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. No definite facts 
are obtainable as to head and discharge. The original flow was 
received in a reservoir from which it was pumped throughout the 
brewery. The flow ceased when the air compressors of the city wells 
were in use, and an air compressor was installed to pump the well, 
whose capacity was estimated at 150 gaUons a minute. The repairs 
made by deepening and recasing the well in 1904 are reported as 
having been very beneficial, but the increase in flow or pressure is not 
stated. In 1908 the head was 6 inches above the curb, the flow being 
increased by the use of the air compressor. 



324 UNDEKGKOUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Driller^ s log of Dubuque Malting & Brewing Co. well. 





Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


[Surface material] 


Feet. 

117 

33 

75 

225 

533 

45 

2 

135 


Feet. 
117 


Limestone 


150 


Sandstone 


225 




450 




983 


Shale 


1,028 


Marl, red . . . 


1,030 


Sandstone 


1,165 







The Key City Gas Co.'s well lias a depth of 1,310 feet and a diam- 
eter of 10 inches to bedrock (116 feet), 8 inches to 562 feet, 6i inches 
to 1,070 feet, and 5 inches to the bottom; casing, 10 inches to 116 
feet and 4 inches from curb to 1,118 feet. The curb is 619 feet above 
sea level. The original head was 48 feet above curb; head in 1905, 
48 feet above curb. The original flow was 400 gallons a minute. 
Water comes from depths of 1,000, 1,118, and 1,310 feet. Tempera- 
ture, 60° F. The well was completed in 1900 by J. P. Miller & Co., of 
Chicago. The waters of the higher water beds rise through the outer 
casing and those of the lower through the inner. The lower waters 
have the higher head, but the difference is variously reported. It is 
stated that on the completion of the well the flow of other wells in the 
city was diminished and some of the shallower wells ceased to flow. 
In 1905 the tv»^o flows had become mingled through corrosion of 
casing. 

Driller's log of Key City Gas Co.'s well at Dubuque. 



Depth. 



Surface material 

Limestone, shelly 

Limestone or shale 

Shale, sandy 

Shale, red, and caving rock. 

Limestone 

Shale 

Sandstone 

Shale, sandy 

Rock, hard and soft streaks 




Feet. 

67 

116 

150 

470 

545 

645 

690 

985 

1,100 

1,310 



The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway wells are two in number, 
each with a depth of 1,263 feet. The curbs are 607 feet above sea 
level. The original heads were 76 feet above curb; heads in 1905, 28 
feet above curb. The well No. 1 was completed in 1898; it flowed 60 
gallons a minute. 

City well No. 1, Eighth and Pine Streets, has a depth of 1,310 feet 
and a diameter of 10 inches; casing, 400 feet. The curb is 607 feet 



DUBUQUE COUNTY. 



325 



above sea level. The original head was 46 feet above the curb; head 
in 1905, 23 feet above curb; head in 1908, 3 feet above curb. The 
original flow is unknown, but the flow in 1908 was 100 gallons a 
minute. The water came from depths of 500 and 1,310 feet. Date 
of completion, 1888. 

The Eagle Point north city well has a depth of 1,308 feet and a 
diameter of 12 inches; 12-inch casing to 400 feet. The curb is 625 
feet above sea level. The original head was 24 feet above curb, and 
the head in 1905, 20 feet above curb. The flow in 1905 was 300 gal- 
lons a minute; flow in 1908, 230 gallons a minute; capacity under air 
compressor acting at 300 feet in depth, 805 gallons a minute. The 
first flow came from 800 feet. The well was completed in 1899 at a 
cost of $2,600. 

The Eagle Point south city well has a depth of 1,306 feet and a 
diameter of 12 inches to 900 feet, 8 inches to bottom; casing, 8 inches 
to 1,000 feet. The flow in 1905 was 265 gallons per minute, and in 
1908, 120 gallons a minute; capacity under the air compressor, 290 
gallons a minute. The head was the same as that of the north well. 
Date of completion, 1899. 

The Eagle Point Sixth Avenue city well has a depth of 1,927 (or 
1,908) feet and a diameter of 4 inches; 4-inch casing to 450 feet. The 
original head was 22 feet above curb; head in 1905, 11 feet above 
curb. The original flow was 135 gallons a minute. Temperature, 
61° F. The well was completed in 1900. 

The use of the air compressor in the north well stops the flow of the 
south well; in 1905 its use in the north and south wells reduced the 
flow in the Sixth Avenue well to one-third its normal discharge; the 
effect on the distant Eighth Street well is said to be slight. 

An unpublished log of the waterworks well at Galena, 111., is here 
presented for comparison with the logs of wells at Dubuque. 

• Driller's log of well of waterworks at Galena, III. 



Surface material 

Limestone 

Sand, white, water, first flow (St. Peter) 

Marl, red 

Sandstone, white, water 

Limestone, sandy 

Shale, sandy 

Limestone, sandy 

Sand, white, water 

Sand and limestone 

Sand, white, water 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


65 


65 


95 


160 


105 


265 


40 


305 


222 


527 


80 


607 


28 


635 


50 


685 


28 


913 


12 


925 


645 


1,570 



Dyersville. — The water system of Dyersville (population, 1,511), 
owned by the city, obtains its supply from a 5-inch drilled well, 384 
feet deep, entering rock at a depth of 2 feet. Water heads 150 feet 



326 



UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOtTECES OP IOWA. 



from the surface. The chief water bed was found at 136 feet in 
Niagara dolomite. Water is pumped by gasoline engine to a tank, 
whence it is distributed under gravity pressure of 45 pounds through 
1^ miles of mains. There are 30 taps and 20 fire hydrants. 

The St. Peter sandstone should be struck at about 260 feet above 
sea level, or 681 feet below the surface, and the Jordan at about 150 
feet below sea level or about 1,090 feet below the surface. A well 
sunk to 250 feet below sea level, that is, to about 1,100 feet from 
the surface, should give a supply ample for the town so long as the 
well is kept in good repair. The water from the deeper beds may be 
expected to stand about 150 feet below the curb, but the upper 
waters, which will be found in the Niagara, Galena, and Platteville 
limestones, will come much higher and increase the head. The cylin- 
der of the pump should be placed low enough to draw on the deeper 
waters after the upper limestone waters, which wilt be less in amount, 
have been pumped off. 

Minor supplies. — Information concerning the supplies of some of 
the smaller places is contained in the following table: 

Village supplies in Dubuque County. 





Nature of supply. 


Depth of wells. 


Depth 

to 
water 
bed. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Head. 




Village. 


From — 


To— 


Com- 
mon. 


Springs. 


Bernard ... 


Wells . 


Feet. 
80 
30 


Feet. 
600 
135 


Feet. 
120 
130 


Feet. 
100 


Feet. 
12 


Feet. 
■■■-26' 


None. 




Cisterns and 

wells. 


Large and small. 


Epworth 








Farley 


Drilled wells 

.do 


GO 
18 


120 
535 






15 
25 


i "-is" 

\ -30 




Peosta . . 


150 




jsmall. 


Spechts Ferry. . . . 
Placid 


Springs 




24 


315 


120 


120 


f 300 
\ 135 


-16 

-80 




Waupeton 


Springs 




Sageville 








100 

60 










Worthington 


Drilled and open 
wells. 


30 


60 


60 


25 


f -15 
I -30 


Ismall. 



WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Dubuque County: 

Wells in Dubuqu£ County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source 
of supply. 


Head. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 88N.,R. IE. 
(Vernon). 

Mrs. King 


NW.iNE.isec.13 
SW.i SW.isec.7. 
SW iSE isec. 12. 


Feet. 
135 
200 
400 


Feet. 




Feet. 


High ground. 


Peter Broessel 






-160 


J. McMahon 






Dolomite, Niagara, 60; 










Maquoketa shale and 
Galena limes tone,340. 



DUBUQUE COUNTY. 

Wells in Dubuque County — Continued. 



327 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock 



Source 
of supply. 



Head. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 90N., R. 2E. 
(Peru). 

JohnCoultis 



T. 89 N., R. 1 W. 
(Iowa). 

Clement Meyer. . . 
L. H. Fangmann. 
C. Fangmann 

Keller 

T. 88N., R. 1 W. 
(Taylor). 

— — Bennett 

Geo. Freeman 



Aug. Krogmaim . . 



Geo. Graham. 



Hams 

M. M. McDermott. 

Quirrin 

N. Bradfleld 

T. Smith 

J.Haly 

Geo. Banerich 

T. 88N.,R. 2 W. 
(Dodge). 

Martin 

J.N. Crapp 

F. Funke 

Aug. Coopman 



Town. 



T.90 N., R. 1 W. 
(Concord). 

John Frietmann. . 

Nicholas Smith. . . 

T. 88N., R. 2E. 
(Table Mound.) 

C, Ehrsam 



U miles southwest 
Spechts Ferry. 



Tivoli, sec. 8. 
Bankston 



SW.iNE.isec.33 
NE.iSW.isec.8. 
NE.-iSE.isec.S.. 
Kidder 



4 miles northwest 
of Epworth. 



1 mile north of Ep- 

worth. 
4 miles southwest 

of Epworth. 

SW. iSE.Jsec. 7. 



Vf miles southeast 
'of Graham. 



East end of Ep- 
worth. 

IJ miles south of 
Epworth. 

Sec. 11 

Sec. 12 

See. 22 

Sec. 34 



SW.iNE.Jsec.31 



2 miles northwest 

of Farley. 
IJ miles west of 

'Farley. 

Sec. 11 

Sec. 9 



2 miles south of 
Dyersvllle. 



Worthington. 



NE.iNE.isec.16 
SE.iSE.i sec.32. 



NW.Jsec. 18. 



Feet. 
150 



140 
175 



160 
ICO 
208 



160 



112 

155 



Feet. 



Feet. 



187 



250 
140 
83 



220 



135 
160 



102 
154 



300 



104 
200 



Limestone . 



Gravel. ... 
Limestone . 
On shale . . . 



On shale . 



Limestone . 
Gravel 



190 
135 
65 

190 



Limestone . 



Gravel . 
do. 



102 
117 



30 



Limestone . 



Sand and 
gravel. 



Sand and 
Gravel. 



Yellow clay, 10; blue 
clay, 56; limestone, 74. 

Drift and Niagara dolo- 
mite to Maquoketa 
shale, 175 feet. 

Rather high ground. 

All sand to gravel. 

Yellow clay to rock. 

Low ground near creek. 
Reddish sand and 
clay, 20; limestone, 
20; shale, 46. 

Ridge; Maquoketa 
shale penetrated, 60. 



Mostly sand; lime- 
stone, 5. 

Yellow clay, 30; blue 
clay, 60; limestone, 
40; shale, 25. 

High hill. Drift, 60; 
limestone, 100; shale, 
340. No water. 

Ridge. Yellow clay, 40; 
blue clay, 26; lime- 
stone, 110; shale (Ma- 
quoketa), 254; hard 
gray limestone, 12; 
shale, 8. 

Drift, nearly all sand, 
135; Niagara dolo- 
mite, 52. 

Yellow clay, 20; blue 
clay, 87; gravel, 8. 

Blue till from 40 to 135. 

Black drift into wood 
above rock. 

MatQly yellow till and 
sandy material to 
rock with some 
"black clay." 

Drift, 85; Niagara dolo- 
mite, 135. 



Nearly all blue clay to 

gravel. 
Blue clay to water bed. 

Mainly yellow till. 

67 feet of blue-black till 
on rock. 

High ground. Drift, 6; 
Niagara dolomite, 100; 
Maquoketa shale, 194; 
ends in shale. 

Diameter, 5| inches. 
Depth to water sup- 
ply, 50. 



Blue stony clay to wa- 
ter bed. 

Reached Maquoketa 
shale. 



Valley. Mostly soft 
quicksand; rock not 
reached. 



828 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

Wells in Dubuque County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source 
of supply. 


Head. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet. 


T. 89N.,R. IE. 
(Center). 


Centralia 


Feet. 
250 

220 
120 
416 

112 
92 


Feet. 




Feet. 


Drift and loess, 30; blue 




do 






-190 
- 40 
-398 


shale, 220. 




.do 








H. Calahan 


Sec. 7 






Altitude, 1,150 feet; 32 




do 


60 
32 


Limestone 


feet of drift. 
Yellow and blue clay, 
60; limestone, 12. 

Yellow clay, 12; blue 
clay, 20; limestone, 
60. 


T. 89 N., R. 2 W. 
(New Wine). 

May berry 


2i miles northwest 
"of Farley. 


do 


- 52 



FAYETTE COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

As Fayette County lies near the margin of the driftless area, it 
includes two types of topography, each of wliich exercises a certain 
control over the distribution of ground water. The northeastern part 
of the county — the area lying east and north of West Union and 
Fayette — is a land of hills, some of which are 400 feet high, carved by 
streams from an upland about 1,200 feet above sea level. Here the 
Kansan drift is thin and the topography of preglacial time is not 
effaced or even masked. Over the remainder of the county the pre- 
glacial hills and valleys have been deeply buried beneath drift, and 
the latest ice sheet to invade the region, the lowan, has molded the 
surface to a gently undulating prairie. In this prairie region ground 
water stands high, feeding the streams of the shallow valleys with 
oozes along their banks; in the rugged country of the northeastern 
part ground water stands low and must be sought by wells at levels 
approximating those of the bases of the hills, where it issues in copi- 
ous springs. 

The divide between Volga and Turkey rivers reaches an elevation 
of 1,280 feet above sea level; the lowest valley floors descend to 775 
feet above sea level. The two areas are roughly sketched in any road 
map of the county. In the dissected area the crooked highways fol- 
low around hill and up winding valley and along the sinuous ridge 
tops; on the prairie of the younger drift they adhere to the section 
lines undeviatingly. 

The broad, flat valleys of the streams of the dissected area form a 
topographic type of special interest in this investigation. Their 
width, which commonly reaches a mile along Volga and Turkey rivers 



PAYETTE COUNTY. 329 

is an expression of an advanced stage of development due not only to 
their great age but also to the weak rock, the Maquoketa shale, in 
which they have been worn. 

GEOLOGY. 

Pleistocene drift deposits mantle the entire county. In the hilly 
northeastern part they are thin and almost negligible from the pres- 
ent viewpoint, but over the prairies of the county they are thick. 
The great bulk of the drift belongs to the earlier drift sheets, the 
Nebraskan and the Kansan. The lowan drift forms a veneer on the 
older drift over about two-thirds of the county. Outside of the lowan 
area the stony clays of the drift are mantled with a fine yellow silt 
called loess. 

The well driller does not distinguish between these superficial 
deposits, nor is their discrimination easy in the contents of the slush 
bucket. Yet valuable data may be obtained by noting the depth at 
which the gritless yellow loess passes into the ashen loess beneath it 
or into the sands which in a few places underlie it, or into the brighter- 
yellow stony clay of the weathered Kansan. The place and thickness 
of the sand beds which locally intervene between the Kansan and 
the Nebraskan should also be noted. At the same horizon ( Aftonian) 
will be found in places old soils, deposits of peat, and forest beds, 
whose dark and ill-smelling products are recognized at once. The 
driller should also note the depth at which the weathered reddish or 
yellow Kansan passes into the blue unoxidized and tougher stony 
clay of the unweathered basal portion of that drift. 

Several members of the Devonian system, differing lithologically 
one from another, are exposed in different places in the central and 
western parts of the county, as in the deep railway cut at Fayette, but 
their discrimination matters little in tliis investigation. 

The Niagara dolomite (Silurian) appears in the cliffs along the val- 
ley of Turkey and Volga rivers and forms the bedrock in parts of 
lUyria, Dover, Auburn, Union, and Westfield townships. Covered 
by heavy drift, it is supposed to underlie the southern townships. 
The rock is for the most part a buff dolomite, although beds of gray 
nonmagnesian limestone occur locally. The measured outcrops do 
not exceed 70 feet. 

Because of its impervious shales, the Maquoketa (Ordovician) ex- 
erts a strong influence on the distribution of ground water. The 
formation includes a basal member nearly 100 feet thick, made up of 
shales and clayey limestones, a middle member about 50 feet thick 
composed of cherty magnesian limestones, and an upper member, a 
plastic bluish shale, whose thickness may reach 125 feet. These beds 
form the surface rock over Clermont and most of Dover townships, 
and over the northeastern part of Auburn Township. They form the 



330 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

bedrock of the valley floor of the Volga to 3 miles north of Lima, of 
Turkey River to its junction with Crane Creek, and of Otter Creek to 
a point within 2 miles of West Union, 

The 70 feet of the upper beds of the Galena (Ordovician) exposed 
in the county are nondolomitic limestones, light gray in color, and 
may be recognized by the driller by these characteristics, as well as 
by their position immediately beneath the easily determined base of 
the Maquoketa shale. They outcrop only along the valley of Turkey 
River and its tributaries above Clermont, 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

In the northeastern part of the county water is obtained chiefly in 
the bedrock. The drift is thin, and the loess seldom affords a large 
or permanent supply. Wells encounter, immediately above the 
rock, a stratum of residual flints several feet thick, but this stratum 
does not form a water bed, as the flints are set in impervious red 
residual clay. In Clermont and much of Pleasant Valley townships, 
where the Maquoketa shale forms the country rock, water may be 
found above the blue upper shale of that formation, but generally 
the drill must go to the hmestones of the middle Maquoketa, or even 
into the Galena and Platteville limestones underlying the heavy 
shales of the lower Maquoketa, As the tliickness of the Maquoketa 
is estimated at not less than 250 feet, it is not surprising that some 
of the deeper wells of the area are 400 feet deep. 

On the high uplands of the northeastern townships, where the 
Niagara dolomite forms the country rock, water is commonly found 
at moderate depths, but even here in a few wells the drill fails to 
strike water in the Niagara, and wells are reported which go to the 
middle Maquoketa. One west of Wadena passed through 80 feet of 
"sand rock" (Niagara), 155 feet of "soapstone" (upper Maquoketa), 
15 feet of "dark shale in chips," and 32 feet of limestone (middle 
Maquoketa), finding water in the beds last named. 

The wide valley floors of Turkey and Volga rivers form a distinct 
province where shallow wells tap the abundant water of alluvial 
sands and gravels. 

In the remainder of the county the chief water beds are (1) sands 
and gravels of glacial origin, interbedded with stony clays or over- 
lying the rock at different depths from the surface, and (2) Devonian 
and Silurian limestones. In the southeastern part of the county, in 
Fairfield, Smithfield, Putnam, and Scott townships, water is found 
in the basal glacial gravels and in the Niagara dolomite. Wells vary 
in depth with the thickness of the drift and with the depth in the 



FAYETTE COUNTY. 331 

Niagara at which a water-bearing crevice or porous layer may be 
encountered. 

The data at hand suggest that the drift ranges in thickness com- 
monly from 70 to 150 feet. Near Scott, however, some wells find 
water in glacial sands resting on rock at a depth of 170 feet. Four 
miles west and 1 mile north of Arlington the same water-bearing 
sands lie in places about 200 feet from the surface. About 4 miles 
southwest of Arlmgton the average depth to rock is 150 feet, most 
wells here finding water on the rock or a few feet below the rock 
surface. Near Taylorsville some wells are sunk about 60 feet below 
the rock surface. On the high ridge north of Brush Creek ground 
water in the limestone stands low and wells may need to go through 
150 feet or more of rock before obtaining a supply. 

In the southwestern townships the drift is of considerable thick- 
ness, although at Fairbank, Maynard, and Randaha the rock ap- 
proaches close to the surface or outcrops. In Oran and Fremont 
townships a common range of from 50 to 125 feet is indicated by our 
reports, wells seldom exceeding 150 feet in depth. At Westgate rock 
is reached at 80 feet and from Oelwein west to Little Wapsipinicon 
River wells footing in keel rock are said to range from 75 to 100 feet 
in depth. In Jefferson Township the drift is thicker than in Oran, 
and wells which here find water in its basal sands or in the upper 
layers of the underlying rock commonly exceed 100 feet. At Oelwein 
on the hills house wells are about 145 feet deep and foot in rock, 5 
feet being sufficient for reservoir and anchorage for casings. On the 
■other hand, in the northwestern part of the city rock lies at 30 feet. 
At the Roman Catholic Church a well penetrated sand for 60 feet, 
whereas wells not 100 feet distant on either side struck rock witliin 
3 feet of the surface. This narrow bed of sand runs half a mile 
southwest to Otter Creek. The steepness of the rock walls of this 
buried channel is shown by the fact that at a house in the town the 
excavation for the cellar encountered rock at 4 feet, and a well 5 or 6 
feet from the house wall penetrated sand for 60 feet. 

In Harlan, Center, and Banks townships wells find water in basal 
sands and gravels or immediately below the rock surface in the 
Devonian limestones. In Banks township the drift apparently runs 
deep and a tluckness of 187 feet is reported at one locality. A short 
distance southeast of Randalia rock comes to the surface, though 
immediately at the village it is 90 feet below ground About May- 
nard stock wells run to depths of from 40 to 100 feet, and are com- 
monly drilled from 5 to 10 feet in rock. 

In the northwestern part of the county, which is comprised within 
the limits of the lowan drift plain the general conditions are the same 
as in the central and southwestern parts. 



332 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

A few flowing wells from Pleistocene sands overlain by stony clays 
are reported from the county but no provinces were found of sufficient 
importance to deserve investigation. These flows occur on low 
ground on a branch of Turkey River in Windsor Township and at one 
or two points along Otter Creek north of Oelwein, and on the Little 
Wapsipinicon. 

SPRINGS. 

springs are numerous and many of them are copious in the north- 
eastern part of the county along the valleys of Volga and Turkey 
rivers. A well-marked horizon occurs at the base of the Devonian, 
whence some large springs issue near Fayette. A still larger contri- 
bution of spring water is made by the rocks at the summit of the 
Maquoketa shale, for this impervious clay leads the ground water 
along its surface to open air wherever it is cut by streamways. At 
Wadena, on Turkey River, several springs issue on the hillsides, that 
of Wilham Sargent being said to be 80 feet above the village. The 
water of one of these springs has been piped to the village, but no use 
has been made of them for power. In most of the part of the county 
covered with lowan drift springs are few and small. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Arlington. — At Arhngton (population, 678) water obtained from a 
well is pumped to a tank supplying pressures of 35 to 45 pounds. 
There are 2,400 feet of mains. 

Fayette. — The pubUc supply of Fayette (population, 1,112) is 
drawn from two 8-inch wells 65 feet deep, situated at the edge of town 
on the banks of Volga River. Their joint capacity is said to be 
500,000 gallons a day, but a run of the pumps for not more than 1| 
hours a day is sufficient to meet present demands. Water stands 15 
feet below the surface, and is drawn down to 17^ feet by pumping a 
few minutes. The driller's log of the wells is as follows : 





Log of well at Fayette. 








Thickness. 


Depth. 




Feet. 
30 
32 
3 


Feet. 

30 




62 


Sandroek . . 


65 







The sandroek in which the well ends is probably a coarse-grained 
magnesian limestone of the Niagara; the imesione aDove corre- 
sponds with the Wapsipinicon limestone of the Devonian. 

Water is distributed by direct pressure with domestic and fire 
pressures of 80 and 100 pounds respectively. There are 1,300 feet 
of mains and four fire hydrants. 



FAYETTE COUNTY. 333 

The summit of the Niagara dolomite at Fayette (elevation, 902 
feet) is exposed along Volga River near the water line. The formation 
here is probably not more than 75 feet thick. A deep well would 
pass through the Niagara into the Maquoketa shale, which is here 
about 200 feet thick and includes middle dolomitic beds that may 
carry water under a sufficient head to overflow at the surface. Still 
more water will probably be found in the 300 or 350 feet of the 
Galena and Platteville limestones, which underlie the Maquoketa. 
The St. Peter sandstone should be reached about 625 feet below the 
surface. This estimate, based on the thickness of the formations, is 
believed to be more accurate than one based on the assumed uniform 
dip of the St. Peter from Elkader to Sumner, which would bring the 
St. Peter at Fayette about 470 feet below the surface. 

The lower waters can not be expected to overflow, although they 
may rise near the surface. A well or wells sunk to the depth of about 
675 feet will probably obtain sufficient water for a pubHc supply, but 
the far more abundant stores of the Prairie du Chien and the Jordan 
may be reached by sinking the well 500 to 550 feet deeper. 

Hawkeye. — ^At Hawkeye (population, 510) the pubhc supply is 
pumped from a 6-inch well to a tank 100 feet high and thence dis- 
tributed through 1 mile of mains. There are nine fire hydrants. 
The well is 180 feet deep and is cased to rock which it enters at 160 
feet. 

Oelwein. — ^The water supply for Oelwein (population, 6,028) is 
drawn from four wells, 7 inches in diameter and 72 feet deep, connected 
and pumped wdth a vacuum pump. The capacity of the wells is 
somewhat less than 240 gallons a minute, as by pumping at this rate 
the water is lowered from a head of 12 feet below the surface to 25 
feet below it, and the pumps begin to pound. The wells are located 
in the northeastern part of the city on a level with the railway station. 
Rock was entered at 16 feet, and the main water bed was found in a 
seam at 40 feet. The wells are adjacent to a deep well drilled for the 
city but never used. On testing the deep well with a cyhnder set at 
150 feet and pumping 250 gallons a minute, the water in the four wells 
was drawn down below the vacuum pump, the water in the deep 
well lowering in corresponding measure. The water in the deep well 
now rises and falls with that of the four wells, according as the 
vacuum pump is in action or at rest. 

Water is distributed from a standpipe (capacity, 96,000 gallons) 
under a pressure of 60 to 75 pounds. There are 8 miles of mains, 55 
fire hydrants, and more than 600 taps. The amount used daily 
exceeds 200,000 galons. 

The deep well was drilled for the city some years since by J. F. 
McCarthy, of Minneapolis, but nothing can be learned about it except 
its depth, 1,000 feet^ and its head, 15 feet below the curb. If the 



334 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 



dip of the strata in this area is uniform between the nearest deed 
wells on either side of Oelwein, this well hardly more than reached 
the base of the St. Peter sandstone. Wliatever the supply of this 
well may have been, the capacity would doubtless have been increased 
by drilhng deeper to the Jordan sandstone. 

Westgate. — A supply used for fire protection at Westgate (popula- 
tion, 232) is obtained from a 6-inch well, 98 feet deep. Rockis entered 
at 80 feet. The water bed is limestone at 85 feet, and the head is 30 
feet below the curb. Water is pumped by gasoUne engine to a tank 
90 feet high, with a capacity of 600 barrels, and is thence distributed 
through 1,000 feet of mains. There are three fire hydrants. Other 
drilled wells 20 to 150 feet deep find rock at 80 feet and water at 35 
to 40 feet that heads 10 feet below curb. 

West Union. — Four wells, 68 to 70 feet deep, situated at the base 
of the north bluff of Otter Creek, supply West Union (population, 
1,652) with about 100,000 gallons of water a day. The head of the 
water is sufficient to carry it over the curb, but overflow is prevented 
by closing tliree of the wells with cement. The wells are drilled 
almost wholly in limestone and are evidently closely related to the 
strong springs of this district, which issue from the lower beds of the 
Devonian limestone. The temperature of the water is about 51° F. 

Water is pumped by a compound duplex steam pump to a stand- 
pipe, from which it is distributed with a domestic pressure of from 
40 to 80 pounds through 5 miles of mains to 30 fire hydrants and 
375 taps. The fire pressure is 110 pounds. It is improbable that 
the city will need to seek a deeper water supply for many years, but 
such a supply is obtainable in the St. Peter sandstone, which should 
be found about 550 feet below the surface, or in the Jordan, whose 
base must be at about 1,150 feet. Water may be looked for in very 
moderate amounts in the Prairie du Chien group and the Jordan 
sandstone. The water from these deep sandstones would probably 
stand 100 feet or more below the surface. 

Minor supplies. — Information concerning the water supplies of the 
smaller villages is presented in the following table: 





Village su 


pplies in 


Fayette County. 






Town. 


Nature of supply. 


Depth 
of wells. 


Depth to 
water 
bed. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Head 

above or 

below 

curb. 


Volume of springs. 


Alpha . . 


Wells .. 


Feet. 
20-40 
60 

40-350 
20-120 

30-130 
40 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 
16-30 






Drilled wells and 

springs. 
Wells and springs. . . 
Bored and drilled 

wells. 

Wells and ponds 

Drilled wells 

Wells 






Small. 


Clermont 


80-100 
120 

100 " 








Donnan 




15 

12-60 
20 
30 
70-175 
165-210 
20 
20 


Do. 




50 


Large and small. 


Eldorado 


Small. 


Elgin 




16-60 
40 




Ulyria 


Drilled wells 

Wells... 


90-312 

20-60 

30 

12-125 

20-100 


138 
40-60 


MerliiTm, 


T/imn. 


Small. 


Maynard 


do 






Randalia 


Driven and bored 

wells. 
Wells... 




90 




Waucoma 




Do. 















FAYETTE COUNTY. 335 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Fayette County: 

Typical wells of Fayette County. 



Owner. 



T. 92N.,R. low. 

(Fremont), 



Fred Barle 

Dieperkoph. 



Town. 

J. I. Minckler. 



T. 91 N., R. 10 W. 
(Oean). 

G. L. Egan 



Peter Kanten 

Edward Dundell . . , 



Chicago Great West- 
ern Railway. 
Do 



John Gerken 

T. 91 N., R. 9 W. 
(Jefferson). 



Oelweta town wells. 
Do 



Catholic Church... 



Richard Swartz. 
Julius Talhnan . , 



Piatt. - 

Creamery 

Frank Cragm. 



T. 92 N., R. 9 W. 
(Harlan). 

Barnes 



Location. 



5 miles south- 
east of Sum- 
ner. 

....do 

Westgate 



2 miles south- 
west of West- 
gate. 



NE.isec.5. 



SE.iSE.isec.lO 

8 miles west and 

1 mile north of 

Oelwein. 
1 mile west of 

Oelweia. 
6 mUes west of 

Oelwein. 
NW. Jsec. 9 



SE. iNE. Jsec. 
23. 



Northwest part 

of town. 
Oelwein 



SE.JNE.Jsec.S 

3 miles north- 
west of Oel- 
wein on Otter 
Creek. 

1 mile east of 
Oelweia. 

At Craft's, east 
of Oelwein. 

2 miles east of 
Oelweia. 



SW. J NW. 
sec. 26. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
143 



60 



55 
70 

120 
G4 
100 

140 
145 



110 



102 
70 
40 



120 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Feet. 
139 



20 



45 
67 

116 
60 



138 



140 
30 



38 



118 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 



Feet. 



85 



84 



Source of 
supply. 



Limestone 



Limestone 
Sand 



Limestone 



Yellow 
limestone. 
Limestone 



Limestone 



Sand. 



.do. 
.do. 



Gravel . 
Sand. . . 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



Feet. 
-115 



- 30 
+ 25 



+ 5 



60 



- 20 



60 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



Used for fire pro- 
tection only. Di- 
ameter, 6 inches. 

A little clay on top; 
then all sand to 
bottom. Diam- 
eter, 5 inches. 



Valley of Little 
W apsipinico 
River. Supplies 
water for fish- 
ponds. Yields 15 
gallons per min- 
ute from 5-inch 
pipe. 



All clay to rock. 



Diameter 6 inches. 



All blue clay to 

rock. 
Hill. 



All sand; wells not 
100 feet distant 
on either side; 
strike rock in 3 
feet. 

Clay, 60; sand, 20; 
clay. 

Overflows. 



Blue clay, 50; sand, 

20. 
Sand, 2; yellow 

clay, 10; sand, 26; 

limestone, 2. 



Yellow clay, 10 
blue clay, 50 
quicksand, 25 
dark clay and 
sand, 33; lime- 
stone, 2. 



336 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells of Fayette County — Continued. 



Owner. 



T. 92 N., R. 9 W. 
(Harlan)— Con. 

G. Beuzer 

McMaster. . . 

Do 

T.91N.,R. 8 W. 
(Scott). 

Peter Kraft 

Puflet 

Frank Sherman . . . 

T. 92N., R. 8W. 
(Smithfield). 

Stephen Payne 

Jesse Paul 

Charles Smith 

Tiu-ner 

W. B. Stevenson.. 
J. J. Bogert 

H. H. Smith 



T. 91 N., R. 7 W. 
(Putnam). 



W. C. Gundlach... 



Location. 



NE.JNE.isec. 

13. 
NW. i NW. i 

sec. 15. 
1 mile north of 

preceding. 



SW.JSW.isec. 
36. 



NW. J SW. i 
sec. 14. 



SE. i SE. I sec. 
15. 



SW.iSE.Asec.9. 
Sec. 15 



NW. 1 SW. 1- 
sec. 20. 



SW.iSW.-isec. 
21. 

SW.iSW.Jsec. 

22 
SE.isE.isec.33. 

S W. i SW. i sec. 

34. 
SW.i sec. 20... 



NE. J sec. 27. 



NE.iNE.isee. 
24. 

SE.iSE.}sec.21 



4 miles south- 
west of Arling' 
ton. 



SE. 1 sec. 31. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
40 



130 



180 
171 



100 
150 
150 
114 

218 

100 

205 

265 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Feet. 
32 



70 
145 



158 



155 

148 



114 

100 

20 

205 

200 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 



Feet. 



158 



200 



260 



Source of 
supply. 



Limestone 



Limestone 



Sand. 



Sand. 



Sand and 
g r a V el 
on rock. 



Sand. 



Crevice in 
rock. 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



Feet. 
- 15 



- 90 

- 60 
-100 



Remarks 
(logs given In feet). 



A good stock well 
nn low ground. 



Clays, 60; quick- 
sand, 15; brown- 
ish sand and 
clay, 50; quick- 
sand, 20; lime- 
stone, 5. 

Drift clays, 100; 
sand, 30. 



Clay, yellow, 15; 
clay, blue, 105; 
dark soft muck 
without grit, 30; 
sand and gravel 
on rock. 

High ground; yel- 
low and blue 
clay, 155; sand 
20. 

Ends in rock. 

Dry blue clay 170; 
sand, 1. 



Clays, 80; yellow 
fine sand, 25; 
blue clay, 37; 
limestone, 8. 

Clays, 45; quick- 
sand, 82; lime- 
stone, 3. 

Clays, 40; sand, 115; 
limestone, 5. 

Mostly clay to 
rock. 

Clays, 135; sand 15. 
Not strong. 

Diameter, 5 inches. 



58 feet of limestone. 
Diameter, 6 
inches. 

Blue clay, 20; lime- 
stone and clay, 
40; limestone, 40. 

Blue clay with 
thin streaks of 
sand, 4 inches 
thick, 200; white 
sand, 5. Level 
prairie. 

Diameter, 5 inches 



Sand, 10; gravel, 3; 
blue clay, 57; 
rock, 3. Casing 
tapped so that 
well flows to tank 
on lower ground. 
Yields 2i gallons 
per minute from 
6-inch pipe. 



FAYETTE COUNTY. 
Typical tvells of Fayette County — Continued. 



337 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 
to 

water 
supply. 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 92 N., R. 7 W. 
(_Faibfield). 

George Clough 

T. 93 N., R. 7 W. 
(Illyeia). 

W. Flanegan 



Alexander Peters. 



T. 93 N., R. 8 W. 
(Westfield). 

J. On- 



Peter Graft. 
Bars. 



WMtely. 



Dye. 



NW. isec. 5 

NE. JNW. Jsec. 
5. 

NW. i NW. ,1 
see. 6. 



Sec. 22. 



Feet. 
100 



150 
204 



Feet. 
80 

40 



Limestone 

Crevice in 
1 i m e - 

stone. 



NE. JNE.isec. 
29. 



SW. |NE. isec. 
11. 



NE. JSW. isec. 

25. 
NW.JNE. isec. 

25. 



NW. iSW. isec. 
, 4. 



SW.INE. isec. 
21. 



NE.iNW.isec. 
22. 



3 miles northeast 
of Fayette. 

NW. iSW. isec. 
24. 



SE. i SE. i sec. 
26. 



NE. JNE. isec. 
5. 

NW. i NW. i 

NW.'iSW. isec. 

19. 
S W. i S W. i see. 

32. 

Sec. 20 



Limestone 



Sandstone 



140 



Limestone 



-100 



-192 



200 
288 



205 



65 

100 
45 
160 



190 

280 



160 



"S a n d- 
roek" 

Limestone 

do 

....do.... 



Blue clay, 80; blue 
limestone, 20. 

Drift, 40; limestone 
with crevice, 110. 

Yellow clav, 20; 

blue clay, 20; 

limestone, 60; 

"sandrock," 9. 
Diameter^ 5 inches. 



Hill. Yellow clay, 
30; "sandrock," 
80; soaps tone, 
155; shale, dark, 
in chips, 15; lime- 
stone, 32. 

Yellow claj', 40; 
1 i m estone, 60; 
"sandrock," 40. 
High ridge. 

Volga River bot- 
toms. 

Volga River bot- 
toms, about 20 
feet above river. 
All sunk to rock. 

Yellow clay, 40; 
blue till, 50: lime- 
stone, .50. 



Ridge. No water 
obtained. Yel- 
low clay, 30; blue 
clay, SO; lime- 
stone, 62; yellow 
porous 1 i m e - 
stone, 5. 

High ground. Yel- 
low clay, 16; blue 
clay, 44; rock and 
clay, 1; gray lime- 
stone, 149; "sand- 
rock," 2. 

Yellow clay, 40; 
limestone, 150; 
soapstone, 10. 

Drift, 30; lime- 
stone, 100; shale, 
blue, caving, 150; 
unkno^^^l, drill- 
ing washed out, 
8. 

Yellow clay, 20; 
blue clay, 60 (at 45 
feet old black soil, 
ill-smelling, 5); 
limestone, 120; 
"sand rock," 5. 

Drift, 5: limestone, 
60. High level 
prairie. 

Blue clay, 80: lime' 
stone, 20. 

All limestone; 
plenty of water. 

Yellow clay, 15; 
blue clay, 35; 
limestone. ilU- 

Drift, mainly yel- 
low till, 30"; rock, 
100. 



36581°— -wsp 293—12- 



-22 



338 UNDEKGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells of Fayette County — Continued. 



T. 93 N., R. 9 W 
(Centee). 

Creamery 

Clarence Moulton.. 

T. 93 N. R. 10 W, 
(Banks). 

J. J. Cavlin 

T. 94 N., R. 7 W 
(Pleasant Val 
ley). 

John Brackin 



Canning Factory. . 



T. 94 N., R. 8 W. 
(Union). 



T. 94 N., R. 9 W. 
(Windsor). 

John Wagner 



Muldownay. 

T. 95 N., R. 7 W. 
(Clermont). 

Wilkes Williams.... 



William Garvry . . . 



Creamery. 



Location. 



Randalia 

NW. i NW. 1 
sec. 20. 



NE.JNE. Jsec. 
26. 



SE. \ SE. i sec. 
31. 

SW. iNE.isec. 
18. 



Elgin 

See. 10 

Sec. 18 

N. -J NE. i sec. 

18. 
Sec. 35 

SE. -isec. 24.... 



SE. 1 SE. -i sec. 
13. 



SE. i SE. J sec. 
17. 



Clermont. 



Depth 



Feet. 
300 
140 



135 
130 



36 



270 



42 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



40 



50 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 



Source of 
supply. 



Limestone 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



'Sand- 
rock." 



Limestone 



Limestone 



Shale. 



Galena or 
P 1 a tte- 
V i 1 1 e 
1 i m e- 
stone. 

Limestone 



.do. 



- 93 



+ 2 
+ 



-210 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



Yellow clay, 10; 

blue clay, 70; 

quicksand, 55; 
limestone, 5. 



Nearly all blue 
clay; a little sand 
on rock. Ridge. 



Yellow and blue 
clay, 80; "sand- 
rock," 55. 

Yellow clay, 30; 
blue till, 10; re- 
sidual flints, 12; 
limestone, 40; 
"sandrock"dark 
brown, soft, 38. 

Sand, 30; blue soft 
limestone, 10; 
"sandrock," 15; 
limestone, 70. 



Drift, 1.34; shale, 
100; limestone,16. 



Diameter, 6 inches. 
Flows strong 

stream. 
Water from sand 

under blue till. 



Starts in upper Ma- 
quoketa shale. 
Diameter, 6 in- 
ches. 

Loess, 10; drift, 30; 
shales and lime- 
stones, 361. Di- 
ameter, 6J in- 

Hill. Yellow clay, 
25; blue till, 25; 
residual flints, 8; 
blue limestone, 
100; "sandrock," 
40; limestone, 52; 
"slate," 20. 



HOWARD COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The greater part of Howard County shows the gently undulating 
lowan drift plain, all parts of which have a competent drainage, 
though the streams have not yet cut deep valleys. In the northeast, 



HOWARD COUNTY, 339 

however, the lowan drift is absent and a strong erosion topography 
has been developed. In large areas near the western border, and 
especially in Jamestown Township, the total thickness of glacial 
drift is more than 200 feet and m certain localities it is more than 
300 feet; farther east it becomes much thinner, and near the north- 
east corner the valleys are incised in bed rock which is extensively 
exposed. Giving to the irregularities of the rock surface, radical 
differences in the thickness of the drift may be found in wells at 
points not far apart and at practically the same level. 

In the outcrops in the northeast, Devonian limestone is seen to 
rest on the Maquoketa shale, and this m turn on Galena limestone. 
As the strata are known to dip gently toward the southwest, it is 
probable that the Maquoketa and the Galena pass to greater depths in 
this direction and that the indurated limestone which is everywhere 
found immediately below the drift is as a rule Devonian in age. 

XJNDERGHOUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The water supply is derived from the glacial drift and the under- 
lying limestone formations. The bulk of the drift is impervious 
bowlder clay which yields no water, but at certain levels are irregular 
beds of porous sand or gravel, which are generally charged with water 
under pressure. The limestone is compact and impervious, but con- 
tains fissures and solution passages that were probably produced by 
preglacial weathering. These open spaces are filled with water, 
which is delivered freely to wells that connect with them. In the 
areas of deepest drift most of the wells end in sand and gravel, but 
elsewhere the majority enter rock. Many wells end in saturated beds 
of fine sand that persistently rises with the water. In such wells 
both water and sand should be cased out and the drilling should be 
carried into the limestone if necessary. 

The drilled wells vary greatly in depth. In the area of thick drift 
many good wells are less than 100 feet deep; on the other hand, weUs 
between 200 and 300 feet deep are not uncommon. In the northeast- 
ern part of the county, where the water level is depressed by the 
presence of deep valleys, it may be necessary to drill several hundred 
feet into the rock m order to procure satisfactory supplies, 

FLOWING WELLS. 

In the valley of upper Iowa River, west and north of the village of 
Chester, a group of 12 or more flowing wells lie near or north of the 
State line. They range in depth from 80 to 100 feet and are supplied 
from gravel beneath a layer of impervious clay. The valley has been 



340 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

cut slightly below the level at which the water stands in the drilled 
wells on the adjoining upland plain, but not deeply enough to impair 
the clay layer in its function as a confining bed. Hence, in wells 
drilled in the valley the water rises to nearly the same height as in 
the upland wells or slightly above the valley level, thus giving rise 
to flows which range from a mere dribble to 30 or 40 gallons a minute. 
Indeed, in several of these wells the artesian pressure is so slight that 
the flow is noticeably affected by changes in atmospheric pressure. 
A 65-foot flo\vuig rock well was also reported southwest of Cresco 
in the NE. J sec. 11, T. 98 N., R. 12 W. 

Wherever the drift is continuous and but little dissected it seems 
to play a double part, receiving the rain water and in some way trans- 
mitting it to the deeper porous deposits and eventually to the crevices 
of the limestone, and yet acting in general as a confinmg bed. Thus, 
if at any point in the western part of the county a hole is drilled 
through the dense blue bowlder clay, the underlymg sand, gravel, 
or rock is mvariably found to be filled with water, which rushes into 
the drill hole and rises under artesian pressure. As already stated, 
entirely different conditions prevafl in the northeastern area, where 
the drift sheet is dissected and the upper pervious formations are 
drained into the valleys, thereby giving rise to springs but at the 
same time depressing the water level far below the upland surface. 
This difference is well shown along upper Iowa River as it flows from 
the area of deep drift into a rock valley. That the influence of the 
outcrops is effective as far up as Chester seems to be indicated by the 
fact that flowing wells are obtamed in the valley above the village 
but that attempts to secure them in the valley below the village have 
generally failed. 

Enough is laiown m regard to the head of water from the deep beds 
to make it certain that flows can not be obtained by deep drflling at 
Cresco, Lime Springs, or Chester, and that the water would remain 
far below the surface. Even where large supplies are required it does 
not seem advisable to drill more than a few hundred feet into rock. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Cresco. — The public water supply at Cresco (population, 2,658) is 
obtained from two wells drflled into rock, the one ending at a depth 
of 196 feet and the other at a depth of 396 feet. The waterworks 
include a standpipe with a rather extensive system of mains. It is 
estimated that about 75,000 gallons of water are consumed daily. 

The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well is 1,045 feet deep, 
and its curb is 1,298 feet above sea level. It was completed in 1878, 
but has been abandoned; no satisfactory supply was found. 



WIKNESHIEK COUNTY. 341 

Record of strata (f- in Chicago, Milwaukee d: St. Paul Railtvay well at Cresco. 



Alluvial deposit and shales 

Limestone (Devonian, Maquoketa, and Galena) 

Shale, gray (Decorah) 

Limestone ( Platteville) 

Shale, ealciferous, gray (Platteville) 

Sandstone (St. Peter) 

Limestone (Shakopee) 

Sandstone (New Richmond) 

Sandstone, ealciferous (Oneota) 

Sandstone (Jordan) 

a Based on driller's log. 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


42 


42 


494 


536 


40 


576 


25 


601 


36 


637 


65 


702 


115 


817 


10 


827 


160 


987 


58 


1,045 



^ WINNESHIEK COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The important topographic features of Winneshiek County are for 
the most part clue to the deep incision of valleys in an ancient uplifted 
base-level of erosion now marked by the general accordance of level 
of the summits of the existing ridges and divides. The edges of a 
large number of formations, some water bearing and some dry, are 
thus exposed along the valley side. The maximum relief is not far 
from 600 feet. The Cresco-Calmar ridge rises to a height of 1,269 feet 
above sea level, and the high ridges north of upper Iowa River reach a 
height of 1,360 feet above sea level a short distance west of Hesper. 
The flood plain of upper Iowa River on the eastern boundary of the 
county descends to 760 feet. 

The divides separating the trunk streams and those intervening be- 
tween their tributary valleys are broad-shouldered, well-rounded 
ridges, carved by storm water into a multitude of branching and 
rebranching ravines. The summits of the main divides are gently 
rolling, but as the trunk streams are approached the incision of the 
deepening valleys becomes sharp and precipitous bluffs mark the 
outcrop of the stronger strata. 

In the western part of the county the drift sheets laid down by 
ancient glaciers are sufficiently thick to mask in part the erosion 
topography and to form the gently undulating plain of Jackson, Sum- 
ner, and Orleans townships, in which erosion has been least and depo- 
sition greatest. 

Although the principal streams of the area have reached maturity, 
the valley floors have not been widened sufficiently to give them 
importance for agricultvire or as sites for towns. 



842 UNDEEGBOUND WATER RESOURCES OE IOWA. 

GEOLOGY. 

The geologic formations, from lowest to highest, exposed to view in 
the county are the following : 

1. The Jordan sandstone, a coarse soft sandstone, outcropping 
only in the eastern part of the county in small areas at the base of the 
bluffs along Bear and Canoe creeks. About 50 feet of the upper beds 
of the formation are exposed. 

2. The Prairie du Chien group, consisting of (a) the Oneota dolo- 
mite, a body of light-buff or whitish dolomite, 150 feet thick; (b) the 
New Richmond sandstone, about 24 feet thick; and (c) the Shakopee 
dolomite, a dolomite resembling the Oneota, graduating do\vnward 
by arenaceous beds into the New Richmond and ranging from 50 to 80 
feet in thickness. The Prairie du Cliien group is exposed only in the 
northeastern parts of the county, forming the country rock over most 
of Highland Township and the eastern part of Pleasant Townsliip and 
extending up the valley of the upper Iowa as far as Freeport, 

3. The St. Peter sandstone, soft and incoherent, white (except 
where stained with iron by infiltrating waters) without well-defined 
bedding or lamination, composed of grains of clear quartz, well 
smoothed and rounded. The sandstone comes to the surface in 
a narrow belt along the bluffs of the upper Iowa and its tributaries 
as far west as Freeport. The thickness of the St. Peter in its out- 
crops is about 60 feet. 

4. The Platteville limestone, Decorah shale, and Galena limestone. 
The lowest of these formations, the PlattevUle limestone, succeeds 
the St. Peter sandstone; it includes a basal shale (the Glen wood shale 
of the Iowa State Survey), about 15 feet thick and in places sandy, 
forming a transition bed to the St. Peter sandstone, and an upper bed 
of limestone about 25 feet thick. The Platteville is overlain by the 
Decorah shale, a calcareous greenish shale 30 feet tliick, containing 
interbedded limestone layers, named from its excellent exposures 
in the ''Dug- Way" at Decorah. The Decorah shale is in turn over- 
lain by the Galena limestone, about 225 feet tliick, which in this 
county is mostly nondolomitic but which, in counties to the south and 
east, consists chiefly or wholly of massive dolomites. These three 
formations (Platteville, Decorah, and Galena) form the country rock 
from Hesper west to the Howard County line and thence southeast 
to Nordness. They cap the ridges lying between upper Iowa River 
and Canoe Creek and those extending south of the upper Iowa from 
Decorah to Washington prairie. 

5. The Maquoketa shale, which mcludes a lower shaly limestone 
70 feet thick, a plastic blue shale 15 feet thick, dolomites and lime- 
stones 40 feet thick, and an upper blue shale 120 feet thick. The 
Maquoketa for the most part outcrops south and west of upper Iowa 



WIHNESHIEK COUNTY. S'4S 

River. It forms the bedrock over most of the southeastern town- 
ships, occupies the long spur leading from the high Calmar-Ridgeway 
divide to the upper Iowa Valley, and also the valley of Turkey River 
on the western side of this ridge. 

6. The Niagara dolomite, which occurs in a few small outliers in 
Washuigton Township near the Fayette County line, with a maxi- 
mum thickness of 75 feet. 

7. The Devonian limestone, which forms the surface rock in Jack- 
son and parts of Sumner, Lincoln, Orleans, and Fremont townships 
and in a narrow belt capping the Cresco-Calmar ridge as far east as 
Calmar. 

8. Pleistocene deposits, including drift sheets and loess. Two 
drift sheets have been recognized within the county. The lowest, 
the Kansan, is a stony clay occurring in patches cliiefly on the up- 
lands in the eastern part of the county; the upper, the lowan, ds 
a thin stony clay covering the western third. Between these two 
stony clays occurs the interglacial Buchanan gravel. The loess, a 
yellow loam, mantles uplands and valley slopes outside of the area of 
the lowan drift and attains in places a thickness of 20 feet. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The wide range of geologic formations exposed within the county 
affords an unusually large number of water beds. The lowest of these 
is the Jordan sandstone, from which springs rise at Highlandville 
and elsewhere in the northeastern townships, and to which some of 
the deeper wells may penetrate. 

The St. Peter sandstone is entered by the deeper wells in the same 
townships and affords a pure and plentiful supply, although with a 
low head requiring a long lift. 

The Galena and Platteville contain very important water beds, 
especially in their lower limestones, which in the Galena rest on the 
Decorah shale, and in the PlattevUle rest on the shale member to 
which the Iowa State Survey has given the name Glenwood. Over 
the eastern part of the county they furnish inexhaustible supplies 
under a head sufficient to bring their water close enough to the sur- 
face to be easily pumped by the wind engines commonly employed. 

The limestones of the Maquoketa shale supply some springs and 
wells. The heavy shales of this formation are dry but serve a most 
useful purpose in collecting descending ground water above their 
impervious upper surface either in overlying limestones or in the 
superficial deposits of the drift. 

The different drift clays with their interbedded sheets of sand and 
gravel and the sandy layers forming the base of the loess afford a 



344 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

supply often sufficient for house wells, and in the southwestern part 
of the county where the drift is thickest, for stock wells also. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

As the water beds of the county are so numerous and the topo- 
graphic relief is so great it is difficult to define any water provinces 
without going into extensive detail. Even the township is too large 
a unit to permit exact description. 

In general terms it may be said that on the ridges of the north- 
central part of the county, from Nordness to Hesper and to the 
northeast corner of the county, wells find water at the base of the 
Galena where its waters are held by the underlying Decorah shale. 
Where this supply is not tapped, because the well may fail to strike a 
water channel, the St. Peter sandstone, from 60 to 100 feet deeper, 
is the next source. Water in the Galena has a liigher head than 
the water in the St. Peter, rising within 70 feet of the surface or even 
nearer, according to the local relief. Water in the St. Peter rises 
only a few feet above the water bed; its supply, however, is large. 

In the extensive area underlain by the Maquoketa shale water is 
found in the limestones interbedded with the impervious shales of 
that formation. Thus at Calmar, where the drift at the Chicago, 
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway roundhouse is 65 feet thick, water was 
found at 90 feet in limestone above the first bed of shale, and at 160 
feet in limestone below the same bed of shale. Some water was also 
struck on the rock at 65 feet. The Maquoketa waters rise within 100 
feet or less of the surface. 

Exceptionally it is necessary to go for large supplies to the chief 
water beds of the Galena above the Decorah shale or even to the 
St. Peter. First water was reached at Calmar at 520 feet, and 
second water at 605 feet below the surface. 

On the high ground between Calmar and Decorah farm wells 
commonly obtain water in the upper limestones of the Maquoketa 
at 75 to 100 feet below the surface, the superficial clays here being 
from 20 to 40 feet in tluckness. Water sufficient for farm wells is 
not now found in the drift and all wells enter rock. 

On the ridges about Ossian some wells find water in the upper few 
feet of the country rock, but many are compelled to go several 
hundred feet deeper to tap the deeper limestones of the Maquoketa, 
and even, exceptionally, to descend to the Galena. The diversity 
and complexity of the conditions are illustrated within the narrow 
limits of the village of Ossian, where some good house wells obtained 
water within 30 feet of the surface; several wells go down for 100 to 
300 feet; and one reaches a depth of 735 feet. 

In the ravines and in the valleys of the creeks, ground water stands 
naturally nearer to the surface, and where the country rock is lime- 
stone, may be found in rock wells 35 to 40 feet deep. 



WINNESHIEK COUNT?. S45 

On the plain of lowan drift in the southwestern townships water 
may locally be found in glacial sands and gravels, although not 
infrequently it must be sought in the underlying Devonian lime- 
stones. 

SPRINGS. 

Winnesliiek County is one of the most favored in the State in the 
number of its springs and in their generous supply of pure water. 
In the eastern part of the county springs are found along each valley 
and ravine, furnishing a perennial supply to the clear running creeks. 
The chief source is immediately above the Decorah shale. Waters 
descending by sink holes and through the creviced and cavernous 
Galena limestone are gathered into definite courses and issue in large 
springs where these waterways are trenched by the ravines. 

Among the best-known springs from this horizon are Union 
Springs, on the farm of Beard Bros., west of Decorah. Strong 
springs issuing on both sides of a ravine unite in a swift-flowing 
creek a rod wide, which at one time was utilized to run a feed mill. 
The August temperature of the water is 47.3° F. 

Mill Spring, on the side of upper Iowa River at Decorah, is a 
powerful spring with an August temperature of 48°, issuing from the 
summit of the Decorah shale well up the steep valley side, thus 
giving considerable water power, which in past years has been utilized 
to run a sawmill. At the west of the present debouchure and about 
20 feet above the river a heavy deposit of brownish soft porous traver- 
tine has been laid down by the calcareous waters. Another note- 
worthy spring from this horizon is Cold Spring, a few mUes north- 
west of Bluffton. 

A large cavern, which gives exit to a characteristic underground 
stream from the Galena limestone is situated in sec. 34, Glenwood 
Township. The mouth of the cave is described as a pointed arch 
40 feet high and 60 feet wide. 

Most notable, however, is the Decorah ice cave, formed in part by 
the enlargement of a master joint and in part by the creep of the 
massive Galena over the underlying shale. This cavern shows the 
peculiar phenomenon of ice forming on its walls in spring and early 
summer and melting in late summer and early autumn, the waUs 
remaining dry and bare in late autumn and winter. The solution of 
this interesting problem throws some light on the movements of 
ground water in the miles of crevices in the Galena. The freezing 
temperature reached by the underground air in early winter is main- 
tained untU late in the summer. Moisture from the surface is sealed 
out by frost during the winter, but ice begins to freeze on the cold 
walls of the cave as soon as the ground thaws enough in spring to 
permit the entrance of water from above. The ice remains until 
after the cold dense air has slowly passed from the great labyrinth of 



346 



tJNDERGKOUND WATEE EESOURCES OP lOWA. 



underground passages through the openmg and has been replaced 
by warmer air. By this time the summer is well advanced, and as 
the rainfall is slight the walls remain relatively dry until the freezing 
temperature is again reached. 

Another spring horizon is at the summit of the shale forming the 
basal part of the Platteville limestone (Glenwood shale of Iowa State 
Survey), but the springs therefrom are comparatively small. 

The Jordan sandstone affords springs under hydrostatic pressure 
where it is cut by the valley of Bear Creek from Highlandville east to 
the county line. Owing to the local northerly dip of the strata the 
springs occur on the south side of the valley. 

Springs issue also from the limestones of the Maquoketa, as in 
sec. 1, Jackson Township. 

The base of the Niagara forms a still higher horizon, and supplies a 
number of springs in Washington Township. 



CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Calmar. — At Calmar (population, 849) the waterworks are owned 
by the municipality. Water is obtained from a well 364 feet deep 
and distributed, at a pressure of 50 pounds, from an elevated tank 
with a capacity of 2,000 barrels. There are 16 hydrants, 1 mile of 
mains, and 75 taps. 

Well No. 1 of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway at Calmar 
has a depth of 1,223 feet and a diameter of 6 inches from 70 to 860 
feet and 5 inches to bottom; no casing. The curb is 1,261 feet above 
sea level and the head 150 feet below the curb. The pumping cylin- 
der, 3f inches in diameter, is 374 feet below curb. The tested 
capacity is 80 gallons a minute. The well was completed in 1880 by 
W. E. Swan, of Andover, S. Dak. 

Record of strata in deep tvell No. 1 at Calmar {PL V, p. 238). 



Depth. 



No record 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (146 feet thick; top, 1,191 feet above sea level) — 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale, gray 

Galena limestone to Platteville limestone (392 feet thick; top, 1,045 feet above 
sea level) — 

Limestone (Galena) 

Shale, green (Decorah) 

Limestone (Platteville) 

Shale (Platteville) 

St. Peter sandstone (67 feet thick; top, 653 feet above sea level)— 

Sandstone 

Prairie du Chien group (325 feet thick; top, 586 feet above sea level)— 

Limestone (Shakopee) 

Sand and limestone mixed (New Richmond) 

Limestone (Oneota) 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (120 feet thick; top, 261 feet above sea level)— 

Sandstone 

St. Lawrence formation (103 feet penetrated; top, 141 feet above sea level) — 

Limestone 



Feet. 



76 
10 
35 
25 


146 
166 
191 
216 


305 
47 
30 
10 


521 

568 
598 
608 


67 


675 


98 
47 
180 


773 

820 

1,000 


120 


1,120 


103 


1,223 



WINNESHIEK COUNTY. 



347 



Well No. 2 of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway at 
Calmar has a depth of 365 feet and a diameter of 10 inches, cased to 
66 feet. Its curb is 1,252 feet above sea level and its head 65 feet 
below the curb. It finds water at 65, 90, and 160 feet. The pump 
cyhnder, 5| inches in diameter, is set 100 feet below surface. The 
tested capacity is 115 gallons a minute and the temperature 48.5° F. 
The well was completed in 1904 by J. F. McCarthy, of Minneapohs. 

The two railway wells are 50 feet apart, and while well No. 2 was 
being drilled the water of well No. 1 was turbid. 

Driller'' s vog of deep well No. 2 at Calmar. 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Limestone, soft. 
Soapstone, soft.. 
Limestone, soft . 

Shale 

Limestone, hard 

Shale 

Limestone, hard 

Shale 

Limestone, hard 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


30 


30 


35 


65 


53 


118 


9 


127 


33 


160 


28 


188 


60 


248 


62 


310 


48 


358 


2 


360 


5 


365 



Decorah. — Decorah (population, 3,592) is supplied from wells. The 
well in common use is situated in the valley of Dry Run, about 8 
feet above the level of the creek. Its diameter is 15 feet and its 
depth 40 feet. The water bed is gravel, rock not being entered. 
Water stands 15 feet below the surface and is lowered 12 feet by 
pumping. The maximum yield is 468 gallons a minute, the water 
being pumped by a suction pump run by electric motor. 

For emergencies there are also used eight 4-inch drilled wells 30 
feet deep, located on the bottoms of upper Iowa River, about 8 feet 
above water level and pumped by steam. The water bed is gravel 
and the capacity of the wells is 240 gallons a minute. Water is 
pumped to a reservoir and distributed under gravity pressure of 110 
pounds. There are 60 hydrants and 6| miles of mains. The con- 
sumption is 160,000 gallons daily. 

The Artesian Well & Water Co.'s well at Decorah has a depth of 
1,600 feet and a diameter of 6 inches. Its curb is 877 feet above sea 
level. It was completed in 1877. This well is reported to have 
struck water at about 28 feet and to have held it at that level until 
the drill reached a depth of 1,600 feet, when the water disappeared 
and the drill was lost. The contractors clamed that they were work- 
ing in granite and abandoned the well. It is very improbable, how- 
ever, that crystalline rock was struck at the depth mentioned. Those 
who observed the drilling found reason to beUeve that the rising 
water was carried off laterally through a crevice in a limestone. 



348 trNDEEGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

Certainly the normal head of the deep artesian water should give 
at Decorah on low ground a flow under a good head. But lateral 
escape would need to be guarded against, both through crevices and 
probably also tlirough the St. Peter, whose water here is under no 
great pressure. 

The elevation at the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway 
depot at Decorah is 862 feet above sea level. The green Decorah 
shale outcrops and the St. Peter sandstone probably Hes within a 
few feet of the bottom of upper Iowa River. Five or six hundred 
feet is an ample estimate of the distance to the Jordan sandstone 
and the stores of artesian water which it contains. Besides, more or 
less water should enter the drill hole through crevices and sandy 
layers of the limestones which intervene between the St. Peter and 
the Jordan. To tap the aquifers of the Dresbach and earUer Cam- 
brian sandstones, which supply the wells of McGregor, Lansing, and 
New Albin, a well should be sunk to about 1,200 feet below the 
surface. 

Ossian. — At Ossian (population, 749) the well of E. V. GUbert has 
a depth of 730 feet and a diameter of 8 inches to 400 feet and 6^ 
inches to bottom. Its curb is 1,258 feet above sea level and its head 
300 feet below curb. Water comes from 680 feet and lowers 100 feet 
when pumped about 47 gallons per minute. The well was completed 
in 1903 by F. F. McCarthy, of Minneapolis. 

Log ofE. V. Gilbert well {PI. V, p. 238). 
[Supplied by owner.] 



Thickness. Depth, 



Surface, white limestone, blue shale, and blue rock. 

Sandstone, dry 

Unreported 

Sandstone, in thin layers 

Sandstone, coarse 

Limestone, white 



Feet. 
590 




Feet. 

590 
590 
680 
698 
705 
730 



This section, showing the occurrence of two sandstones at the 
level of the wSt. Peter, is comparable with the section of the city 
well at Postville. The upper sandstone falls in place with the 
summit of the St. Peter at both Postville and Calmar, but the second, 
nearly 100 feet below the top of the first, is low for the base of the 
St. Peter. Unfortunately no samples nor any detailed log exist of 
this most interesting weU. 

Public supplies are obtained from bored and drilled wells and small 
springs. The wells range from 40 to 500 feet in depth, reaching rock 
at 20 feet. The water heads 40 feet below the curb. 

Minor supplies. — The following table gives statistics of miscel- 
laneous village supplies in Winneshiek County: 



WINNESHIEK COUNTY. 

Village supplies in Winneshiek County. 



349 



Village. 


Nature of supply. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Depth 

to 
water 
bed. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Volume of springs. 


Bluffton 


Open wells and springs 

Drilled wells 


Feet. 

15-50 

175-200 

15-35 

60-145 

65-200 

60 

10-50 

35-80 

35-67 

100-300 

50-400 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 
15 


Large. 




60 
35 
30 

io' 

15 

50 




Canoe 

Canover 


Open wells and springs 

Drilled wells 


40' 

40 
20-30 

'""'i75' 
100 


10 
40 
SO 
20 
8 
25 
20 
65 


Do. 
Large and small. 
Small. 




do 


Fort Atkinson 


WeUs 




Freeport 


Open and driven wells 

Drilled wells 


Do. 


Hesper 


Large. 

Do. 
Large and small. 


Highland ville 


Springs and drilled wells 

Wells 


Ridgeway 


Wells and cisterns . 









WELL DATA. 



The following table gives data of typical wells in Winneshiek 
County : 

Wells in Winneshiek County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


ft 


s 
5 


o 

o 

ft 
ft 


la 

as 
ft 


Som-ce of 
supply. 


o 
o 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 100 N., R. 9 W. 
(BuRE Oak). 

Alvin Rollins 

Do 


NE.isec.l4.... 

SE. i-sec. 11 

NE. Jsec. 13.... 

S W.J sec. 36.... 

SW. Isec. 35-.-. 
Ridgeway, a t 

station. 
1 mile south of 

Ridgeway. 

Sec. 32 


Feet. 

172 

285 

70 

96 

60 
80 

101 

187 
276 

100 
108 


In. 

6 
5 
6 

4 
6 

6 
6 

6 


Feet. 
12 
13 

30 


Feet. 
160 
265 
60 

90 


Limestone . . 
St. Peter.... 
Gravel 

Limestone 

on shale. 
Sand 


Feet. 

72 

265 

40 

26 




L. W. Bennett 

T. 98 N., R. 10 W. 
(Lincoln). 

0. 0. Rue 




H. L. Wernark 


key River. 




45-50 
40 

50 

40 

18 

30 
33 








Blue clay at 20. 










T. 99 N., R. 9 W. 
(Bluffton). 

John Sexton 


162 
270 

95 


Soft rock — 
Limestone . . 


50 

64 
80 


10 feet above level 


T. Nelson 


NW. i-sec. 20... 

NE. isec. 28.... 

SE. J sec. 19 

Sec. 19 


of Tenmile Creek. 
167 feet of casing. 
Yields 2J gallons 
per minute. 


W. E. Hoyt 


ota River. Low- 
ered 50 feet by 
pumping. Yields 
4 gallons per min- 
ute. Tempera- 
ture, 50° F. 
Temperature, 48°F. 


T. 98 N., R. 9 W. 
(Madison). 

B. T. Barfoot 




Do 


200 1 









350 UNDEEGKOUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Wells in Winneshiek County — Continued. 



Owner. 



T. 100 N., R. 7 W. 
(Highland). 

Julius Selmes 



T. 100 N., R. 8 W. 
(Hesper). 

Frank Darington. . 

Charles Castei'ton . . 

T. 96 N., R. 9 W. 
(Washington). 



T. 96 N., R. 8 W. 
(Military). 

Anthony Bore 



Public school. 



John Collins. 



T. 96 N., R. 7 W. 
(Bloomfield). 



T. 98 N., R. 8 W. 
(Decorah). 



O. P. Rocksvold. 



Location. 



3 miles east of 
Hesper. 



4 miles southeast 

of Hesper. 
4 miles north of 

Locust. 



Fort Atkinson... 



Ossian . 
do.. 



do 

NE.JSE.isec. 

19. 
SW. i SW. i- 

sec. 8. 

NE. i NE. i 
sec. 3. 



NE. i NW. 
sec. 23. 



SE.JNE.i-sec. 
19. 



SW. i NW. 
sec. 14. 



Feet. 
177 



224 
107 



100 



224 
735 



134 

187 



396 



ISO 



508 



In. 



Feet. 
20 



100 



Feet. 
147 



194 
69 



60 



32 



20 



Source of 
supply. 



Sandstone. . 



..do. 
..do. 



Limestone . 



Limestone . . 



Sandstone... 



Feet. 
147 



194 
69 



330 



380 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet) . 



Yellow clay, 35; 
blue till, 61; 
yellow clay, 4; 
limestone; shale; 
limestone, 300. 



Water in white 
limestone under- 
lying shale. 

Surface clays, 40; 
limestone, 25; 
blue shale with 
limestone, 124; 
white limestone, 
31. 

Yellow clay, 15; 
blue clay, 33; 
limestone, 22; 
shale (Maquoke- 
ta) with inter- 
bedded hme- 
stone layers, 115; 
white limestone, 
211. 



Clay, 20: limestone, 
200; St. Peter, 70; 
magnesia, 90; 
Cambrian o r 
Oneota, 117; 
Cambrian sand, 
13. Water also 
at 175. 



CHAPTER IX. 
EAST-CENTRAL DISTRICT. 

INTRODUCTION. 

By W. H. Norton. 

The east-central area fronts on the Mississippi ; it comprises the 12 
counties of Benton, Cedar, Chnton, Iowa, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, 
Linn, Muscatine, Poweshiek, Scott, and Tama. The great Cambrian 
and Ordovician aquifers he within moderate distances of the surface 
and dip southwestward. Their waters show increasing minerahza- 
tion with increasing depth and distance from the area of supply, but 
are by no means unpotable. 

From MonticeUo to Homestead the dip averages 10 feet to the mile 
for the St. Peter sandstone and 12 feet to the mile for the Jordan 
sandstone. In the western part of the area the southwestward dip 
of the St. Peter is 9.4 feet to the mile from Vinton to GrinneU. (See 
PL VIII.) In the eastern part of the district the St. Peter dips 4 feet 
to the mile, from Sabula to Vinton (PI. IX), but the greatest dip is 
southward, as shown by the outcrops of the Devonian and Silurian 
rocks in the southeastern counties. Although the dip of the St. Peter 
from Maquoketa southwestward to Tipton is but 6.8 feet to the mile 
(PI. X, p. 374), the southward dip from Maquoketa to Davenport is 
11.5 feet to the mile, and from Green Island to Davenport 12.6 feet 
to the mile. This southward dip is due in part to an upwarp in the 
eastern portion of the area whose axis seems to run through or near 
Stanwood. The base of the Maquoketa shale at Stanwood (PI. XI, 
p. 382) is 150 feet above the level at which it would be found if the dip 
of the strata were uniform from Clinton to Cedar Rapids. Both base 
and summit of this formation are lower at CUnton than at Stanwood, 
50 miles west. From Cedar Rapids west to Belle Plaine the dip of 
the Maquoketa is 6.3 feet to the mile and of the St. Peter 5.5 feet to 
the mile. (See PI. XL) 

In the eastern part of the district the country rock — that is, the rock 
at the surface or immediately underlying the drift — is of Silurian age ; 
in a wide belt passing through the central part the country rock is 
Devonian; in the western and southwestern parts, including Tama, 
Poweshiek, and parts of Iowa and Johnson counties, the country rock 
is Mississippian, In the areas where the country rock is Silurian and 

351 



352 UNDEEGKOUND WATEK RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Devonian the water of these formations may be allowed to mingle 
with that of the deep aquifers without impairing the quality of the 
latter, but the Mississippian waters are usually charged heavily with 
sulphates, and their effect on the deeper waters is plainly indicated 
by the analyses of the waters of deep wells in the western counties. 
The Silurian rocks also appear to become gypseous in the western 
counties, and here their waters may increase the sulphate content of 
the water from deep wells. 

To the south and west the aquifers lie deeper and their waters 
are more higlily mineralized, but in all parts of tliis district the 
Cambrian and Ordovician rocks furnish potable water. 

The chief water beds are the St. Peter, Shakopee, New Richmond, 
Oneota, Jordan, and Dresbach and subjacent Cambrian sandstones. 
(See PL I, in pocket.) Artesian water may also be found in the 
Galena and Platteville, as at Davenport, WUton, and Grinnell; in the 
Niagara, as at Homestead; and in the Devonian, as at Cedar Rapids, 
Vinton, and Belle Plaine. But none of the aquifers above the St. 
Peter is dependable, and all contracts for artesian wells should pro- 
vide for drilling to the base of the Jordan sandstone. 

The lowest water beds — ^the Dresbach sandstone and the subjacent 
sandstones of the Cambrian — lie within the limits of profitable drilling 
along Mississippi River and yield copious supphes of excellent water 
at Clinton and Davenport. At Anamosa and at Tipton drilling was 
carried far into these terranes, but no information as to their water 
beds is available. At Cedar Rapids the first well drilled by the city 
water company found, either in these terranes or possibly in a higher 
water bed below the Oneota, a strongly corrosive water, on account 
of which the well was plugged just above the vein. Wells drilled later 
were stopped above this zone. 

As a rule, throughout the east-central district abundant water may 
be found without drilling as deep as the Dresbach, and it is recom- 
mended that the drill be stopped at the top of the St. Lawrence forma- 
tion, or at least at the top of the glauconiferous shales of that terrane. 
In towns of the Mississippi Valley, however, where the higher forma- 
tions are overdrawn, wells should be carried to the Dresbach and the 
first sandstone underneath it. 

In the extreme southwestern part of the district deep artesian wells 
are not recommended for the smaller upland towns on account of the 
expense of drilling and the difficulty in casing out the poorer upper 
waters. Thus, in southwestern Poweshiek County the St. Peter lies 
about 750 feet below sea level; in towns situated 1,100 or 1,200 feet 
above sea level, therefore, drilling would have to be carried to a depth 
of 1,850 or 1,950 feet in order to reach that formation. 



Vinto 



\ 



WATER-SUPPLV PAPER 293 PLATE VIII 




GEOLOGIC SECTION BETWEEN MANCHESTER AND PELLA , IOWA 
By W. H. Norton 



UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 353 

BENTON COUNTY. 
By Howard E. Simpson and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Benton County comprises a portion of the undulating prairie plain 
characteristic of north-central Iowa. Topographically, however, it 
is divisible into two strikingly contrasted areas coinciding with the 
surface areas of two drift sheets of different age — the Kansan and the 
lowan. The Kansan drift area, embracing about 40 square miles 
in the southwest corner of the county, shows a mature drift plain, 
thorouglxly drained by streams flowing in deep valleys on broad flood 
plains. The lowan drift area, comprising the rest of the county, is a 
very gently undulating plain, broken by few weU-defined stream 
channels and containing many undrained depressions and small 
marshy meadows and sloughs, the remnants of glacial lakes and 
ponds. The marked topographic contrast is ascribed by Savage to 
the fact that "The surface features over one portion of the area have 
been developed through the destructive processes of erosion; those 
over the other part of the region have been molded by the constructive 
agency of ice". ^ 

The southwestern tliird of the county drains chiefly through Prairie 
Creek to Iowa River, which barely crosses the corner of the county. 

The larger portion of the area drains to Cedar River, which flows 
across the northeast corner. The divide between Iowa and Cedar 
rivers passes northwest and southeast through Rogerville and Van 
Home. 

GEOLOGY. 

The surface of Benton County is drift covered except in the broad 
vaUeys of Cedar and Iowa rivers and their larger tributaries, whose 
flood plains range in width up to 2 miles or more and are covered 
with alluvium. Three drift sheets are represented — the lowan, Kan- 
san, and Nebraskan. Between the lowan and the Kansan occurs in 
places the interglacial Buchanan gravel, and beneath the Kansan drift 
the interglacial Af tonian gravel. Loess is also present in places above 
the drift. Throughout most of the county the drift is underlain by 
jVIiddle -Devonian sediments. In a small area in the extreme south- 
west corner, however, the drift rests on Mississippian shale (Kinder- 
hook group). The Middle Devonian rocks are represented chiefly by 
the Cedar VaUey limestone, which shows a maximum thickness of more 
than 80 feet and by the Wapsipinicon limestone, which is exposed 
along Cedar River and its tributaries, Pratt and Prairie creeks. 

1 Savage, T. E., Geology of Benton County: Ann. Kept. Geol. Survey Iowa, vol. 15, 1905, p. 132. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 23 



354 UNDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

As a rule the indurated rocks lie in conformable parallel beds dip- 
ping slightly to the south, this arrangement being modified only by a 
few slight and unimportant folds. The formations underlying the 
Devonian are indicated by the geologic sections (Pis. VII, VIII, IX), 
and by the well sections on pages 359, 363. 

TJNDEBGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

Water is obtained from the Buchanan gravel, the lowan and Kan- 
san drift, the Aftonian gravel, the Devonian limestones, and from 
deeper artesian aquifers. 

In the broad vaUeys of Cedar and Iowa rivers and their chief 
tributaries water is obtained chiefly by sand points driven 25 to 30 
feet into the Buchanan gravel, which underlies the alluvium at no 
great depth and overlies the bowlder clay of the Kansan drift. Bored 
weUs of about the same depth, in which the water stands not far from 
the river level, are also common. A few weUs in the Buchanan gravel 
yield flows, as is illustrated by the 30-foot bored well, on the farm of 
A. D. Seeley 1 mUe southwest of Benton, and by the weU owned by 
Joseph Kerling, near the foot of the river bluff in the NW. i sec. 13, 
T. 85 N., R. 9 W.,the water of wliich tastes slightly of iron and gives 
the brownish-yeUow stain characteristic of iron-bearing waters. The 
water ordinarily is wholesome, though it is liable to pollution owing 
to the easy access of organic matter from the surface. The Buch- 
anan gravel is found locaUy on the uplands but there it affords an 
uncertain source of water. 

A few fine springs issue from the upper limestone outcrops along 
the bluffs. A very large spring is on land owned by J. E. Wychoff, in 
the NW. I sec. 9, T. 85 N., R. 9 W. 

The most common source of water supply in tliis county is the 
lowan and Kansan drift, whose combined thickness ranges from 50 to 
300 feet. It is difficult to discriminate these two drift sheets in 
ordinary shallow wells, but the lowan is so thin that it is certain that 
most of the weUs in the lowan region pass through it and end in the 
Kansan, in which pockets and lenses of sand and gravel afford small 
but fairly constant supphes of good water. 

On the upland prairie in the northeast corner of the county, north 
and east of the Cedar River valley, water is obtained cliiefly by means 
of shallow dug wells, some of which draw from sand and gravel lenses 
in the drift, but more from the porous gravelly beds lying beneath the 
till and resting on the Cedar VaUey limestone. The hmestone is 
reached at depths ranging from 30 to 150 feet and in most places 
yields a bountiful supply of exceUent water. A few weUs penetrate 
the Cedar Valley limestone for a short distance and find in it a good 
supply of hard water. 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

< 38 r 



Feet 

««)- 

100- 

em- 

600- 
4d0i- 
300- 
200- 
100- 
0- 
100- 
200- 
300- 
400- 
500- 



Vinton 



Alluvium 
]/ ^ Devonian : 



Sea level 



1000- 
1200- 



U. S, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



-32 miles ■ 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER Z93 PLATE 

"5 25 miles 



Maquoketa 




" ' SI Peter [sandstone. 
Prairie du Chien g'OuP 



Jordan 



StUv^tencetov 



maVio" 



Dresbach sar 



adsVo'^® 



P<a«'\,o\>V 



s 



GEOLOGIC SECTION BETWEEN SABULA AND VINTON , IOWA 
By W. H. ;Nlorton 



BENTON COUNTY. 355 

In the creek valleys shallow wells easily obtain water near the sur- 
face of the ground. South and west toward Cedar River the drift is 
tliinner, and, as bedrock is nearer the surface, rock wells are more 
common. The well on the farm of William Pitts, in the NW. | sec. 1, 
T. 85 N., R. 10 W., where water is obtained in limestone at a depth of 
76 feet, the drift being 46 feet deep, is fairly typical. 

Southwest of the Cedar River valley, except in the Belle Plaine 
artesian basin, bedrock is buried beneath a mantle of drift ranging in 
thickness from 100 to 300 feet. Most of the wells derive their waters 
from the sandy layers of the drift but a few enter the Cedar Valley 
limestone to obtain a more permanent supply. Near Cedar River the 
surface is deeply trenched by the valleys of tributary creeks in whose 
banks or bluffs the Devonian limestone outcrops. 

In Taylor Township, southwest of Vinton, the better and deeper 
weUs are about 125 feet deep and draw water chiefly from gravel at 
the base of the drift. At the county farm 1^ miles southeast of Vin- 
ton, a drilled well 175 feet deep obtains water in the Cedar Valley 
limestone and supplies a small system of waterworks, the water being 
distributed by compressed air. 

In Canton Township, where the limestone is near the surface, stock 
wells on uplands range in depth from 50 to 300 feet, and obtain water 
from the overlying gravel or from the limestone itself. 

A few good springs occur in the broken uplands near the larger 
streams. One owned by W.J. White, IJ miles northwest of Shells- 
burg, affords a fair perennial supply for stock. A spring 1^ miles 
northeast of Shellsburg, owned by Allen Primer, yields a water 
strongly mineral. 

At Garrison bored and dug wells 25 to 50 feet deep are common. 
Throughout Jackson and Monroe townships, farm wells are ordinarily 
200 to 400 feet deep and draw hard water from limestone. 

The wells of Homer, Big Grove, and Eden townships obtain water 
from gravel beds below the till and from the rock immediately 
beneath them. The water is as a rule good and soft. 

In the vicinity of Keystone the common dug wells range in depth 
from 20 to 30 feet and draw moderate supplies from Kansan drift. 
On the lower ground, near the streams, a good supply of water for 
stock is usually found in sandy soils within 8 or 10 feet of the surface. 
Larger and more permanent supplies are obtained by means of 
drilled wells, most of which obtain an abundant supply in gravel 
beds about 100 feet below the surface. One well, however, 2 miles 
west of Keystone, enters limestone at 250 feet below the surface. 

The Aftonian gravel, which underlies the Kansan drift at a depth 
ranging from 100 to 300 feet in the southwestern part of the county, 
furnishes the waters for the Belle Plaine artesian basin. This gravel 
occupies the preglacial Iowa channel, which extends across the 



356 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

extreme southwest corner of the county and, though by no means 
contmuous, is found in many of the deep drift wells of the central and 
southern parts of the county. 

BELLE PLAINE ARTESIAN BASIN, 

The Belle Plaine artesian basin ^ includes practically all of Iowa 
Township and a small portion of Kane Township in Benton County, 
somewhat larger areas in the adjacent portions of Tama and Iowa 
counties, and a small corner of Poweshiek County. It embraces a 
httle more than 100 square miles and occupies a portion of the valley 
of Iowa River, across which it cuts diagonally at Belle Plaine. The 
axis of the basin is more nearly north and south than that of Iowa 
River and their intersection here appears but a coincidence. The 
basin is 6 or 7 miles wide and the northeast margin, so far as Benton 
County is concerned, extends from about 2 miles north of Irving 
southeast to Luzerne and thence south to the county line. Topo- 
graphically the area includes some of the high rolling uplands margin- 
ing the lowan drift, the more subdued Kansan plain, and the low, 
flat alluvial valley of Iowa River. 

The district became famous by the outbreak of the ''Jumbo" weU 
in 1886. A brief history of the ''Jumbo" well is given by W. H. 
Norton,^ who says : 

The notoriety of "Jumbo" was strictly that of a member of the criminal classes, 
and began with his resistance to control and lasted only until his final imprisonment. 
Six artesian wells had previously been drilled in the drift at Belle Plaine. In depth 
they varied from 210 to 301 feet, and the common head of their water was from 3 feet 
below the surface to 45 feet above it, according to the lie of the gi-ound. * * * 
The seventh well, "Jumbo," was drilled on lower gi-ound than any of the others and 
reached the water-bearing stratum of sand and gravel at 193 feet. 

Local historians of the well, which they please to term "the eighth wonder of the 
world," state that the beginning of trouble lay in the fact that the driller attempted 
to use the force of the flow in reaming out the 2-inch bore, which he had put down 
for want of a larger drill, to 3 inches, the dimension specified in the contract. This 
task the water speedily accomplished in the unindurated clays and sands, but hot 
stopping there went on and soon enlarged the bore to over 3 feet in diameter. Through 
this shaft the water boiled up in a fountain 5 feet in height — the press reports giving 
several hundred feet as the height of this fountain were exaggerated — flooding streets 
and yards and covering them with sand. It is estimated that from 500 to 1,000 car- 
loads of sand were discharged from the well. The quantity was certainly so great 
that only with the greatest effort could the ditches be kept open to carry off the water. 
Gravel and small pebbles of northern drift were thrown out, and some pieces of fossil 
wood 2 and 3 feet long. The maximum flow of water was variously estimated at 
from 5,000,000 gallons to 9,000,000 gallons per diem. Two weeks after the well was 
drilled Chamberlin calculated its discharge at 3,000,000 gallons for the same period. 

1 Much of the information contained in this brief account is derived from Mosnat's excellent report on 
the artesian wells of the Belle Plaine area (Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 9, 1899, pp. 521-562). This 
report contains a large number of well sections and a table giving data for nearly 200 flowing and non- 
flowing wells in the basin. 

2 Norton, W. H., Artesian wells of Iowa: Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol, Survey, vol. 6, 1897, pp. 350-351. 



BENTOK COUNTY. 



357 



The enormous flow rapidly drew down the head of the other wells until it sank beneath 
the surface. 

The attempts to case and control the well continued from August 26, 1886, the date 
when water was struck, to October 6, 1887, when the task was successfully accom- 
plished. 

During this time the well, 193 feet deep, devoured, as local historians tell us, 163 
feet of 18-inch pipe, 77 feet of 16-inch pipe, 60 feet of 5-inch pipe, an iron cone 3 feet 
in diameter and 24 feet long, 40 carloads of stone, 130 barrels of cement, and an ines- 
timable amount of sand and clay. 

It may be of interest to add that in 1906 the entire flow was carried 
underground by an ordinary 3-inch tile drain and that many teams 
pass daily over the former well site. 

Water is obtained in the Belle Plaine area by wells ranging in 
depth Irom 90 to 360 feet, depending on location, elevation, and 
nearness to the middle of the basin. Not all wells in the area yield 
flows. The flowing wells are most numerous and the head is greatest 
in the southwest corner of the county on the flood plain of Iowa 
River in the vicinity of Belle Plaine. To the east and north the 
head gradually lowers until, on the higher uplands toward Keystone 
and Van Horn, water is found only at such depths and with such 
low head that its recovery is difficult. The driller's log of the 
''Jumbo" well and the interpretation given by Mosnat ^ as typical 
of all the flowing wells on low ground is as follows: 

Record of strata in " Jumbo " well, Belle Plaine. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Interpretation. 



6. Soil with humus 

5. Sandy clay 

4. Gravel and sand 

3. Yellow clay 

2. Blue clay, with layers or pockets of sand and gravel 
and occasional hard bowlders. 

H 1(a) Leaves and wood of an old forest bed 

\(b) Gravel and sand, water bearing at 

0. Nebraskan till. 



Feet. 
4 
12 



13 

172 



Feet. 

4 

16 

24 

37 

209 



Recent. 

>Loess. 

Weathered Kansan till, or loess. 
Kansan till. 

Af tonian interglacial stage. 



These strata, down to No. 1, do not differ from the usual soil, 
loess, and Kansan till, except in thickness. Stratum No. 1, which 
yields the water, is typical of Aftonian interglacial beds found in 
many places in the State. The old forest bed in the upper portion 
is generally reported as about 2 feet thick, and in this district overlies 
the gravel of the Aftonian — the aquifer proper. The thickness of the 
gravel bed ranges from 2 feet to more than 46 feet, the maximum 
being unknown as weUs do not pass through it where it is thickest. 
This gravel bed grades upward into fine sand, the thinner deposits 
being in places entirely of sand. 



1 Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 9, 1898, p. 530. 



358 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The aquifer is thicker in the middle of the basin than at the sides. 
Cross sections worked out by Mosnat show conclusively that the 
aquifer and the underlying Nebraskan or sub-Aftonian drift sheet 
lie within an old preglacial valley cut fully 200 feet into the Devonian 
limestones and shales and that the aquifer dips about 3^ feet per 
mile southward. The new valley has since been filled by the later 
drift, on which a new drainage system, independent of the old 
channels, has been superposed. Unfortunately, the artesian water 
of the Belle Plaine area is unsuited for general household purposes 
or for use in boilers or in manufacturing processes on account of 
the large amounts of calcium and magnesium sulphates and other 
salts it contains. For watering stock, however, it furnishes an 
abundant and mexpensive supply, warm in winter, cool in summer, 
and perennially flowing. It is used on every farm on which it is 
available. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Atkins. — As Atkins (population, 250) is 583 feet above sea level, 
the drill may be expected to reach the Maquoketa shale about 250 
feet above sea level. Possibly some water may be found both in 
the Devonian and in the Silurian limestones. The dry Maquoketa 
shale is between 250 and 290 feet thick. It is underlain by the 
Galena and Platteville limestones, in which some water beds may 
be discovered. The St. Peter sandstone, with its assured supply 
of good water, in this area probably lies about 300 feet below sea 
level. Any drilling should be carried 300 or 400 feet deeper still 
in order to tap the large supplies of the Prairie du Chien group and 
the Jordan sandstone. The depth of a successful well would thus 
probably be about 1,300 feet. 

Belle Plaine.— City weU No. 1 (Pis. VIII, XI), at Belle Plame 
(population, 3,121), has a depth of 1,503 feet, and a diameter of 
10 mches to 215 feet, 8 inches to 503 feet, 6 inches to 1,300 feet, 
5 mches to bottom of well. Its curb is 810 feet above sea level, 
and its original head 34 feet below the curb; after three months' 
use the head was 20 feet below the curb. Pump cylinders are set at 
63 and at 174 feet below surface; pumping capacity, 100 gallons a 
minute. The well was completed in 1907. 

Water was first found in the Aftonian gravel at a depth of 214 
feet. This flow, estimated at 2,000 gallons a minute, gave much 
trouble and made it impossible to drive the 10-inch casing to bed- 
rock. A second flow, estimated as at least 75 gallons a minute, 
was struck at 316 feet from the surface at the base of a blue calcareous 
shale. An analysis shows that this water contained 149 grains of 
solids to the gallon, including more than 60 gi'ains of scale-forming 
salts; magnesium sulphate amounted to nearly 13 grains to the 



BENTOK COUNTY. 



359 



gallon and calcium sulphate to nearly 18 grains. On the advice 
of W. H. Norton, drilling was continued and water was found in 
the Galena at a depth of 1,140 feet and in the St. Peter at 1,280 
feet, within 30 feet of the predicted depth. The principal water 
bed is reported at 1,486 feet. 

Ten-inch casing was put down to 215 feet, but it could not be 
driven to rock. An 8-inch casing was put down to the first limestone, 
found at 315 feet, and bedded in it without packing. As the water 
burrowed under this pipe, a 6-inch pipe was inserted to 174 feet, 
and within this a 5-inch pipe was placed whose base was packed 
with lead at 503 feet. No casing was mserted below this last depth. 
The total cost of the well, including pumps and the pipes connecting 
with the reservoir, was $4,200. It was drilled by the J. P. Miller 
Artesian Well Co., of Chicago. A complete record of the well was 
not kept, but some drillings were saved. 

Record of strata in deep well at Belle Plaine {PI. VIII, p. 352; PI. XI, p. 



Pleistocene chiefly; no samples , 

Devonian (142 feet thick; top, 527 feet above sea level): 

Shale, blue, hard, calcareous, siliceous, pyritlferous; in small chips 

Shale, greenish, in concreted masses; 2 samples , 

Limestone, light yellow gray, rather soft; dull luster; in small -flaky chips; rapid effer- 
vescence; 6 samples 

No sample 

Limestone, drab, hard, microscopically quartzose; with much light-blue chert; 3 

samples 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (305 feet thick; top, 385 feet above sea level)— 

Dolomite, blue gray, mottled, slightly vesicular; with a little chert; 5 samples. . 

Dolomite, buff, in crystalliue sand 

Dolomite, blue, argillaceous 

Dolomite, bufl, in sand 

Dolomite, blue gray, hard, siliceous; 3 samples 

Dolomite, blue gray, suberystalltne, compact; some shale at 545 feet; 7 

samples 

Dolomite, white, minutely arenaceous , 

Dolomite, gray, in crystalline sand; 3 samples , 

Dolomite, blue, and white chert; 4 samples 

Dolomite, v/hite, granular; cherty; with some gi-eenish shale 

Dolomite, gray; 2 samples 

Dolomite, gray, with much white chert; 3 samples 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (290 feet thick; top, 80 feet above sea level)— 

Shale, blue, drab; 24 samples , 

Shale, brown-drab; 2 samples 

Shale; drab at 990 feet; greenish below; 3 samples 

Galena limestone to Platteville limestone (260 feet thick; top, 210 feet below sea level)— 

No samples 

Limestone, highly argillaceous; in light-gray concreted powder and meal; residue 

cherty and minutely quartzose; effervescence slow 

Limestone; in white concreted powder; effervescence slow; 6 samples 

Limeston ,; in fine meal, argillaceous residue of minute particles of mottled chert. , 

Shale, drab , 

Limestone as at 1,110 feet , 

No samples , 

Dolomite, bufl, some chert; in sand; 2 samples , 

No samples , 

Dolomite, with chert 

Limestone, gray, granular; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, argillaceous, in light-gray concreted powder and meal; rapid effer- 
vescence; highly arenaceous at 1,260 and 1,270 feet; with minute grains of 

quartz; 7 samples 

St. Peter sandstone (40 feet thick; top, 470 feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone, white, grains well rounded, up to 0.8 millimeter in diameter; some 
fragments of green shale; 3 samples , 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


283 


283 


12 


295 


20 


315 


60 


375 


10 


385 


40 


425 


42 


467 


8 


475 


21 


496 


3 


499 


26 


525 


60 


585 


10 


595 


30 


625 


48 


673 


2 


675 


30 


705 


25 


730 


240 


970 


20 


990 


30 


1,020 


20 


1,040 


10 


1,050 


60 


1,110 


10 


1,120 


10 


1,130 


10 


1,140 


20 


1,160 


20 


1,180 


10 


1,190 


10 


1,200 


10 


1,210 


70 


1,280 


40 


1,320 



360 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in deep ivell at Belle Plaine — Continued. 



Ordovician— Continued . 

Prairie du Chien group (183 feet thick; top, 510 feet below sea level)— 

Dolomite, light yellow-gray, argillaceous; in concreted powder 

Dolomite, light yellow-gray; highly arenaceous; grains of sand rounded, some 

sharp with secondary enlargements; 2 samples 

" Sandrock;" no samples 

Marl, in powder and small white fragments; slow effervescence; highly siliceous, 

with microscopic quartz; 2 samples 

Sandstone; gralos rounded; up to 0.8 millimeter in diameter; clean, slightly yellow 

from rust films on grains. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 
20 



30 
100 



Depth. 



Feet. 
1,340 



1,370 
1,470 



1,490 



Analysis of rock in Belle Plaine city ivell at 555 feet. ^ 



CaCOs- 
MgCOj. 
CaS04. 
SiOa-.. 
FeaOj.. 

AlA-- 
H,0... 



53.89 


43.84 


.47 


1.04 


.13 


.46 


.18 



100. 01 

Blairstown. — The town of Blairstown (population, 532) depends 
for fire protection on cisterns and private wells and hand pumps. 
A small private system, owned by Mrs. M. L. Kirk, supplies 20 
families with satisfactory water pumped by a 2^ horsepower 
gasoline engine from a drilled well, sunk 101 feet deep into "rock 
sand", into two small elevated tanks from which it is distributed by 
half a mile of mains. Most of the Blairstown wells are dug or bored 
in the drift 15 to 30 feet. In some wells gravel is found overlying 
the hard, shelly limestone at a depth of 100 to 120 feet. H. Lipe, 
in the western part of town, has a 130-foot well which obtains water 
in sand below the "blue clay." A few sandy layers occur in yellow 
clay above but contain little water. 

The stockyards well evidently penetrates limestone of the Kinder- 
hook group at 120 feet and it is reported to draw water from that 
stratum. The section follows: 

Log of stockyard well, Blairstown. 



Soil and yellow clay (loess) 

Clay, blue (Kansan) 

Soapstone ( Kinderhook) . . 



Keystone. — Keystone (population, 412) is on an upland prairie. 
The town water supply is drawn from a large dug well 68 feet deep, in 
the bottom of which is a drilled hole extending down to 130 feet, all in 




a Made in chemical laboratory of Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa. 



BENTON COUNTY. 361 

the drift. The water is drawn from several layers of sand and gravel. 
It stands 50 feet below the surface, but its level is quickly lowered 
by pumping. 

The water is forced into an elevated tank holding 1,200 barrels, 
and gives a pressure of about 45 pounds in the business part of town. 
The water is chiefly used for fire protection, less than 100 barrels 
being used daily for other purposes. The water is considered to be 
of good quality. Under agreement with the Chicago, Milwaukee, & 
St. Paul Railway, the town may use water from the railway well in 
case of fire or other emergency. The railway system uses a large 
open well which is on the lower ground apparently than the town 
well and has an abundant supply. 

Luzerne. — At Luzerne (population, 160) the shallow town well is 
8 feet in diameter and 25 feet deep. Most of the inhabitants, how- 
ever, used bored wells, from 15 to 35 feet deep, which furnish an 
abundance of good, hard water. 

Mount Auhurn. — At Mount Auburn (population, 228) water for 
domestic use is commonly obtained from bored drift wells ranging 
m depth from 20 to 55 feet. Throughout Cedar and Bruce town- 
ships the stock wells range in depth from 100 to 250 feet, entering 
Umestone at 75 to 150 feet. These wells furnish a good supply of 
hard water standing 50 to 100 feet below the surface. They are 
generally pumped with windmills. In St. Clair Township the deep 
wells are from 120 to 400 feet deep. 

SJiellslurg. — Shellsburg (population, 527) is situated on the bottom 
and north side of the valley of Wildcat Creek. The public water 
supply is owned by the town and is obtained from an open well, 24 
feet deep and 14 feet in diameter, dug on the hillslope. The surface 
deposits of sandy alluvium, about 5 feet thick, pass into fine white 
sand, which merges iato a bed of coarse gravel. This gravel overhes 
the limestone and is saturated with water. The well is bricked and 
cemented to the bottom, which is in open gravel. Normally it is 
about half full of water, but the level is lowered rapidly by pumping 
until it stands only 2 or 3 feet above bottom, where it remains con- 
stant with the pump drawing 40 gallons a minute. 

The water is forced into a steel tank (capacity, 13,800 gallons), 
in which an air pressure of 40 pounds is maintained. In case of 
fire 240 gallons a minute can be dehvered under 80 pounds pres- 
sure. The water is apparently wholesome, though little is used 
except for fire protection, on account of the ease with which water 
can be obtained from the gravels by a dug well. In the lower parts 
of the town drive points are successfully used to draw water from 
the same source. 

TJrbana. — The town of Urbana (population, 306) has no public 
supply. The shallow wells are dug to rock at a depth of 30 to 50 



362 UNDEBG ROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

feet and find "sheet water" in gravel. A few of the better wells 
are drilled from 100 to 300 feet, and for the most part find the most 
satisfactory supply in the limestone at about 150 feet. As this 
water stands 30 to 50 feet below the surface, a source in common 
with that of shallower wells is indicated. 

The well at the Urbana creamery is typical of the better drift 
wells. Water is obtained from a bed of sand and gravel underlying 
the blue clay of the Kansan drift and overlying the bedrock at a 
depth of 180 feet. J. G. Waitman found water at 100 feet under 
similar conditions in the NE. i sec. 3, T. 86 N., R. 9 W. 

Van Home. — Van Home (population, 444) is situated on the crest 
of the divide between Cedar and Iowa rivers. Fire protection is 
obtained from two large open wells 25 feet deep. The water usually 
stands 5 to 10 feet from the top and is pumped by hand. At the 
electric fight plant a well 20 feet deep was dug to obtain water for 
boiler feed. The water was fairly satisfactory, producing fittle scale 
though leaving a heavy white sediment. As the supply was, how- 
ever, insufiicient, a hole 6 inches in diameter was drilled to a depth 
of 795 feet and cased to rock at 264 feet. The driller's record follows : 

Driller's log of well at Van Home. 

Depth. 

Feet. 

Soil and yellow clay 30 30 

Clay, blue 234 264 

Limestone, white 456 720 

Shale (Maquoketa), dry; stopped in shale 75 795 

The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway dug 136 feet and driUed 
111 feet to find water in the rock. The ground-water level is very 
low. Wells 200 to 300 feet deep are nearly all in drift. 

Vinton. — The city of Vinton (population, 3,336) owns two deep 
flowing wells, 400 feet apart. One, 1,287 feet deep, was drilled by 
W. N. Casey & Son in 1889; the other, 1,425 feet deep, was sunk by 
A. K. Wallen m 1892. (See Pis. VII, VIII, IX.) Both are 6 mches 
in diameter and the initial head was 28J feet above curb (800| feet 
above sea level) ; the flow of the first was 62 gallons per minute, of the 
second 50 gallons a minute. The temperature of their waters is the 
same — 56° F. In well No. 1 sulphurous water, rising within 8 feet 
of the surface, was obtained at a depth of 125 feet; water-bearing 
strata were also penetrated at depths of 950, 1,230, and 1,280 feet. 
The casing in this well was carried to a depth of 620 feet. The strata 
penetrated in these wells are indicated in the following sections: 




BENTON COUNTY. 363 

Record of strata in city well No. 1 at Vinton {PI. VII, p. 272; PI. VIII, p. 352). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Quaternary: 

Alluvial and drift deposits in ancient river valley 

Devonian (20 feet thick; top, 665 feet above sea level): 

Limestone; hard and compact, nonmagnesian, light cream color; fracture sub- 

conchoidal 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (215 feet thick; top, 645 feet above sea level)— 

Limestone ; magnesian, light bufl, porous, subcrystalline 

Limestone; powder, pinkish, argillaceous, cherty; contains some magnesia; 

associated with some dark clay and light nonmagnesian limestone 

Limestone; powder, wliite, nonmagnesian, pyritiferous, with white chert and 

some rounded grains of quartz 

Dolomite; hard, compact, subcrystalline, yellowish in color, with white chert, 

inclosiag centers of gray flint 

Dolomite, powder, white 

Dolomite; Dluish gray, subcrystalline, with gray flint 

Clay, light green 

Sandstone, very fine, white; grains angular 

Dolomite; cliips soft, light gray, porous, subcrystalline, with a little dark-gray 

flint 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (269 feet thick; top, 430 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, green calcareous 

Shale, fine, bluish, calcareous; soluble portion magnesian 

Magnesian limestone or dolomite; chips hard, brown, subcrystalline, ferriiginous. 

Shale, Light and dark gray 

Shale, light bluish, calcareous 

Galena and PlatteviUe limestones (401 feet thick; top, 161 feet above sea level) — 

Limestone; powder, light gray; argillaceous; contains some magnesia 

Limestone ; powder, cream colored; contains some magnesia 

Limestone; as above 

No sample 

Limestone, gray 

Limestone, soft gray; chips minute 

Limestone, bluish gray, nonmagnesian; chips minute 

Limestone, rather soft, fine-grained, compact, light gray, nonmagnesian; chips 

thin, flaky .- 

St. Peter sandstone (55 feet tliick; top, 240 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, with fragments of limestone 

Sandstone; clean quartz, grains rounded, of moderate and nearly uniform size; 

vitreous, limpid; surface ground 

Prairie du Chlen group (212 feet penetrated; top, 295 feet below sea level) — 

Chert, white; with white dolomite, and greenish slatelike shale 

Dolomite; chips subcrystalhne, minutely porous, medium dark gray, with much 

chert 

Dolomite; powder, fine, white 

Dolomite; cliips white and light gray, fine-grained, subcrystalline, with some 

chert 

Dolomite; hard, medium dark gray, and softer white 

Sandstone; with considerable dolomite, grains of silica light colored, varying 

widely in size, largest being about 0.9 millimeter in diameter 

Dolomite; chips white and light gray, fine-grained, subcrystalUne, with some 

chert ". 

Chert with minute calcareous fragments .-. 

Sandstone; grains mostly rounded, varying considerably in size, largest about 1 
millimeter; also considerable dolomite 



Feet. 
115 



25 
167 
23 



111 
30 
47 
13 
15 
65 
75 

45 

20 

35 

5 

15 
5 

25 

50 



Feet. 
115 



15 


150 


18 


1C8 


82 


250 


15 


265 


10 


275 


10 


285 


5 


290 


5 


295 



350 



375 
542 
565 
574 
619 

730 
760 
807 
820 
835 
900 
975 

1,020 

1,040 

1,075 

1,080 

1,095 
1,100 

1,125 
1,175 

1,190 

1,275 
1,285 

1,287 



Driller's log of city ivell No. 2 at Vinton {PI. IX, p. 354). 



Depth. 



Surface material 

Limestone, white 

Clay, tough, blue 

Limestone, brown 

Limestone, light gray 

Sandstone, St. Peter 

Sandstone, brown 

Sandstone, light (water-bearing) 

Sandstone, coarse, brown 

Sandstone, white, coarse (water-bearing) 



Feel. 

100 

300 

620 

820 

970 

1,020 

1,220 

1,240 

1,410 

1,440 



364 UNDERGBOUND WATER RESOUECES OF IOWA. 

The agreements of the log 6f well No. 2 with the record and drillings 
of well No. 1 are more marked than the discrepancies. In log No. 2 
the Niagara is not discriminated; the top of the Maquoketa is 50 feet 
higher than in the record of well No. 1; the Maquoketa is 52 feet 
thicker, and the Middle Ordovician limestones (Galena and Platteville) 
are as much thinner; the Shakopee dolomite is called "brown sand- 
stone," the drillers not distinguishing the fine sand of angular drill-cut 
fragments of dolomite from true siliceous sand — a common error. 
The St. Peter has the same thickness in both sections, but it is placed 
50 feet liigher in log No. 2. The thin sandy layer at 1,175 feet in v/ell 
No. 1 was overlooked in well No. 2. The sandstone at 1,220 feet in 
well No. 2 is identical with the basal sandstone of well No. 1, and is 
referred to the New Richmond; "bro\vn sandstone" at 1,240 feet 
of well No. 2 is taken to be the Oneota dolomite, and the white 
water-bearing sandstone at 1,410 feet the Jordan sandstone. 

In 1909 the flow from the wells had almost ceased. The casings 
of black iron had become so deeply corroded in 19 years of use that 
they were drawn with great difficulty, and on the north well it was 
considered necessary to use several shots of high explosives. By 
exceptional good fortune the drill hole was not completely wrecked 
and the work of repairing the two wells was then intrusted to other 
hands and was carried forward to successful completion. Both wells 
were recased with 5-inch standard galvanized casing to 612 feet — 
that is, through the Maquoketa shale. In making the repairs it was 
found that the first flow was at about 600 feet, near the base of the 
shale just mentioned. The second flow of 13 gallons per minute was 
from near the summit of the St. Peter sandstone, at 1,270 feet. On 
completion the flow from each well measured 27^ gallons a minute, 
with a head of 6 feet above the surface of the ground. An air com- 
pressor was installed in one well at a depth of 173 feet below the 
surface and yields 162 gallons a minute. The other well is allowed 
to flow into the cement-lined cistern holding 2,000 barrels, constructed 
some years before the repairs were made, but the flow of this well is 
small when the air lift is at work in the adjacent well. The inefficiency 
of the supply before the repairs were completed compelled the intro- 
duction of a second system for which the water was taken from a well 
20 feet in diameter and 32 feet deep dug in the sand and gravel 60 
feet from Cedar River and fed from the underflow. On hard pumping 
the water level was lowered rapidly, and it was supposed that at 
such times the well drew directly tln-ough the sands from the river, 
the water level in well and river ordinarily being the same. Into this 
well a feed pipe used only in emergencies led directl}^ from the river. 
A separate pump forced the water from this well into a distinct set of 
mains and supplied the railroad, several factories, and the street 



BENTON COUNTY. 



365 



sprinklers. This part of the system consumed about 60 per. cent of 
total amount pumped daily. 

While the repairs on the wells were in progress and entire depend- 
ence was placed on the shallow well and river, a considerable epidemic 
of typhoid fever broke out in the city. The city supply is now drawn 
entkely from the two artesian wells. 

Another valuable flowing well 6 inches in diameter and reported as 
2,000 feet in depth, drawing its supply from the deeper artesian' 
sources, is located about 2 miles west of Vinton on W. P. Whipple's 
farm. 

. About one-third of the population of Vinton is supphed from 
shallow private wells sunk in the drift. Such wells in so large a 
town are very liable to be polluted by water entering from the surface. 

The Iowa State College for the Blind has a well 160 feet deep, which 
has not been used for several years because in one summer it failed. 
The college uses more than 2,500,000 gallons annually from the city 
supply. 

A well owned by C. Fee was drilled many years ago in prospecting 
for oil. The depth is variously reported as about 2,000 and near 
3,000 feet. The water still flows with a head 4 or 5 feet above the 
curb. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Benton County: 

Typical wells of Benton County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
of rock. 


Source of sup- 
ply- 


Head. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 83 N., R. 11 W. 
(Union). 

John Holler 


Van Home 

4 miles southeast 
of Urbana. 

Vinton 


Feet. 
795 


Feet. 
264 

J 




Feet. 




T.86N.,R.9W.(PAETS 
OF Polk and Ben- 
ton). 

Joseph Kisling 




8 


doned. Soil, 4; 
yellow clay, 26; 
blue clay, 234; 
white limestone, 
456; greenish 
shaly limestone, 
75; incomplete 
at 795. 


T. 85 N., R. 10 W. 
(PARTS OF Taylor 
and Harrison). 

State College for BUnd . . 


160 

76 

40 
307 
120 
130 






toms. 
Failed one sum- 


W. M. Pitts 


See. 1 


46 

15 
2 


Limestone 




mer, unused. 


T. 84 N.,R. 9 W. (Can- 
ton). 

M.White 


NW.Jsec. 11... 
NE. I sec. 20.... 
SW. A sec. 21.... 
SW.isec.il.... 


do 

Gravel (z) 

Gravel 

Limestone 


- 12 
-147 

- 60 




Milton Richey 




William Hatfield 

James Rife 


Plenty of hard 
water. 









366 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells of Benton CoMniy— Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
of rock. 


Source of sup- 
ply- 


Head. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 82N.,R. 11 W. (Le 
Roy). 


Blairstown 

NW. i sec. 27. . . 
SE.isec. 28 

SE.isec. 25 

NE. Jsec. 6 

SE.isec. 1 

SE,isec.23 

SE.|sec.l9 

NE.isec. 5 

NW i sec. 2 

NE.Jsec.l 

NW. isec. 10... 

SW.isec. 11.... 
SW.isec. 29.... 

SE. Jsec. 3 

SW. A sec. 35. . . . 

SE. isec. 28 

NE.isec. 34.... 


Feet. 
130 

450 
92 

220 
149 
202 

130 
200 
125 

130 
240 

400 

220 
480 

250 
250 

140 
250 


Feet. 
130 


Shale 


Feet. 

- 20 




C. E. Case 




dark slate rock." 
Scanty supply. 
Plenty of good 

water. 


H . Llpe 


140 


Sand 




T. 85 N., R. 11 W. 
(Jackson). 

J. Alchoru 


Limestone 




Joseph KUne 


. ..do 






William Baldridge 




do 






T. 84 N., R. 10 W. 

(Eden). 

N. D. Boneshel 


130 
198 

(6) 
(") 

200 


Gravel 


- 90 




C. E. Bean 




John Powers 








T. 84N.,R. 11 W. (Big 
Geove). 

A.W.White 


do 






T. M. Anderson 


.do 






T.83N.,R. low. (El- 
dorado). 

Jacob Schlotterbeck 






Several holes aban- 


Adam Kranz 


do 


-120 


doned. 


E. S. Thompson 




T.83N.,R. 9 W. (Fre- 
mont). 

A. H. Fawcett.. . 


(") 
(a) 

(a) 
(a) 


Gravel 




Strong well. 
Plenty of water. 


T. M. Gregor 


Sand 




T. 82N.,R. low. (St. 
Clair). 

William Reissers 


....do .... 






..do 















a No rock; drift. 



6 No rock. 



CEDAR COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Cedar County is an area of low relief ; its highest and lowest eleva- 
tions differ by only about 325 feet. The strongest topographic con- 
trasts are presented by the uplands of Kansan drift and the lowan 
drift plains. The latter comprise two lobate areas. One stretches 
across the northern tier of townships, its southern boundary coin- 
ciding pretty closely with the line of the Chicago & North Western 
Kailway, which chose the even surface and low levels of the plain in 
preference to the rugged Kansan upland. The second lobe enters 
the county from the west along the left bank of Cedar River and 
extends nearly to Tipton. 



CEDAE COUNTY. 367 

The Kansan upland varies in relief according to the degree of its 
dissection. In Farmington Township its nearly level divides are 
scored by only the faintest erosion channels; in Faii*field Township 
it is a gently rolling prairie; but bordering Cedar Kiver in Rochester 
and Cedar Valley townships it has been cut to a maze of the steepest 
of hnis. 

GEOLOGY. 

The rocks of the county fall into two general divisions. The 
Niagara, a buff dolomite, forms the bedrock over the northern and 
eastern parts, and Devonian limestones of differing lithologic 
characteristics underlie the southeastern part. (See Pis. X, XI.) 

The drift sheets appearing on the surface are the Kansan and 
the lowan; a third drift sheet, the Nebraskan, is in places found 
beneath the Kansan and separated from it by old soils and forest 
beds (Aftonian) and outwash sands. 

The loess, a yellow silt, destitute of pebbles, mantles the Kansan 
areas. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The ground-watf r supplies of Cedar County are, at present, drawn 
chiefly from deep-lying sources. The shallow wells which at an 
early date found plenty of water at the base of the loess in ashen 
silts and basal sands and in sands separating yellow and blue stony 
clays have been generally either abandoned or sunk deeper, because 
of both decreasing supply and increasing demands. On alluvial bot- 
toms, such as the flood plains of the Cedar and some of the larger 
creeks, shallow wells still are adequate even for farm purposes. 

Aquifers largely used are the sands and gravels associated with 
the drift. These water beds occur as discontinuous lenses in the 
Kansan and Nebraskan, as extensive sheets parting the stony clays 
of the drift, and in basal sands parting the Nebraskan till from 
rock. Sands, locally of great thickness, occur in the well-marked 
buried ancient river valley which traverses the county from north 
of Stanwood to the southeast corner. Though these sands are, as 
a rule, saturated with water, they are in many places too fine to 
to be a source of supply owing to the impracticability of screening 
them out with present methods. A very valuable water bed is that 
formed by the basal sands of the drift and the upper few feet of bed- 
rock, broken and made pervious by preglacial weathering. 

In the bedrock water occurs throughout the Niagara dolomite, 
where it accumulates in large quantities owing to the impervious 
floor of the Maquoketa shale on which the latter rests. Water is 
also found in the Devonian limestones of the southern and western 



368 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

parts of the county. In both limestones it occurs in channels dis- 
solved by waters seeping along bedding planes and joints in porous 
layers. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

The areas of lowan drift of the northern and northeastern parts 
of the county can hardly be set off from those of the Kansan drift as 
a distinct underground water province, for the lowan drift forms 
but a veneer upon the older drift sheet and can not influence the 
distribution of ground water. The low relief of the lowan allows 
ground water to stand high and to exude in swales and wet-weather 
ponds, but in only a few places is the water thus stored sufficient for 
farm wells. In places on the Tipton lobe sands store water sufficient 
for house wells. 

A well-defined province is that of an ancient rock-cut channel 
deeply buried by the drift, which may be called "Stanwood channel," 
as it extends beneath the town of Stanwood. The surface of the 
ground gives no indication whatever of the topography of the rock 
surface lying 300 feet beneath. Enough deep wells have been drilled 
over this "deep country" to outline its general course, although they 
fail to define accurately either its gradient or its width. The channel 
(fig. 4) enters the county in Fremont Township and, curving sharply 
to the east, passes southeast to Stanwood. Trending thence south- 
ward, it passes east of Tipton and follows along the east side of Sugar 
Creek. About 2 J miles north of Lime City it turns to the southeast 
and near Durant joins the ancient buried valley, passing through 
Scott and Muscatine counties southward. 

At Stanwood the rock floor of the channel is 544 feet above sea 
level, if correctly reported; 5 miles southeast of Stanwood rock was 
struck at 440 feet. In southwestern Scott County the floor of this 
channel is not higher than 400 feet above sea level. 

In Cedar County the channel is aggraded with river sand beneath 
and glacial stony clays above. At Stanwood it is filled with sand 
to a height of 116 feet above its floor of rock. At Henry Britcher's 
place sand 144 feet thick is reported overlying rock. In some wells 
these sands are replaced by glacial pebbly clays and the work of the 
driller is much lightened. The sand is generally of fine grain, and 
that in one well is reported as so fine as to sift through a tobacco 
sack. It contains streaks and beds of coarser sand and even of gravel. 
It presents a serious problem for the driller, for though it is saturated, 
it is for the most part too fine for ordinary types of strainers and 
affords no ground for casing. The water which makes it a quicksand 
forms an inexhaustible reservoir, supplying the gravels at its base 
and the upper creviced layers of the bedrock. 



CEDAR COUNTY. 



369 



No " deep country" is reported in Pioneer Township, and although 
the land is considerably diversified in relief, water is found generally 




Figure 4.— Map showing location of wells (•) marking the position of the buried Stanwood channel 
Numbers on wells refer to table on p. 372. 

from 80 to 100 feet from the surface in Niagara dolomite. In the 
northeastern part some wells are drilled as deep as 140 feet. 
36581°— WSP 293—12 24 



370 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Outside the deep buried Stanwood channel wells in Fremont 
Township are of moderate depth. West of this channel rock is gen- 
erally entered at from 80 to 100 feet. Northeast of Mechanicsville 
it comes within 30 to 50 feet of the surface and water is obtained 
in abundance by wells 80 or 90 feet deep. In sees. 21 and 28 rock 
lies lower than 150 and 170 feet below the surface of the gently-rolling 
Kansan upland, indicating here a branch of the Stanwood Channel. 
These wells, like many wells of the main channel, find water at top 
of the river sand with which these buried valleys have been deeply 
fiUed. 

In the northern half of Dayton Township rock outcrops or is found 
near the surface. In the southern part the drift is deeper, reaching 
in places a depth of more than 125 feet. Wells commonly find water 
in the Niagara dolomite within 80 and 90 to 120 feet from the surface, 
the water rising within 40 feet of the curb. 

On the loess-covered dissected Kansan upland west of Massillon, 
in Massillon Township, wells find water within 140 feet, in Niagara 
dolomite, which here comes within 80 or 90 feet of the surface. Loess 
is of unusual thickness and drift clays are thin. 

On the high ridge north of Lowden, extending northwest and south- 
east through sees. 20-22, 25-28, 35, and 36, wells on the crests are 
from 150 to 180 feet in depth, finding water in gravels of the drift. 
In one well on this ridge rock was entered at 85 feet and water 
obtained in the Niagara, the depth of the well being 144 feet. 

In Linn, Cass, and Red Oak townships rock lies near the surface, 
being rarely found more than 70 to 100 feet below it. Water is found 
chiefly in the Niagara at depths seldom exceeding 100 and 120 feet. 
At the large stock farm of Alexander Buchanan, a well was sunk to 
the very exceptional depth of 300 feet, of which 230 feet were in 
rock, presumably the Niagara. 

Northwest of Tipton in Center Township rock underlies the lowan 
drift plain at no great depth, and outcrops are not uncommon. Wells 
find plenty of water within 50 feet or less of the surface. In and 
about Tipton a greater depth of weUs is rendered necessary by the 
deeper-lying rock. Thus at the fair grounds a well was sunk 201 feet, 
105 feet being in rock. At A. Birks's, northeast of town, rock was 
entered at 175 feet, and the total depth of the well is 275 feet. At 
H. L. Huker's, on the east side of town, a well 197 feet deep found no 
rock. There seems to be here either a strong descent to the buried 
Stanwood channel, which lies east of Tipton, or perhaps to the channel 
of a tributary. Within the city limits the depth to rock ranges from 
85 to 130 feet and water is found either immediately upon or in the 
rock. 



CEDAE COUNTY. 371 

Near, the border of the lowan drift house wells obtain water in the 
basal sands of the loess. The sands which part the blue and yellow 
tills also afford a moderate supply. 

Over most of the southwestern part of Center Township wells find 
water in limestone, either Niagara or Devonian, within 80 to 130 
and 140 feet of the surface. Here the bedrock is in few places covered 
with more than 80 feet of drift. In the eastern part of the township, 
beyond the belt of 'Meep country" of the buried Stanwood channel, 
the drift is from 80 to 130 feet thick, and wells commonly find water 
in the Niagara at depths of 100 to 150 feet. 

Concerning Inland Township the facts at hand relate chiefly to 
wells in the northern part, where stock weUs range from 100 to 170 
feet, finding water in rock a few feet below its surface. The drift here 
is 60 to 170 feet thick. 

In the maze of steep hills of the Kansan upland of the eastern part 
of Gower Township water is found in rock from 100 to 180 feet below 
the surface, the cover of loess and till being 70 to 100 feet thick. In 
the western part of the township the drift is 170 to 200 feet thick 
and several wells are 190 to 220 feet deep. 

In Springdale Township the drift is deep, ranging generally from 
100 to 180 feet. In the extreme northeast sections the drift is thinner, 
and at the viUage of Springdale rock is entered at 50 feet. The wells 
reported range in depth from 120 to 215 feet, water commonly being 
found in Devonian limestone. 

In Iowa and Rochester townships the Devonian limestones appear 
at the surface or closely approach it. On the upland of Iowa Town- 
ship rock is found at 40 to 80 feet. In some rock-cut buried valleys 
the rock lies as deep as 120 feet. In Rochester Township, though 
rock outcrops east of Rochester, it occurs as deep as 120 and 200 feet 
in the northeastern sections. The wells reported penetrate the lime- 
stones to depths ranging from 20 to 100 feet before finding sufficient 
water, and exceptionally wells are sunk in rock as much as 120 feet. 
Northeast of Springdale a well 200 feet deep is reported. 

In Sugar Creek and Farmington townships, outside the course of 
the Stanwood channel, rock approaches within 40 and 59 feet of the 
surface between Sunbury and Durant and north of Lime City. North- 
east of Lime City it lies from 90 to 125 feet below the surface, and one 
well, which may be on a tributary of the Stanwood channel, is reported 
to end in gravel at 325 feet. In the western part of Farmington 
Township the drift appears to be from 80 to 140 feet thick. Water is 
found in or on the rock, and wells, except in the buried channel, 
seldom exceed 130 feet in depth. 



372 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Wells in the Stamvood channel. 



No.i 


Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


1 


T. 82 N., R. 3 W. 
(Fremont). 

L. Williams 


SE. } SE. } sec. 3 

NW. isec. 10 


Feet. 
154 

162 
103 
216 

257 
197 
210 
192 

109 
340 

250 

'230 

365 

250 

185 
333 
240 
295 
■ 198 

247 
302 
298 

98 
250 

302 

304 
200 
300 

220 

110 
196 
272 
217 


Feet. ■ 

""'iso' 

'""296" 

220 
215 

327 

220 

""'326' 
180 
293 
177 

184 
278 
233 

248 

220 
302 


Yellow clay, 30; blue clay, 100; 
sand, 24. 


?, 


M. Rigby 


3 


L. Lehrman 


SW }sec. 10 . ... 


Blue clay, 90; dark fine sand, 13. 
Drift clays, 125; sand and gravel, 

91. Water rises within 60 feet 

of surface. 


4 


A. Pound 


NW. J sec. 16 


5 


John Foley 


NE 4 sec. 17 


6 


J. P. Hines 


Sec 17 


Blue clay, 180; sand, 17. 
Blue clay, 120; sand, 60. 
Drift clays with streaks of sand 
(one 7 feet thick), 180; sand, 12. 




R. A. Bardue 


S W. i sec. 16 

NW. } SW. } sec. 15. . 

NW. J NW. 1 sec. 15.. 
SW. J see. 24 


8 


George Melton 


q 




10 


Tile Works, Stanwood . 

H. S. Hoyman 

T. 82N.,R. 2W. 

(Dayton). 

S. M. Davidson 

T. 81N..R.2 W. 
(Fairfield). 

Henry Britcher 

0. T. Johnson 


Yellow loess, 20; ashen loess, 7; 


11 


NW.A SE. i sec. 24... 
SE. |sec. 19 


green clay, 1; yeUow, stony 
clay, 7; blue clay (Kansan), 65; 
sand with fragments of wood 
(Aftonian), 15; blue clay 
(Nebraskan), 65; sand, 116; 
shale (Maquoketa), 44. 


13 
14 


SE. INE. Jsec.e 

N W. 1 sec. 5 


YeUow clay, 60; blue clay, 123; 
sand, 144; limestone, 12; blue 
soapstone, 6; limestone with 
water, 20. 

Yellow clav, 30; blue clay, 50; 


15 




SE. iSW. Jsec. 8 

NW. A NW. isec. 17.. 

SE. Jsec. 17 

SW. i sec. 16 

SW. }NE. isec. 16... 

NE. I sec. 20 

NE. 1- sec. 21 

NW. i sec. 22 


fine, wliite sand; limestone, 
with water rising within 50 feet 
of surface, 30. 


16 
17' 
18 
1<) 


George Kinney 

N. and K. Lay 

E. E. Heltebrielle 

M. J. Fay 


Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 155; a 
little sand on rock. 


20 


N. Fay 


?1 


T. Wingerd 




•?? 


Gus Peters 


Chiefly blue clay; not 10 feet of 


23 




NW.isec.28 

NE. J see. 33 


sand. 


24 


F. H. Milligan 


Drift clays, SO; fine sand, 160; 


25 
?6 


T. S0N.,R.2 W. 
(part of Center). 

AV. Stubblefield 

G. W. Gary 

J. B. Carl 

J. Helmer 


NE.iNE. Jsec. 9.... 
NW.isec. 16 


black clay (geest?), 8; porous 
limestone, 2. Water rises 
within 30 feet of smface. 

Yellow clay 40; blue clay, 180; 
sand. 


27 


NE.isec. 22 

SE.iSE.i see. 23.... 

NE. \ sec. 1 




?ft 


T. 79 N., R. 2 W. 
(Sugar Creek; part 
OF Rochester). 

B. Ayres 




30 


T. 79 N., R. 1 W. 
(Farmington). 
John Rice 


SW. iSW. 1 sec. 5.--. 
NE. J sec. 27 




31 


C. H. Nienaber 

Charles Fitzler 

Marx Hartz 




3^ 


do 




33 


NW.isec.33 











1 For position of weUs see fig. 4, 



CEDAR COUNTY. 



373 



CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Buchanan. — At Buchanan (population, 61) water is obtained from 
drilled wells 27 to 127 feet deep, a depth of 120 feet being very 
common. The water in the deeper wells rises within 70 feet of the 
surface. Springs furnish a small part of the water. 

Clarence. — The water supply of Clarence (population, 662) is 
pumped from a well to an elevated tank giving a gravity pressure of 
40 pounds. There are 2 miles of mains, 11 fire hydrants, and 100 taps. 
Many house wells, ranging in depth from 20 to 115 feet, are still used. 
These wells enter rock at 60 feet, and obtain their largest supplies at 
about 90 feet. The water of the deeper wells rises within 40 feet of 
the surface. 

Durant. — At Durant (population, 720) the public supply is drawn 
from a well and pumped to an elevated tank, with a capacity of 600 
barrels, supplying a gravity pressure of 46 pounds. There are 2 
miles of mains and 24 hydrants. House wells ranging in depth from 
40 to 50 feet and obtaining water in sand are used largely. 

Lowden. — In Lowden (population, 584) water is obtained from 
wells that range in depth from 20 to 200 feet. A small amount is 
obtained from springs. 

Mechanicsville. — At Mechanicsville (population, 817) water is 
pumped from wells into a tank, giving gravity pressure of 45 pounds. 
There are 4,400 feet of mains and 12 hydrants. 

Springdale. — At Springdale (population, 125) wells range in depth 
from 75 to 150 feet. 

Stanwood. — Open and drilled wells ranging in depth from 20 to 300 
feet furnish water at Stanwood (population, 511). The depth to the 
water-bearing formation in the deeper wells is 120 feet, and water 
rises within 50 feet of the surface. A well 630 feet deep and ranging 
in diameter from 10 f to 8 inches was sunk at the Chicago & North 
Western Railway track in 1905. (See PL XL) The elevation of the 
curb is 847 feet above sea level. Water was not found in adequate 
quantity and the well was abandoned in 1907. The record of this 
well based on driller's log follows : 

Record of strata in railway well at Stanwood {PI. XI, p. 382). 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


30 


30 


80 


110 


8 


118 


84 


202 


98 


300 


20 


320 


50 


370 


250 


620 


10 


630 



Pleistocene (300 feet thick; top, 847 feet above sea level): 

Clay, yellow, soft 

Clay, blue, soft 

Clay, sandy, brown, hard 

Clay, blue, soft 

Sand and mud, soft; some blue and some yellow 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (70 feet tliick; top, 547 feet above sea level) — 

Streaks of clay and limerock; had to be cased 

Limerock, Ught colored, soft; a little water 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (250 feet thick; top, 477 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, light blue, soft 

Galena limestone (10 feet penetrated; top, 227 feet above- sea level) — 

Limerock; gray, hard 



374 



UNDERGEOUKD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



Sunbury. — In Sunbury (population, 200) water is obtained chiefly 
from wells and cisterns, A small quantity is also obtained from 
springs. 

Tipton. — The water supply of Tipton (population, 2,048) is drawn 
from a well 2,696^ feet deep. (See PI. X.) The diameter is reported 
as 8 inches. The well was originally cased to 120 feet and was recased 
in 1889 to 225 feet. The curb is 810 feet above sea level, and the 
original head was 65 feet below the curb. The present head is about 
80 feet below the curb. The tested capacity of the well is 225 gallons 
a minute. The water beds are unknown, but the drillers, J. P. MUler 
& Co., of Chicago, reported no water found below 1,200 feet. The 
temperature is 57° F. 

Record of strata in city well at Tipton {PI. X, p. 374). 



Thickness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene: 

Drift 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (305 feet thick; top, 675 feet above sea level) — 

Limestone and dolomite, light gray, hard; white chert at 135 feet; dolomite, 
bufl, at 300 feet; limestone, soft, medium dark gray, argillaceous, slightly 

magnesian, at 445 feet 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (200 feet thick; top, 310 feet above sea level)— 

Shale, greenisla; 3 samples 

Shale, gray green; in fine meal of argUlo-siUceous particles, and grains of 
dolomite; some rather coarse imperfectly rounded grains of varicolored 
quartz 

Shale, blue; in concreted powder 

Shale, chocolate-brown, slightly bituminous 

Dolomite, brown, argillaceous, earthy .' 

Shale, blue 

Galena limestone to Platte ville limestone (330 feet thick; top, 110 feet above sea 
level)— 

Dolomite, bufl and gray; 4 samples 

Limestone, light buS, soft, magnesian 

Limestone, soft, grayish white, argillaceous 

Limestone, white, slightly magnesian 

Limestone, light gray 

Limestone, darker gray 

Limestone, dark blue gray; fossiliferous, argUlaeeous 

Shale, green (probably Decorah shale) 

Limestone, dark blue gray, argillaceous 

St. Peter sandstone (55 feet tliick; top, 220 feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone, clean, white; grains rounded; 3 samples 

Prairie du Chien group (377 feet thick: top, 275 feet below sea level)— 

Dolomite, gray; green shale in drillings 

Dolomite; some sand ia drillings 

Marl, white, dolomitic, argillaceous, and minutely arenaceous 

Dolomite, gray, bufl, and in places white; cherty, especially toward the 
base; white powder at 1,300 feet; 17 samples 

Dolomite and sand 

Dolomite, light yellow 

Dolomite with sand 

Dolomite, gray; considerable sand 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (118 feet thick; top, 652 feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone, calciferous; fine, liglit colored; rounded grains of quartz, some 
showing secondary enlargements; also many minute angular cuttings of 
white subcrystalline dolomite 

Sandstone, bufl; 2 samples 

Sandstone, fine, white and light yellow; 2 samples 

Dolomite, highly siliceous, white 

Sandstone, fme gramed, light yellow 

St. Lawrence formation (222 feet thick; top, 770 feet below sea level)— 

Dolomite, yellow 

Dolomite, dark gray 

Dolomite, gray; ta fine sand 

Marl, blue gray. 

Shale, dark greenish, pyritiferous; much dolomite and chips of fine- 
grained, argillaceous sandstone 

Marl, pink , 



Feet. 



135 



365 



100 



Feet. 



135 



20 


620 


20 


640 


20 


660 


20 


680 


20 


700 


40 


740 


60 


800 


50 


850 


35 


885 


15 


900 


50 


950 


40 


990 


10 


1,000 


30 


1,030 


40 


1,070 


15 


1,085 


5 


1,090 


10 


1,100 


265 


1,3C5 


.35 


1,400 


10 


1,410 


40 


1,450 


6 


1,456 


6 


1,462 


23 


1,485 


17 


1,502 


3 


1,505 


10 


1,515 


65 


1,580 


36 


1,616 


34 


1,650 


30 


1,680 


22 


.1,702 


38 


1,740 



33 miles 



WATtR-SUHPLY PAPER 293 PLATE X 

17 miles > 



Green Island 




.C^<^^^"'^^ 



US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

^ 32 miles - 

CenterviUe 



-42 miles - 



33 miles 



WATIR-SUHPLV PAPER 293 PLATE X 

— »-■* n miles > 



PenvisV 



,\-^^' 



■/gS" 




Tipton 



Washington 



^. 



Ov^' 



0&^'^ 



A\a\©' 



d ^^»■ 



,.^.99^^ 



Sea level 



5^ 



c,*uxv 



Shakopee dolomite 

' New Richmond 
sandstone 



^ 



Oneola dolomite 



Prairie du 
Cliien- 
group 






^w-^o 



„V^oo\^ 



,(0V>9 



Oe-J' 



S*v)t*^' 



'S\l' 



^'-^-- 



Pleistocene 



^ 



Pleistocene 



Maquoketa 
(oil well) 



^w'^*'' 



^AaO,^°' 



)V.e\a 



sVa^® 



,p^ 



,M\\\e. 



rxcW' 



fttJe 



.odsVX}!'-'' 



.'-'SO 



.,*i^2 



ov^e^^ 



„ovi9 



io^° 



.6-^°" 



,0^^* 



Green Island 



p-Ca(^ 



,W»'' 



i?^ 



GEOLOGIC SECTION BETWEEN GREEN ISLAND AND CENTERVILLE ,IOWA 
liy W. H. Norton 



CEDAR COUNTY. 

Record of strata in citij well at Tipton. 



375 



Thickness. 



Depth. 



Cambrian — Continued . 

Dresbach sandstone and underlying Cambrian strata (443 feet thick; top, 992 
feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone, clean, white, saccharoidal; grains generally rounded but many 
faceted with secondary enlargements; largest grains 1 mm. in diameter. 

Sandstone, white, fine; 3 samples 

Sandstone; in fine, siliceous powder 

Sandstone, white; grains very fine, mostly angular 

Marl, minutely arenaceous 

Sandstone, fine, white; shale in drillings 

Sandstone, buff, fine 

Marl, siliceous and glauconiferous 

Sandstone, pink; in minute angular fragments 

Marl, siliceous and glauconiferous 

Marl, pink gray; microscopically quartzose; glauconiferous 

Marl, reddish; microscopically quartzose; glauconiferous 

Sandstone, gray; in fuie powder, consisting as seen under the microscope 
of angular particles of quartz; calcareous cement 

Sandstone, buff, fine grained 

Sandstone, fine white 

Sandstone, white; grains of moderate size, mostly broken; some with sec- 
ondary enlargements 

Algonkian (?) (451J feet penetrated; top, 1,435 feet below sea level); 

Sandstone, clean, pink; 2 samples 

Sandstone, red and brown; 3 samples 

Sandstone, moderately fine; grains broken, pink 

Sandstone, fine, cream colored 

Sandstone, pink; angular grains and grains with secondary enlargements 

Sandstone, pink, fine; in angular cuttings, 2,420 and 2,430 

Sandstone, light yellow 

Sandstone, dark bro\vn 

Sandstone, terra-cotta red, fine 

Sandstone, reddish; 2 samples 

Sandstone, buff, fine 

Sandstone, reddish , 

Sandstone, light purplish, fine 

Sandstone, reddish brown, line; 3 samples 

Sandstone, dark reddish brown; grains angular, 2,600 and 2,610 

Sandstone, purplish; 2 samples 

Sandstone, red, pink, and brown, fine; grains broken; 15 samples 





Feet. 


62 


1,802 


88 


1,890 


5 


1,895 


5 


1,900 


10 


1,910 


15 


1,925 


25 


1,950 


15 


1,965 


25 


1,990 


5 


1,995 


75 


2,070 


30 


2,100 


50 


2,150 


10 


2,160 


50 


• 2,210 


10 


2,220 


50 


2,270 


70 


2,340 


20 


2,360 


6 


2,365 


36 


2,400 


30 


2,430 


5 


2,435 


40 


2,475 


10 


2,485 


35 


2,520 


15 


2,535 


15 


2,550 


10 


2,560 


25 


2,585 


25 


2,610 


15 


2,625 


m 


2,6961 



The water is pumped to a standpipe with a capacity of 27,000 
gallons, affording a domestic pressure of 45 pounds. Direct pressure 
is 100 pounds. There are 3^ miles of mains, 46 fire hydrants, and 320 
taps. The consumption averages 45,000 gallons a day. 

West Branch. — Waterworks were installed at West Branch (popu- 
lation, 643) in 1906. The supply is from an 8-inch weU, 65 feet deep, 
with a capacity of 100 gallons per minute. Pumping 13^ hours 
lowered the water to but 7 feet below the surface of the ground. 
The water bed is honeycombed limestone of Devonian age. Rock is 
entered at 6 feet. Water is pumped to a tank with capacity of 
30,000 gallons, affording a gravity pressure of 103 pounds. There 
are If miles of mains and 23 fire hydrants. Village house weUs 
range from 20 to 50 feet in depth. 



376 



UNDERGEOtTND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 
WELL DATA. 



Information concerning typical wells in Cedar County is presented 
in the following tables: 

Typical wells in Cedar County. 



Owner. 



T. 81 N,, R. 4 W. 
(PAETs OF Cass and 
Linn). 

Charles Dodds 

Mary KaufEman 

B. Wilson 

Charles Pfafl :'.. 

Philip Hammond 

C. Strother 

Elmer Wallick 

T. 81 N., R. 3 W. (Red 
Oak; parts of Cass, 
Linn, Center). 

R. Stout 

Alexander Moffltt 

Alexander Buchanan . . 
H. Shank 

E.H.Carl 

T. 81 N.,R. 2 W. (Day- 
ton). 

H. Dewell 

George McLeod 

T. 80 N., R. 2 W. 
(PARTS OF Center 
AND Rochester). 

W. W. Aldrich 

D. R. Smith 

G. Wingert 

C. G.Wright 

Swartzlander. . . 

B. Sandy 

William Ford 

J. Huddlestone 

George Wilbur 

C. W.Carl 

H.L. Snider 

E. D. Neirson 

R. J. Goodale 

Moses Brunker 

Adam Birk 

P. Metz 

J. Kropelin 

Fair Grounds, Tipton . 

T. 81 N.,R. 2 W. (Fair- 
field; PART OF Cen- 
ter). 

L. Haggerty 

Johnson Spear 

E.H.Carl 

J. C. Casford 

Matt. Fell 

J. Kroeplene 



Location. 



SE. I sec. 25 
SE. I sec. 26 



Sec. 30 

SW. 1 sec. 36 
NW. Jsec. 4 . 

Sec. 12 

Sec. 16 



SW. \ sec. 18 

NW. J sec. 6 . 
NW. i sec. 18 
NE. \ sec. 7 . 
SW. isec. 17 
Sec. 18 



Sec. 2.. 
Sec. 25. 



Sec. 2. 
Sec. 3. 



Sec. 4. 



Sec. 5 

Sec. 6 

NE. i sec. 8 



Sec. 10. 
Sec. 12. 
Sec. 13. 
Sec. 15. 
Sec. 16. 
Sec. 21 . 
Sec. 22. 
Sec. 29. 
Sec. 31 . 



Sec. 32 

Sec. 34 

SW. I sec. 36 



See.9 

NW. 1 sec. 16 

Sec. 18 

Sec. 21 

Sec. 20 

Sec. 34 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Feet. 
50 



73 

118 

80 



98 
300 

65 
133 
160 



108 
105 



220 
166 



IGO 
156 



156 
100 
180 
140 
190 
140 
120 
156 
275 



120 
121 
201 



170 
198 
146 
150 
133 
125 



Feet. 
25 



50 
100 
16 
70 
36 



100 



40 
70 
35 
40 
120 



60 
136 



110 
150 
102 

136 
73 
130 
120 
54 
70 
60 
131 
176 



51 
118 
105 



110 
177 
120 



110 
118 



Remarks (logs given in feet). 



Nearly all blue clay; bowlders from 20 

to 40. 
Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 30. 



Drift clays, 100; limestone, 10; greenish 
pipe clay (Carboniferous cavern fill- 
ing) 10; limestone to bottom. 



Yellow clay, 60; sand, 60. 



Yellow clav, 20; blue clay, 48; onpaha 
hill. 

Blue clay, 20; pebbly hardpan overly- 
ing quicksand, 20; gravel, 65. 



On rock was found "red granite," 3 
inches thick, which cut drill and was 
dynamited. 

GO feet of sand. Strong flow of gas en- 
countered at 60 feet between clay 
above and sand; would blow off hat. 

Yellow clay deep in this vicinity. 
Yellow clay, soft, 45; blue clay, 55; 

pebbles, 2. 
No sand. 

Yellow clay, 10; blue clay, 63. 
Yellow clay, 20; sand, 90. 

Yellow clay, 35; blue clay, 35. 
Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 40. 

Yellow clay, 20; blue clay with a very 
little sand, 156; solid log or limb of 
wood at 166; no dark soil; rock, 99. 

20 feet of sand on rock. 



Much sand and gravel. 

Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 80; gravel, 10. 

Nearly all sand and gravel to rock. 



CEDAR COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Cedar County — Continued. 



377 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


110 




114 


80 


54 


46 


132 


132 


100 


48 


190 


160 


120 


120 


87 


40 


140 




65 


30 


93 


93 


111 


105 


168 




120 


100 


220 


180 


180 


75 


112 


100 


190 


100 


135 


95- 


138 


106 


140 


140 


172 


IM 


138 


00 


70 


40 


160 


60 


102 


80 


100 


65 


100 


60 


160 


60 


160 


120 


70 


40 


256 


50 


70 


40 


177 


157 


202 


102 


130 


100 


200 




200 


60 


50 


20 


220 





Remarks (logs given in feet). 



T. 79 N., R. 1 W, 

(Fakmington). 

Charles Moorehouse. .. 

J. F. Schroeder 

Henry Steffen 

William Miller 

Johann Klohn 

T. 82 N., R. 3 W. (Fre- 
mont). 

R.M.Carll 

P. Farrington 

John Schwalpert 

G. S.Burleigh 

J. Studer 

H. B. Thomas 

A. M. House 

Alex. Caldwell 



80 N., R. 4 W. 
(Gowee). 



J. A. Armstrong... 

A. H.Fisher 

T. W. Fitzpatrick. 
J. Tucker 

B. Ellison 

W. W. Totum 



SW. I sec. 5 

Sec.8 

See. 12 

See. 16 

Sec. 23 

Sec. 2 

SE. \ sec. 4 . 

S. Asec. 8 ... 
Sec.9 

NE.isee. 18 
Sec. 20 

Sec. 21 

NE. 4 sec. 28 



Sec. 4 

Sec.9 

Sec. 13 

Sec. 15 

Sec. 27 

SE. 1 sec. 36 



T. 80 N., R. 1 W. (In- 
lan^d). 



A. Dresselhouse. 
M. Sparks 



Sec. 3. 
Sec. 4. 



E. Bell. 



Sec. 7. 



H. Wharton. 



Sec. 11. 



T.79N.,R.3W,(Iowa: 
PART OF Rochester). 



J. S.Smith 

E. Hanna 

■ Hutchins. 



Sec. 4. 
Sec. 4. 
Sec. 5. 
B. Ellison I Sec.7. 



C. D. Stottler. 
J. P. Stottler. 
B. Woods.... 

D-jfle.. 

W, Kennedy. 
H. Cress 



T. 80, R. 2 W, (PARTS 
of Rochester and 
Center). 

A. Anions 



Thomas Mathews . 



James Ross 

J. Fulhrider 

T. 79 N., R. 2 W. 
(Sugar Creek; part 
of Rochester). 

J. D. Ridenours 



C. A. Ridenours. 
Ayers .... 



Sec.9.. 
See. 10. 
Sec. 18. 
See. 21. 
Sec. 31. 
Sec. 34. 



Sec. 29. 
Sec. 29. 



Sec. 31. 
Sec. 32. 



Sec. 5 



Sec.7. 
Seel. 



Black soil, 10; blue clay, 40; sand, 40; 
gravel, 20. 

All yellow clay to rock. 
Yellow and blue clays, 80; sand, 30; 
blue clay, 22. 



Blue clay, 100; sand and gravel, 60. 
Yellow clay, 24; blue clay, 64; sand, 14; 
muck, 10; blue clay and gravel, 8. 

Foot of Stanwood paha. Mostly blue 
clay; 3 sand beds. 

Yellow clay, 20; blue clay nearly to 
rock; water in gravel on rock. 

On NAV. i NE. \, drift clays, 120; 
sand, 48. On SE. \ NE. \ rock was 
entered at 98, and the drill stopped 
at 118. 



Yellow and blue clay to rock. 

Drift clays, 140; sand, 40. 

Hill. 

Yellow clay, 60; blue clay, 40. 

Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 75. 



8 feet of sand on rock. 

Yellow clay, 40; blue clay, 45; sand, 5. 
Water on rock, head, 40 feet. 

Yellow clay, 50; blue clay, 50; quick- 
sand, 40; blue clay to rock. 



Water in blue limestone. 
All yellow clay to rock. 
Water in blue limestone. 



Yellow clay, 70; blue clay, 86; sand, 1, 

to rock. Hill. 
First rock shelly limestone, 3; blue 

shale, 5; hard limestone, 96. 
No sand; rock soft and shaly. 



From 110 to 120 feet "pipe clay" (shale) 
underlain by 4 feet of coal. 

Soft blue clay, 50; sand and clay 
mixed, mucky, black, 100; clean fine 
sand resting on gravel, 70. 



378 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical ivells in Cedar County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


T. 79 N., R. 2 W.— 
Continued. 

Isaac Riser 


Seel 


Feet. 

245 


Feet. 

45 
84 

110 
40 
160 
120 
180 

30 

82 

120 

50 
42 
30 

70 


Across road from Ayers. Clay, 50; 

muddy sand, 100; clean sand, 75; 

gravel, 20. 
Rock full of flint nodules from size of 


J. W. Rockhaltz 


Sec. 4 


Charles Kiser 


Sec. 11 


124 

213 
160 


hickory nut to baseball. 
Yellow clay, 74; sand, 10. 

Pipe clay from 125 to 131. 

Yellow clay, 20; soft sandy blue clay, 20. 

Yellow and blue clay to rock. 

CO feet of sand on rock. 


T. 79N.,R. 4 W. 
(Speingdale). 

E. Halloway. 


Sec. 3 


Samuel Thomas.. 


Sec. 9 


D. Sullivan 


Sec. 19 


Meredith 


See. 19 




D. Wiggins 


Sec. 31 


215 

80 

112 

120 
183 
174 
172 

140 
143 

80 
80 
88 
130 


On belt of "deep country" which starts 
in west of West Branch and runs west 
of Downey. 


T.80N.,R.3W.(PARTS 
OF Center, Roches- 
tee, Iowa, Gower). 

O. P. Pratt 


Sec. 10 


T.82N.,R.l W.(Mas- 

SELLON). 

L. Vansickle 


S W. \ sec. 4 




J. S. Erbe 


SE.Jsec. 14 


loess, 10; sand, 12, to rock. Hill. 
Blue clay, 50; sand, 70. Hill. 


Charles Kramer 


SE. i sec. 20 


Gustave Martens 

E. Schleuter 


SE. isec. 21 

NW. Jsec. 27 ... 


Yellow clay, 40; blue clay to bottom; 
water in streak of sand at 110. 

Yellow clay, 35; blue clay, 85; rock. 
Yellow clay, 30; blue clay, 110; river 
sand, 3. 


T.82 N.,R.4 W.(Pio- 

NEEE). 

Louis Seever 


NE. i sec. 3 


D. Foley 


Sec. 21.. . 


Jacob Hammond 

W. Bennett 


SE. isec. 32 

SW. i see. 34 . 


W.Elliott 


SW. i sec. 35 . . . ' 




David Rhoudes 


NE. i sec. 36 





CLINTON COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The upiana of the northeastern townships of Clinton County 
attains a height of 900 feet above sea level and is deeply and intri- 
cately dissected. The topography is that characteristic of the drift- 
less area and the belt of Kansan drift immediately adjacent. The 
entire area of these townships has been reduced by long erosion to 
valley slopes. 

The southern portion of the county consists of a gently undulating 
plain of lowan drift, diversified, near the edges, with ridges and 
elongated hills of the older drift, capped with loess, and trending from 
northwest to southeast. 

Wide alluvial plains occur not only along the Mississippi but also 
along the entire course of Wapsipinicon River (except a short rock- 



CLINTON COUNTY. 379 

bound reach at Big Rock), and up the valley of Yankee Run. A 

broad strip of lowland known as the Goose Lake Channel, crossing 

the county from north to south, marks an ancient temporary channel 

of the Mississippi. 

GEOLOGY. 

The bulk of the Pleistocene deposits of Clinton County consists of 
the Kansan and the Nebraskan drift sheets, the lowan drift forming 
but a veneer on the area allotted to it. The northern dissected 
Kansan upland is thickly covered with a pebbleless yellow silt or 
dust, the loess. The foundation rock on which the superficial deposits 
rest throughout most of the county is the Niagara dolomite; some 
deep-cut ancient valleys, however, are filled with drift which reaches 
to the Maquoketa, a blue plastic shale which outcrops along the base 
of the bluffs of the Mississippi as far south as Lyons. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

Chnton County offers a wide variety of water beds, including the 
alluvial plains with their shallow ground water, the glacial gravels 
associated with the different sheets of glacial drift, and the Niagara 
dolomite. Some of the deepest farm wells of the county tap still 
deeper horizons, in the Maquoketa shale and the underlying Galena 
dolomite. The artesian wells of Clinton pass through the Ordovician 
formations and tap the Jordan and Dresbach sandstones and deeper 
Cambrian strata. 

In Sharon Township, on the Kansan upland, the drill strikes the 
Niagara dolomite at depths ranging from 70 to 120 feet and finds 
water within 150 feet of the surface. On the lowan drift plain in 
the southern part of the township wells south of Lost Nation find 
water in glacial gravels less than 150 feet from the surface. 

In the northeastern section of Brookfield Township, rock appears 
at the surface. Water is found in the Niagara at depths seldom 
exceeding 150 feet. A deep-buried river channel enters the north- 
western part of the township from Jackson County, passes east of 
Elwood, and thence trends southwest. The lowest altitude recorded 
for the rock floor of this buried valley is 470 feet above sea level. 
This "deep country" passes through a well-dissected Kansan upland 
and several wells approach or exceed 300 feet in depth. Water is 
usually found in gravel before reaching rock, but in one or two wells 
drilling was continued to some depth in the Maquoketa shale. 

In Bloomfield Township no well reported exceeds 175 feet in depth. 
Water is usually found in the Niagara, which is generally reached from 
50 to 125 feet from the surface. Exceptional wells which failed to 
reach rock and disclose an ancient buried river channel are reported, 
one on the aggraded valley of Deep Creek (sec. 32), which passed 



380 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

through 144 feet of quicksand and struck rock 171 feet below the sur- 
face; and two wells in the hilly country north of Delmar (sees. 10 and 
11), which reached 200 feet, passing mainly through blue stony clay. 

In Waterford Township the scanty data at hand indicate that the 
Niagara is covered but thinly with drift in many places. Water is 
commonly found in this dolomite at depths of less than 150 feet. 
The Maquoketa underUes the Niagara at moderate depths; in sec. 3 
it occurs not lower than 550 feet above sea level. At Brown, on 
Sugar Creek, an ancient channel was discovered by a well which 
passed tlirough 199 feet of drift to the Maquoketa shale, whose 
summit is about 500 feet above sea level. 

Most of the wells of Deep Creek Township find abundant water in 
the Niagara, wliich there lies 150 feet below the surface. In the 
marshy lowland known as Goose Lake channel, carved and partly 
aggraded by the Mississippi during one of the great invasions of the 
State by glacier ice, are many driven and open wells. A drilled well 
sunk in the channel in sec. 7 passed through 108 feet of alluvial clays 
and sands without reaching rock. The rock floor of the channel 
here lies less than 570 feet above sea level. 

In Elk River, Hampshire, Spring Valley, and Lincoln townships 
wells commonly succeed in finding water in the Niagara within 50 to 
180 feet from the surface. Sand wells prevail along the terraces of 
the Mississippi. The deepest are those which unfortunately fail to 
find water in the Niagara and are drilled into the Maquoketa shale, 
which emerges along the base of the bluffs at Lyons and other locali- 
ties along Mississippi River and in the valley of Elk Creek. In these 
townships the depth to the Maquoketa — a matter of great importance 
to the driller — ranges from 100 to 250 feet. At Eagle Point Park the 
shale, which was found beneath 20 feet of loess and 140 feet of 
Niagara dolomite, was 200 feet thick. The well was sunk through 
the shale and penetrated 104 feet into the Galena dolomite, from which 
a small supply of water was obtained. 

A well in Elk River Township, sec. 31, reached the shale after 
passing through 142 feet of drift and 100 feet of limestone and found 
some water in the shale after penetrating it to a depth of 157 feet. 

In Center, Comanche, and Eden townships, which are supplied 
chiefly from the Niagara, few wells exceed 180 feet in depth. On the 
Sullivan farm, l^ miles southeast of Bryant, a well 409 feet deep enters 
rock, probably the Galena, near the bottom. The alluvial sands of 
Goose Lake channel, a flat-floored valley from 1 to 2 miles wide, now 
occupied by Brophys Creek, supply many driven wells. Deep wells 
have been drilled in the channel and have failed to find the rock floor 
at depths even of 175 feet (485 feet above sea level). So far as 
reported only alluvial sands and clays occur in this channel. Driven 



CLINTON COUNTY. 381 

wells furnish the supply on the Mississippi and Maquoketa flood 
plains of these townships. 

Washington, Orange, Welton, and De Witt townships obtain their 
supplies from glacial gravels or, niore commonly, from the Niagara 
dolomite. Few wells exceed 150 or 180 feet in depth or reach the 
Maquoketa shale. The succession which may be expected in deeper 
wells is shown by the log of the well of the Chicago & North Western 
Railway Co. at De Witt. 

Log of well at De Witt {PI. XI, p. 



TMckness. 



Depth. 



Drift 

Limestone (Niagara) , 

Shale (Maquoketa) penetrated. 



Feet. 
40 
220 

7 



Feet. 

40 
260 
267 



Driven wells obtain water on the broad flood plain of Wapsipinicon 
River. 

Liberty, Berlin, Spring Rock, and Olive townships draw their water 
supplies from alluAdal and glacial sands and gravels and from the 
Niagara dolomite. The flood plain of Wapsipinicon River,' which 
below Toronto is more than 3 miles wide, affords many wells 40 to 
60 feet deep. The deeper wells drilled on the flood plain show a 
filling of the ancient rock-cut valley with 150 and 180 feet of glacial 
and alluvial deposits and reveal the rock floor at 525 feet above sea 
level south of Toronto and at 490 feet above sea level northeast of 
Big Rock. At places near Toronto the Niagara approaches or reaches 
the surface and affords a supply to wells at depths of 50 to 100 feet. 
Over the larger part of the area of these townships the drift is 70 to 
120 feet thick, and wells find water at less than 150 feet from the 
surface m the upper strata of the Niagara. In places, however, the 
drift is far thicker, owing to the filling of preglacial valleys. Thus, 
north of Bliedorn several wells show drift exceeding 200 feet in depth. 
This buried valley evidently connects with the preglacial valley which 
extends from Nashville, in Jackson County, to a point south of 
Elwood. This channel perhaps makes southwest to the aggraded 
valley of the Wapsipinicon below Toronto, but the data at hand are 
not sufficient to trace it. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs are few in Clinton County, except in the northeastern part, 
where Elk Creek and its tributaries have opened their valleys to the 
base of the Niagara and have thus cut the waterways developed at 
that horizon near the summit of the impervious Maquoketa shale. 
Springs from the Niagara occur along Rock Run in Spring Rock 
Township and on the creek near Grand Mound and De Witt. 



382 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Clinton. — The water supply of Clinton (population, 25,577) is 
notable in that it is drawn entirely from five artesian wells (PI. XI), 
which yield enough to meet the daily consumption of 2,000,000 gal- 
Ions. The water from these wells is pumped into a reservoir with 
a capacity of 10,000,000 gallons and thence direct through 42 miles 
of mains with a domestic pressure of 60 pounds and a fire pressure of 
100 pounds. There are 400 fire hydrants and 3,000 taps. 

At Clinton the geologic horizon at the surface is somewhat below 
the summit of the Maquoketa shale, the shale appearing at the base 
of the bluffs, just north of Lyons, a town now incorporated into 
Clinton. Some of the wells, however, as for example that of the 
Clinton Brewery Co., find the lower layers of the Niagara and much 
of the upper part of the Maquoketa cut away by a preglacial channel 
of Mississippi River. 

Water may be found in the Galena and Platteville limestones at 
numerous levels, but in such small amounts as to be negligible when 
compared with the large yields to be obtained from deeper terranes. 
The water in the St. Peter sandstone is now so overdrawn that no 
large yield can be expected from this formation. The Prairie du 
Cliien group contributes a good deal of water from its creviced lime- 
stones and sandy beds to each of the CUnton wells. 

The main flow of all the Clinton wells except the deepest comes 
from the Jordan sandstone at depths ranging from 1,100 to 1,290 
feet, and at present sufficient water for industrial plants can be 
obtained from this formation. 

The Cambrian sandstones underlying the Dresbach, reached now 
by but three wells, yield far more generously than the upper water 
beds. Under present conditions they may be expected to furnish 
more than double the amount supplied by all the higher terranes 
combined, and in the future the proportion will naturally become 
still larger owing to the depletion of the upper beds. Fortunately 
the water of these Cambrian strata at Clinton is of exceptionally 
good quality and no fear need be felt that it will be salty or highly 
mineralized. To reach the first sandstone beneath the Dresbach it 
is necessary to go about 1,650 feet below the level of the Clinton 
plain. The second sandstone, whose summit is reached at about 
1,700 feet, contains two water beds, one within the upper 100 feet, 
the other between 1,400 and 2,100 feet from the surface. As the 
overdraft, which has already brought the artesian head down to 
approximately the surface of the ground, increases, the higher ter- 
ranes may in time be largely exhausted and the Dresbach and earlier 
Cambrian sandstones become the chief dependence for artesian 
water. 

Waterworks well No. 1 has a depth of 1,400 feet and a diameter of 
5 to 8 inches; casing, 135 feet, packed at base with rubber and lead. 
The curb is 588 feet above sea level. The original head was 44 feet 



'Jordan J 



St. Lawrence formation 



Ores 






L 



CLINTON COUNTY. 



383 



above the curb and the head in 1896 was 35 feet above the curb. The 
original discharge was 500,000 gallons a day. Temperature, 64° F. 
The well was completed in 1886 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

Waterworks well No. 2 has a depth of 1,246 feet and a diameter of 
5 inches. The curb is 588 feet above sea level and the original head, 
44 feet above the curb. The original discharge was 500,000 gallons 
a day. Temperature, 64° F. The well was completed in 1886 by 
J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

Waterworks well No. 3 has a depth of 1,685 feet and a diameter of 
8 inches to 1,200 feet and 6 inches to bottom; casing, to 135 feet, 
packed with lead. The curb is 588 feet above sea level. The original 
head was 44 feet above the curb and the original discharge 600 gallons 
a minute, measured on a weir. The first flow was from 335 feet; 
continuous flow from 1,050 feet; from 625 to 725 feet, 150 gallons a 
minute, 8-inch bore; from 1,025 to 1,150 feet, 400 gallons a minute, 
8-inch bore; from 1,400 to 1,675 feet, 600 gallons a minute, 6-inch 
bore. Temperature, 63° F. The well was completed in 1890 by 
J. P. MiUer & Co., of Chicago. 

Waterworks well No. 4 at De Witt Park has a depth of 1,497 feet 
and a diameter of 8 inches to 1,279 feet and 5 inches to 1,300 feet; 
casing to 700 feet to cut off caving sands. The curb is 588 feet above 
sea level. The discharge was originally 600,000 gallons a day. Tem- 
perature, 63° F. The well was completed in 1893 by J. P. MiUer & 
Co., of Chicago. The driller reports that the full flow was reached at 
1,100 feet. The well ceased to flow and was disconnected from the 
waterworks system. 

Waterworks well No. 5 has a depth of 1,763 feet and a diameter of 
8 to 6 inches; 8-inch casing to 125 feet into shale, and 6-inch from 739 
to 840 feet. The curb is 588 feet above sea level. A small flow began 
at 850 feet, and was followed by a considerable increase from 1,140 to 
1,160 feet; at 1,230 feet, flow of 165 gallons a minute; at 1,295 feet, 
200 gallons; at 1,613 f^et, 238 gallons; at 1,710 feet, 266 gallons; and 
at 1,763 feet, 303 gallons. Temperature, 64° F. The wefl was com- 
pleted in 1902 at a cost of $3,506 by J. P. Mller & Co., of Chicago. 

Log of city well No. 5 at Clinton (PL XI, p. 382). 





Thickness. 


Depth. 


Surface material .. .• . . 


Feet. 

6 

125 

227 

318 

14 

50 

92 

308 

25 

155 

93 

252 

55 

43 


Feet. 

6 


Limestone 


131 


Shale 


358 


Lim^estone 


676 


Shale 


690 




740 


Shale 


832 


Limestone 


1,140 


Sandstone mixed with limestone 


1,165 


Limestone 


1,320 


Shale .. 


1,413 


Sandstone 


1,665 


Shale 


1,720 


Sandstone 


1,763 







384 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OE IOWA. . 

This log shows the thickness of the Niagara doldmite (6 to 131 feet) 
and the entire thickness of the Maquoketa shale (131 to 358 feet), as 
the well was put down at one side of the preglacial channel of the 
Mississippi. 

The thickness of the Niagara given in this log is corroborated by 
the logs of several other wells. The Dresbach sandstone of the brew- 
ing company well section is included in the sandstone reported from 
1,413 to 1,665 feet in the city well No. 5. Apparently the shale at 
the bottom of the brewing company's well rests on a bed of sandstone, 
below which is a 55-foot bed of shale, which in turn rests on the 
water-bearing sandstone that was penetrated to a depth of 43 feet in 
the city well. The record of the city well shows an increase in flow 
of about 65 gallons a minute from this basal sandstone. 

The waterworks well No. 6 has a depth of 2,101 feet and a diameter 
of 10 feet to rock, 15^ inches to 354 feet, 12^ inches to 870 feet, and 
10 inches to bottom; casing to 364 feet; packing, lead. The curb 
is 588 feet above sea level and the head 14 feet above the curb. The 
first overflow was from the second Cambrian sandstone beneath the 
Dresbach. The discharge at 1,940 feet was 70 gallons a minute; on 
completion, 225 gallons. Temperature. 70° F. The well was com- 
pleted in 1911 by J. D. Shaw, of Davenport, Iowa. 

During the drilhng of the well water from the upper artesian 
horizons stood 14 feet below the surface until the water bed of the 
second sandstone beneath the Dresbach was reached. The head of 
this bed is therefore now about 28 feet higher than that of the higher 
artesian sources. On the completion of this well the first drilled 
well of the Clinton Gas, Light & Coke Co. is said to have been raised 

2 feet. It is reported by the officials of the Clinton Water Co. that 
the well of the Treitschler & Tiesse Malting Co. at Lyons began to 
overflow at the same time. On the other hand, no change was 
observed in the head of the wells of the Sugar Refining Co., the Chnton 
Paper Co., the Chnton Brewing Co., the Chicago & North Western 
Railway Co., the Fulton waterworks, and L. Iten & Sons. The 
officials of the Clinton Waterworks Co. are confident that on the com- 
pletion of their new well the head of artesian water was fifted about 

3 feet over an area extending 2,000 to 3,000 feet from their well.. 
This implies an enormous leakage from the well and that the water 
from the second sandstone beneath the Dresbach, with its higher head, 
finds lateral escape through the higher water beds which feed the 
other wells and thus increases their head. The volume of water from 
the sandstones underl3dng the Dresbach must be immense to supply 
not only the flow of the well but also the enormous supposed leakage 
into the surrounding strata. It is the intention of the water company 
to test the well thoroughly mth a current meter, ascertaining the 
places and amounts of leakage and then to case off the outlet strata 
above the Dresbach sandstone. 



CLINTOlSr COUNTY. 
Record of strata in waterworks well No. 6 at Clinton. 



385 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Alluvium 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (115 feet thick; top, 578 feet above sea level) — 

Dolomite, bufi; 4 samples 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (225 feet thick; top, 463 feet above sea level)— 

Shale, blue, plastic ; 7 samples 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone (350 feet thick; top, 238 feet above sea 
level) — 

Dolomite, gray and brown, crystalline; 8 samples 

Limestone, brown, hard; rapid eflervescence; 6 samples 

Shale, dark green, fissile 

St. Peter sandstone (50 feet thick; top, 112 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, white; rounded grains, fine 

Sandstone and dolomite; sandstone, white, coarser than above; dolomite, gray 

(Shakopee?) 

Prairie du Chien group — 

Shakopee dolomite (150 feet thick; top, 162 feet below sea level)— 

Dolomite, brown and gray; 5 samples 

New Richmond sandstone (35 feet thick; top, 312 feet below sea levels- 
Dolomite and sandstone; color in mass, buff; all in fine sand; oolitic , 

Dolomite, arenaceous, cream colored and pink, cherty , 

Oneota dolomite (230 feet thick; top, 347 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, whitish; in fine sand; 2 samples 

Marl; in finest argillo-silico-calcareous powder 

Dolomite, whitish, cherty; some oolitic chert; 8 samples , 

Dolomite, light gray; 7 samples 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (155 feet thick; top, 577 feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone, calciferous; or dolomite highly arenaceous; fine grains, moderately 
well rounded; some chips of dolomite; some fragments show quartz grains 

in dolomitic matrix 

St. Lawrence formation (120 feet thick; top, 732 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, gray; in small chips 

Marl, white; residue after solution, microscopic silica and clay 

Dolomite, light gray; in sand and powder - 

Marl , pink, glauconiferous; microscopic quartzose and argillaceous residue after 

solution 

Sandstone and dolomite; sandstone, dark red, argillaceous; of finest grain; 

dolomite, gray, glauconiferous 

Sandstone , fine-grained ; grains imperfectly rounded ; glauconiferous with some 

hard fissile green shale 

Shale, high arenaceous, glauconiferous, fine grained; in light-green flour 

Sandstone, fine grained; grains imperfectly rounded, highly glauconiferous; 

in chips; and arenaceous red shale 

Dresbach sandstone and underljing strata (656 feet penetrated; top, 852 feet below 
sea level) — 

Sandstone, white; larger grains reaching diameter of 1 millimeter 

Sandstone, clean, white, fine grained quartz sand 

Sandstone, pinkish; larger grains 1 millimeter, some reaching 1.5 millimeters. . 

Sandstone, white, fine grained; 3 samples 

Shale, drab, plastic 

Shale, bright green, highly glauconiferous, arenaceous; driller's log gives shale 

from 1,510 to 1,550 

Sandstone, light pink; larger grains 0.8 miUimeter in diameter, weU rounded . . 

Sandstone, moderately fine, white 

Sandstone, pinkish, glauconiferous 

Shale, light green, fissile, glauconiferous; 2 samples 

Sandstone, light buff; fine grained, hard 

Sandstone, white; grains mostly below 0.5 millimeter in diameter 

Sandstone; as above, but coarser; chips of arenaceous dolomite; 2 samples 

Sandstone, white, moderately fine, at 

Sandstone, white; larger grains, about 7 millimeters in diameter, moderately 

well rounded, fairly uniform; a few show secondary enlargements, at 

Sandstone; grains less uniform; light pink at 1,910, buff at 1,925, at 

Sandstone, white; grains moderately well rounded; larger 0.8 and 1 millimeter 

in diameter; well overflows from this water bed, at 

Sandstone; as above; white and some buff or red from rusting of drillings; 

7 samples, at 

Sandstone, light buff; larger grains 1 millimeter in diameter, secondary enlarge- 
ments; some hard green fissile shale, at 

Sandstone, pink, moderately fine, at 

Sandstone, darker buff; larger grains 1 millimeter in diameter, imperfectly 
rounded, at 



Feet. 
10 



200 
143 

7 

25 
25 



Feet. 



10 



350 

550 
693 
700 

725 

750 

900 



25 


925 


10 


935 


10 


945 


5 


950 


50 


1,000 


165 


1,165 



1,320 

1,335 
1,.345 
1,355 

1,356 

1,370 

1.400 
1,440 



1,450 
1,455 
1.475 
1,510 
1,520 

1,.5S0 
1,570 
1,600 
1,6.30 
1,685 
1,720 
1,750 
1,800 
1,840 

1,880 
1,925 

1,940 

1,998 

2,060 
2,065 

2,101 



36581°— wsp 293—12- 



-25 



386 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The Chicago & North Western Railway well No. 1, located at the 
shops, has a depth of 1,159 feet and a diameter of 10 to 4 inches. 
The curb is 588 feet above sea level and the original and present head 
12 feet above the curb. The tested pumping capacity is 500 gallons 
a minute. Temperature, 56.5° F. The well was completed in 1896 
by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. Owing to decrease in pressure and 
contamination of the water, it was recased in 1905 by insertiag 30 feet 
of S-inch, 72 feet of 5-inch, 315 feet of 4-inch, and 27 feet of 3-inch 
casing, and its flow was thereby increased. 

The Chicago & North Western Railway well No. 2 at the South 
Clinton roundhouse has a present head of about 20 feet below the 
curb. The temperature of the water is 57° F. The well was drilled 
about 1900. It ceased to flow in July, 1908, on the completion of the 
new Clinton Sugar Refining Co.'s well; it regained its flow when the 
latter was closed. In the summer of 1910 an au' lift was used on 
these two weUs from a depth of 300 feet. The discharge from the two 
wells combined was 1,500,000 gallons a day. 

The Clmton Gas, Light & Coke Co. well No. 2 has a depth of 1,605 
feet and a diameter of 12 inches to 8 feet, 10^ inches to 35 feet, 8 inches 
to 853 feet, and 6^ inches to bottom. Its curb is 579 feet above sea 
level and its head is 2 feet above the curb. The pumping capacity 
is 500 gallons a minute ; temperature, 72° F. The well was completed 
in 1911 by H. W. Hambrecht, of Sterlmg, 111. 

Record of strata in Clinton Gas, Light <fe Coke Co.^s well No. 2. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



River deposits: 

Cinder filling 

Loam, black 

Sand 

Clay, red 

Sand 

Gravel 

Sand 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite — 

Loose rock 

Limerock 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale — 

Flint, j'ellow v/hite, and blue and brown shale 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone — 

Limerock 

Shale 

St. Peter sandstone- 
Sandstone 

Prairie du Chien group- 
Shale 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone— 

Limerock 

St. Lawrence formation — 

Shale 

Dresbach sandstone — 

Sandstone 



Feet. 
5 
4 
3 

17 

24 

12 

4 



326- 
14 

61 

2 

560 
105 
192 



Feet. 



70 
114 



671 
685 

746 

748 

1,308 
1,413 
1,605 



CLINTON COUNTY. 



387 



The chief water beds were at 550 feet (Galena dolomite, which 
furnishes the prmcipal supply), at 800 feet (Shakopee dolomite), at 
1,200 feet (Jordan sandstone), and at 1,500 feet (Dresbach sandstone). 

The Treitschler & Tiesse Malting Co.'s well has a depth of 1,132 feet 
and a diameter of 8 to 5 inches; 8-inch casing to 150 feet; casing also 
between 700 and 800 feet. The original head was 3 feet above the 
curb, and the original flow 300 gallons a minute. Most of the water 
comes from 1,050 to 1,130 feet. Temperature, 60° F. The well was 
completed in 1897 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

Driller's log of Treitschler <fe Tiesse Malting Co.'s well. 





Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Surface. . 


Feet. 

40 

80 

200 

352 

8 

65 

387 


Feet. 
40 


Limestone 


120 


Shale 


320 




672 


Shale '. 


680 




745 




1,132 







Five 3^ears after the completion of the well an air lift was installed 
but shortly afterwards the brewery was closed and the well is not now 
in use. 

The two wells of the Clinton Sugar Refining Co. have a depth of 
1,226 feet and a diameter of 12 inches to 422 feet, 10 inches to 727 
feet, 8 inches to the bottom; 10-inch casing to 422 feet; 8-inch casing 
from 666 feet to 747 feet. The curb is about 586 feet above sea level. 
The original flow was 191 gallons a minute and the tested pumping 
capacity 400 gallons a minute. The first flow was very shght, at 760 
feet but markedly increased at 935 feet, gradually from 935 to 1,100 
feet, and largely at 1,190 feet; no further increase was noted. Tem- 
perature, 62° F. The well was completed in 1908 by J. D. Shaw, of 
Sioux City, Iowa. The sinking of the wells seriously affected the 
supply of the well of the Chicago & North Western Railway Co. at the 
roundhouse at South Clinton. 

Record of strata in well of Clinton Sugar Refining Co. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (177 feet thick; top, 586 feet above sea level)— 

Dolomite, buff and light cream color; in powder and fine sand; 6 samples 

Dolomite, bull, subcrystalline; in small chips and coarse sand; 5 samples 

Dolomite, very light gray, cherty ; 7 samples 

Dolomite, Ught blue gi'ay, cherty; in fine chippings * 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (213 feet thick; top, 409 feet above sea level)— 

Shale; greenish gray to 340 feet; below, olive green gray and drab; 20 samples. 



Feet. 
60 
40 
67 
10 



213 



60 
100 
167 
177 



388 UNDEKGKOUND WATEE EESOTJECES OP IOWA. 

Record of strata in well of Clinton Sugar Refining Co. — Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. I 



Depth. 



Ordovician — Continued. 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone (335 feet thick; top, 196 feet above sea 
level — 

Dolomite, yellow gray, crystalline; 9 samples 

Dolomite, brown and gray, cherty; 6 samples 

Dolomite, yellow gray and brown gray; two samples 

Dolomite, light yellow, highly argillaceous, cherty 

Dolomite, browTi, blue gray and buff; three samples, from 625 feet some non- 

magneslan, limestone chips; in drillings 

Limestone, yellow, gray and blue gray, earthy, nonmagnesian; in flaky chips; 

seven samples 

Shale, greenish drab; in molded masses 

St. Peter sandstone (30 feet thick; top, 139 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, white, clean; rounded grains, attaining a diameter of 1 millimeter; 

2 samples 

Sandstone, white, fine; considerable diversity in size of grains 

Prairie du Chien group— 

Shakopee dolomite (180 feet thick; top, 169 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, gray; some sand (first water) 

Dolomite, gray; much quartz sand; 2 samples 

Dolomite, gray, cherty; considerable sand 

Dolomite, light gray; considerable sand and some bright green shale; 3 

samples *. 

Doloniite, light gray; clean of sand; in chips and sand; 6 samples 

Dolomite, light gray; cherty, little quartz sand 

Dolomite, brown gray; with oolitic white chert, 3 samples 

New Richmond sandstone (20 feet thick; top, 349 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous, cherty, whitish; 2 samples 

Oneota dolomite (160 feet thick; top, 369 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, whitish, clean of sand; 3 samples 

Dolomite, whitish, highly cherty 

Dolomite, yellow gray, brown and buff, and blue gray; cherty at 995, 1,025, 

and 1,105 feet; 11 samples 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (100 feet penetrated; top, 629 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, white, fine grained; grains show secondary enlargements, many 

grains fractured; some chips of light-buff dolomite 

Dolomite, light buff; some rounded grains of quartz sand 

Sandstone, white fine; secondary enlargements; a little dolomite 

Dolomite, Ught buff, some sand;' 2 samples 

Sandstone, white, fine grained; secondary enlargements, some chips, show 

sand grains and calcareous and cherty matrix 

Dolomite, light gray; some sand 

Dolomite, blue gray and buff, cherty; oolitic chert at 1,185 feet: 2 samples 

Dolomite, light gray, fine grained, and sandstone, some whitish marl 



Feet. 
105 
75 
25 
20 

30 

70 
10 



120 



Feet. 



495 
570 
595 
615 

645 

715 
725 



745 

755 



765 
800 
810 

835 
895 
905 
935 

995 

985 
955 

1,115 



10 


1,125 


10 


1,135 


10 


1,145 


20 


1,165 


10 


1,175 


10 


1,185 


15 


1,200 


15 


1,215 



The well of the Excelsior Laundry Co. has a depth of 737 feet and 
a diameter of 10 to 8 inches. The head is 11 feet below the surface. 
Date of completion October 31, 1910; driller, M. P. Petersen, Mad- 
ison, Wis. On the average there are pumped 20,000 gallons a day. 
Continuous pumping lowers the well 3 or 4 feet. No account of the 
water beds was kept, but as the well extends to or below the base of 
the St. Peter, it may be taken for granted that the supply is from that 
formation and from the Galena and Platteville limestones. 

The well of Curtis Bros, has a depth of 1,150 feet and a diam- 
eter of 12 inches to 27 feet, 8 inches to 745 feet, and 6i inches to 
bottom; casing, 24 feet of 12 inch at top, 311 feet of 8 inch imme- 
diately below; 92 feet of 6| inch from 653 to 745 feet. The head is 
3 feet below the surface. Driller, H. W. Hambrecht, Sterling, 111. 
Date of completion, February 10, 1911. Temperature 60° F. 



CLINTON COUNTY. 

Record of strata in Curtis Bros, well at Clinton. 



389 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Surface deposit: 

Filling of sawdust 

Clay 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite — 

Lime, yellow, loose 

Lime, yellow 

Lime, wliite 

Lime, blue 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale — 

Shale, blue and brown 

Galena dolomite and Platteville hmestone — 

Lime rock 

Sliale, green 

St. Peter sandstone — 

Sandstone 

Prairie du Chien group — 

Lime rock 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone — 

Sandy hme 



Feet. 
12 



335 
14 



58 
410 



Feet. 



338 

673 

687 

745 
1,155 

1,163 



The well of the Clinton Ice Co. has a depth of 1,561 feet and a diam- 
eter of 10 inches to 62 feet, 8J inches to 745 feet, and 5| inches to bot- 
tom. The head is 9 feet below the cm-b and the pumping capacity 
75 gallons a minute. Temperature about 68° F. Date of completion, 
1910; driller, H. W. Hambrecht, of Sterling, 111. 

Record of strata in Clinton Ice Co. well at Clinton. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Surface deposit: 

Filluig 

Clay 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite — 

Lime, yellow 

Lime, blue 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale — 

Shale, blue 

Shale, brown 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone — 

Limerock 

Lime, brown 

Shale, blue 

St. Peter sandstone — 

Sandrock 

Prairie du Chien group — 

Limerock 

Sandrock 

Limerock 

Limerock, red 

Limerock, brown 

Cambrian: 

St. Lawrence formation — 

Shale 

Dresbach sandstone — 

Sandrock 



Feet. 
8 
12 



150 

58 



143 
123 



367 
42 
33 



102 
159 



Feet. 



112 
122 



272 
330 



420 
563 



738 

1,105 
1,147 
1,280 
1,288 
1,300 



1,402 
1,561 



The paper company's well has a depth of 1,076 feet and a diameter 
of 8 to 6 inches; 6-inch casing to 84 feet. The curb is approximately 
588 feet above sea level. The original head was 42 feet above the 



390 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



curb; head in 1896, 8 feet above curb; present head (1909), 2 feet 
above the curb. The original flow was about 200 gallons a minute. 
Temperature, 59° F. The well was completed in 1883 by J. P. Miller 
& Co., of Chicago. The well showed considerable loss of pressure 
within four years after its completion. As it had been closed nights 
and Sundays, it was thought that much of the water was forced by 
the pressure on the sides of the bore hole into crevices of the rock. 
In 1893 the well was reamed and another casing inserted. At the bot- 
tom of the first casing the rock was found so eroded by the water that 
the reamer dropped 7 feet. A casing was then put in to the depth of 
160 feet, and packed with rubber, but without increasing the flow. 

The well of C. Lamb & Son has a depth of 1,230 feet and a diameter 
of 5 inches; casing to 125 feet. The curb is 588 feet above sea level. 
The original head was 60 feet above curb; the present head is much 
lower, and the well ceases to flow when pumps are working on Sugar 
Refining Co. well, about 500 feet distant. Temperature, 59^° F. 
The well was completed in 1888 at a cost of $2,128 by J. P. ]\Iiller & 
Co., of Chicago. It has passed into the ownership of the National 
Papier Mache Co., and is not now in use except as a drinking fountain. 

L. Iten & Sons well has a depth of 1,180 feet and a diameter of 6| 
inches; casing, 200 feet. The curb is about 588 feet above sea level. 
The head is slight, flowuig 75 to 100 gallons a minute. The first good 
flow was from 1,025 feet, and the next noticed was from 1,180 feet. 
Temperature, 62° F. The well was completed in 1907, at a cost of 
$3,000, by J. D. Shaw, of Sioux City, Iowa. This well flows from 9 
p. m. to 10 a. m., and then the water sinks to about 1 foot below the 
curb. 

The Clinton Brewing Co. well has a depth of 1,620 feet and a diame- 
ter 10 to 6 mches; 10-inch casing to 99 feet, 8-inch to 212 feet, 6-inch, 
to 300 feet. The head is 2 feet below the curb. Temperature, 62° F. 
The well was completed in 1907 by L. Wilson & Co., of Chicago. 
Although many deep wells have been drilled at Clinton, no adequate 
record of the strata penetrated was available until 1907, when this well 
was put down. Samples of the drfllings were taken every 5 or 10 
feet. 

Record of strata in well of the Clinton Brewing Co. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Quaternary (205 feet thick; top, 588 feet above sea level): 

Soil, black, sandy , 

Sand, coarse, gray 

Sand, light gray, fine 

Gravel 

Gravel and sand , 

Sand, gray, fine 

Gravel and sand , 

Gravel, coarse, well rounded, 2 samples 

Sand and gravel, yellow gray 

Gravel, coarse; pebbles up to 2 inclies in diameter 



Feet. 

^ 
4 
12 
2} 
13 
4 

I2I 
14' 
1 



Feet. 



3i 
7J 

19J 

22 

35 

39 

394 

52' 

66 

67 



CLINTOX COUNTY. 
Record of strata in well of the Clinton Brewieg Co. — Continued. 



391 




Quaternary (205 feet thick; top, 588 feet above sea level)— Continued. 

Sand, yellow gray, coarse 

Clay, pink, friable, noncalcareous 

Gravel; pebbles reaching li inches in diameter 

Clay, dark-colored slate, sandy 

Clay, sand and gravel, yellow 

Gravel, coarse 

Sand, orange, medium fine 

Gravel, coarse 

Sand, light yellow 

Gravel, coarse; with limestone pebbles 1^ inches in diameter 

Sand, yellow, fine ; 

Clay, light yellow, calcareous 

Sand, yellow, fine 

Clay, light yellow, calcareous 

Sand, fine, yellow 

Clay, yellow, hard, calcareous 

Gravel, coarse 

Sand and gravel 

Gravel, coarse, with glaciated pebble 

Sand and gravel, with fragments of granite bowlder 

Clay, hard, yellow, calcareous 

Sand, yellow, fine 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (125 feet thick; top, 383 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, blue green; 2 samples 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone (3-10 feet thick; top 258 feet above sea 
level: 

Dolomite, gray, crystalline; cherty from 435 to 450 and from 460 to 470 feet; 10 
samples 

Dolomite, gray, cherty 

Dolomite, gray or light bull, vesicular at 510 feet; crystalline; 7 samples 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, brown, crystalline; with brown fossHiferous 
and bituminous shale 

Shale, brown, highly bituminous and fossUiferous 

Limestone, magnesian, brown _ 

Limestone , magnesian , drab , subcrystalline ; cherty at 600 feet ; 4 samples 

Limestone, blue gray, nonmagnesian, compact, fossiliferous, thin, laminated, 
in flaky chips; 4 samples 

Limestone, light yellow gray , soft, earthy, fossiliferous, in thin flakes 

Limestone , light blue gray , fossiliferous ; rapid effervescence 

Shale, brown, bituminous, in thin flaky chips; and limestone, compact, earthy; 
rapid effervescence 

Shale, blue green, pyritiferous, flaky 

St. Peter sandstone (60 feet thick; top," 82 feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone, white; largest grains 1 millimeter in diameter; 5 samples 

Sandstone, light buff, fine grained, with angular sand of dolomite 

Prairie du Cliien group (345 fest thick; top, 142 feet below sea level)— 

Dolomite, gray; in chips; considerable sand 

Dolomite, gray, slightly arenaceous 

Dolomite, gray; with arenaceous laminae; in chips 

Dolomite, gray; with hard dark shale 

Dolomite, gray; pyritiferous and blue gray at 783 feet; 2 samples 

Sandstone; in detached rounded grains of moderate fineness, and dolomite in 
chips 

Dolomite, light gray, compact; large cherty and argillaceous residue 

Marl; in whitish powder, highly calcareous; large, argillaceous and arenaceous 
residue; grains diverse in size, but none coarse, imperfectly rounded 

Dolomite, light gray to dark drab, crystalline, vesicular; in places cherty; 3 
samples 

Dolomite , light gray ; in fine chips , vsrith grains of quartz sand 

Dolomite, light gray ; in fine chips; sandstone in detached grains 

Sandstone, light gray, calciferous, hard, fine grained; in chips 

Dolomite, light gray and pink; cherty at 920 feet; 4 samples 

Chert, white, and whitish dolomite; in chips 

Dolomite, light yellow, cherty ; in sand; 2 samples 

Marl; in light-yellow powder; large residue of minute and microscopic angular 
flakes of cryptocrystalline quartz with some of crystalline quartz 

Dolomite, light gray and blue gray; in places cherty and in places arenaceous; 

8 samples 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (65 feet thick; top, 487 feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone, light gray, calciferous, fine grained, glauconiferous; in chips; and 
dolomite, gray 

Dolomite, light gray , arenaceous, quartz grains, fine, rounded 

Sandstone, light gray, calciferous; in small chips and fine sand 

St. Lawrence formation (255 feet thick; top, 552 feet below sea level)— 

Dolomite, bufl, cherty; in sand; according to log cuttings flowed away between 
1,130 and 1,240 feet 

Dolomite, light brown, hard, crystalline; in chips 

Dolomite; in chips, slightly siliceous and glauconiferous 



Feet. 
10 

i 
19J 
3 

10 
3 

9 
3 

8 
7 

20 
2 

12 
3 
4 
2 
3 



170 
10 
55 

5 

5 

12 

33 



392 UNDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in ivell of the Clinton Brewing Co. — Continued. 



Cambrian — Contin,ued . 

St. Lawrence formation — Continued. 

Dolomite, pLnls:, higlily siliceous; with minute quartzose particles; glauconifer- 

ous; in chips 

Dolomite, gray, siliceous; in chips, 3 samples 

Dolomite, Ught pink, highly siliceous, with minute quartzose particles; glau- 

coniferous 

Marl, puik, calcareous; in powder and easily friable compacted masses; residue 

argillaceous and microscopically quartzos(3; glauconiterous 

Shale, light blue, calcareous, plastic 

Dresbach sandstone and underlying strata (225 feet penetrated; top, 807 feet below 

sea level) — 
Sandstone, light buff, friable; grains rounded; considerable diversity in size; 

largest 1 millimeter in diameter 

Sandstone, white; grains, 0.25 millimeter in diameter 

Sandstone, light yellow; grains well rounded; largest grains, 0.75 mUluneter in 

in diameter 

Sandstone, hght yellow; fairly well rounded; larger grains 0.5 millimeter in 

diameter 

"Sand rock; " cuttings washed away 

Shale; cuttings washed away 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 
10 
30 



10 

162 
18 



Depth. 



Feet. 
1,240 
1,270 

1,280 

1,318 
1,395 



1,410 
1,420 

1,430 

1,440 
1,602 
1,620 



The geologic section is continued 140 feet deeper by the log of 
city well No. 5 (p. 383). 

The gas company well has a depth of 1,085 feet and a diameter of 
8 to 5f inches; casing, 6 feet to rock. The curb is 579 feet above sea 
level and the original and present head 35 feet above curb. It flows 
230 gallons a minute. Water was found at 1,000 feet. Temperature, 
59° F. The well was completed in 1901 at a cost of $1,800 by 
J. P. MiUer & Co., of Chicago. 

Delmar. — The water-supply system of Delmar (population, 548) 
includes wells of depths not reported, a standpipe, and 2,700 feet of 
mains with six fire hydrants. The pressure is 46 pounds. For the 
most part the town draws its domestic supply from drilled wells 30 
to 250 feet deep, 100 feet bemg the most common depth. Wells enter 
rock at 90 feet and the largest supply is found at 100 feet. 

DeWitt. — At De Witt (population, 1,634) the water supply is drawn 
from two wells, 274 feet and 524 feet deep. (See PL XL) The deeper 
well is 10 inches in diameter, enters rock at 40 feet, and finds water 
at 500 feet. Water stands 100 feet below the curb after long pump- 
ing and rises 10 feet when pumping ceases. The 274-foot well 
is 8 inches in diameter and finds its main supply at 270 feet. 
Water heads at 40 feet below the curb, but long pumping lowers it 
to 150 feet. The Maquoketa shale at De Witt is struck at about 260 
feet from the surface, and the city well evidently passed entirely 
through it and found water in the Galena dolomite. It is regretted 
that no record of the well was kept showing the thickness of the shale. 

If the city well or the well of either of the railway companies at 
De Witt should fail to yield enough water, recourse may be had to 
waters in the St. Peter sandstone, which Hes 800 to 850 feet below the 
surface ; its water will rise within easy pumping distance. Water will 



CLINTON COUNTY. 



393 



also probably be found in the limestones (Platteville and Galena) 
overlying the St. Peter but this can not be assured. 

Grand Mound. — At Grand Mound (population, 428) the gravity 
system is employed, a pressure of 32 pounds being afforded by a 
standpipe. There are 13 fire hydrants, 55 taps, and 1 mile of mains. 
The supply comes from a well 6 inches in diameter and 87 feet deep. 
Rock is entered at 70 feet and water was found in the Niagara at 80 
feet. Water heads 30 feet from the surface. The maximum yield 
by pumpmg is 1| barrels a minute. 

Wheatland. — The supply of Wheatland (population, 539) is drawn 
from a well and distributed from a tank by the gravity system 
through 1^ miles of mains. There are 10 fire hydrants and 24 taps. 
A large part of the population is supplied by house wells wliich range 
in depth from 11 to 178 feet. The city well is 6 mches in diameter 
and 189 feet deep and enters rock at 14 feet. It is cased to 185 feet. 

Minor supplies. — Information concerning supplies in the smaller 
communities is presented in the following table : 

Village supplies in Clinton County. 



Town. 


Nature of supply. 


Depth. 


Depth to 
water 
bed. 


Depth to 
rock. 


Head below curb. 


Shallow. 


Deep. 


Brown 


Wells... 


Feet. 
Below 200 


Feet. 


Feet. 
10-50 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Bryant 


Drilled wells 










AVells 


90-190 

32-120 

30-38 

50-100 

30-60 

60-90 

45-140 

18-120 

30-120 

16-100 

40-125 

13-25 


35-50 
100 


40-100 
24-160 


5 

20 
28 


50 




DrOled wells . . 


30 


Comanche 


Driven wells 




Elvira .. 


Drilled wells ... 




25 


40 


Folletts 


Driven and drilled wells 

Drilled wells 


36 


28 


45 


Goose Lake 








.do . 


100 


50-120 


40 
20 

25 
115 
35 
13 


80 


Low Moor 


Open, driven, and drilled 
wells. 


200 




100 


40-60 


50 




Wells 


15 




Drilled wells 


100 


60 


40 


Welton 


do 















WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Clinton County: 

Typical ivells in Clinton County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Diam- 
eter. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

to 
water- 
bed. 


Water- 
bearing 
formation. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 83 N., R. 1 E. 
(Shakon). 

Chicago, Milwaukee 
& St. Paul Ry. 

W. Jaronsen 


Lost Nation.. .. 
do 


Feet. 
95 

135 


Inches. 


Feet. 

47 

130 


Feet. 


Limestone 


Alluvium, 7; yel- 
low clay ,40; lime- 
stone, 48. 

Soil, 3; yellow clay, 
30; blue clay, 97; 
limestone, 5. 











394 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells in Clinton County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Diam- 
eter. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

to 
water- 
bed. 


Water- 
bearing 
formation. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 83 N., R. 1 E. 
















( Sharon)— Contd . 




















Feet. 


Inches. 


Feet. 


Feet. 






M. Ales 


2 miles north of 
Lost Nation. 


152 




80 






Dark blue till on 








rock. 


G. P. Teeple 

J. G. Garder 


See. 10 


126 




70 








NE.iNE.isec. 


137 










Creek bottom. Soil, 




34. 












4; yellow clay, 4; 
very fine sand, 
125; coarse grav- 
el, 3. 


J. Mulverhill 


SE. Jsec. 6 


140 




70 






Yellow clay, 35; 
















blue clay, 35; 
limestone, 70. 


Mrs. P. Pitch 


SW.ASW.isec. 


140 




80 






Upland. Fine red 




31. 












sand, 80; lime- 
stone, 60. 


T. 83 N., R. 2 E. 
















(Brookfield). 


















NW.iNE.Asec. 

5. 
Sec. 9 


206 

277 








Gravel 


Ridge. 

Upland. Soil 2; 


J. W. Whitsell 




257 


















vellow clay, 40; 
















blue clay, 215; 
















limestone, 20. 


J. Toskey 


N. \ NE. i sec. 
28. 


329 








Gravel. . .-. 


Base of bluff. Yel- 










low bowldery 
















clay, 37; blue 
















clav, 100; quick- 
















sand, 115; blue 
















clay, 75; coarse 
















gravel, 2. 




SW. iSE.isec. 


108 








Sand 


Mostly blue clay. 
Sand 45 feet thick. 




4. 

SE.i-NW.isec. 

9. 
NW.iSE.-isec. 

9. 


25G 
250 




201 
201 




...do 




Yellow clay, 20; 








blue clay, 80; 
















sand with some 
















water, 1; blue 
















clav, 80; sand 
















and water, 20; 
















rough hard blue 
















clav without grit 
















(Maquoketa 
















shale), 55; ends in 
















red gravel. 
















Heads 156 feet 
















below curb. 


Benton 


NW. J sec. 22.... 


2CS 










About same as 












above; ends also 
















in red grave'. 


Anderson 


SE.iSW.Jsec. 
15. 


300 










About same as 












above. 




i mile S. of El- 


200 








Gravel 


Flowing well. 




wood on creek. 














Hans Christianson. . 


SE. } SE.Jsec. 


501 


3 




480 




Slope. Heads 40 




30. 












feet below curb. 
Driller's log: 
Yellow till, 
40; blue till, 
310; sand, 50; 
greenish gray 
rock, hard, 101. 
Udden's record: 
Black soil, 4; yel- 
low clay, 35; blue 
clay, 136; river 
sand, 25; blue 
clay, 100; soap- 
stone, 100; blue 
shale, 100. 


JohnWirth 


See. 29 


306 
125 




300 
50 








J. Anderson 


NW.iSW. Jsec 










14. 















CLINTON COUNTY. 

Typical wells in Clinton County — Continued. 



395 



Owner. 



T. 83 N., R. 2 E. 
(Brookfield)— 
Continued. 

J. A. Anderson 

E.'s!Hiner!!!!]!!!^ 

Do 

J. A. Hiner 

H. Schmidt , 

H. G. Scott 



T. 83 N., R. 3 E. 
(Bloomfield). 

Chicago, Milwaukee 
& St. Paul Ry. 



J. Dennis. 



E. A. Fitch. 



D.Eckard 

R. F. Rossiter. 
W. McCloy.... 



T. 83 N., R. 4 E. 
(Wateeford). 



Charles Frank. 
Niehaus 

J. Powers 

M. Omara 

W.Ward 



Location. 



SW.}sec.l4. 



SW.-JSW.isec. 
1. 



NW.JSE.isec. 

34. 
NE.iNWisec. 

9. 
See. 4 

Sec. 12 

Sec. 22 

Sec. 23 

Sec. 26 

Sec. 36 

SE. i SE. i sec, 
25. 



Delmar. 
do.. 



SE. iSE.Jsec. 

21. 
SW.iSW.Jsec. 

23. 



S. J NW. J sec. 
31. 



NW. i sec. 32. 



Sec. 10. 
Sec. 11. 
Sec. 12. 



Brown Station.. 



Sec. 11 
Sec.l. 

Sec. 3. 

Sec. 18 
Sec. 7. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
315 



166 

82 
85 

90 

188 
63 
156 

100 
110 



130 
107 



170 



175 



200 
200 
184 



130 
100 



166 



140 
120 



Diam- 
eter. 



Inches. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

to 
water- 
bed. 



Feet. 
295 



163 
35 
70 
20 

"45 



126 
95 



+ 20 



60 



Feet. 



Water- 

bearmg 

formation. 



Gravel . . 



Gravel . . 



Limestone 



.do. 



Sand 

Limestone 



.do. 



Quicksand 



Sand 

Gravel 

Limestone 



Sand and 
gravel. 



Limestone 



.do. 
.do. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet) 



Yellow clay, 30; 

blue clay, 190; 

quicksand, 75; 

limestone, 20. 
Hill. Drift, 13; 

limestone, 107; 

soapstone 

(shale), 290. 



Considerable blue 
till. 



Heads 73 feet be- 
low curb. 

Yellow clay, 20; 
blue clay, 30; 
limestone, 00. 



Ridge. Yellow 
clay, 15; blue 
clay, 41; lime- 
stone, 46. 

Yellow clay, 25; 
blue clay, 97; 
sand with water, 
4; limestone, 4; 
wood, between 50 
and 60. 

Black son,2 ; yellow 
c 1 a y, 40; blue 
clay, 30; lime- 
stone, 98. 

Yellow clay, 27; 
quicksand, 144; 
limestone, 4. 

Mainly blue till. 



Surface deposits 
and soft blue 
clay, 30; blue 
till, 52; sand and 
gravel, 28; blue 
till, 22; pebbles, 
drab silt, 30; blue 
clay with pebbly 
streaks, 31; choc- 
olate -colored 
clay, 6; Maquo- 
keta shaie. 

Near - by wells, 
higher ground, 
reach rock at 50 
feet. 

Drift, 60; Niagara 
dolomite, 96; Ma- 
quoketa shale, 10. 



396 UKDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells in Clinton County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Diam- 
eter. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

to 
water- 
bed. 



Water- 
bearing 
formation. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 83 N., R. 4 E. 
(Watekfoed)- 
Continued. 

J. Reife 



Sec. 8. 



Anton Tur. 



Sec. 8. 



T. 83 N., R. 5 E. 
(Deep Creek). 

Otto Kreuse 



Thomas Farrell 
Church 

Hicks. . . 



T. 83 N., R. 6 E. 
(PART OF Elk 
River). 



NE.JSE.isec. 

30. 
SE.JNE.Jsec. 

29. 



NE.iSE.isec. 
14. 



NW. iNE. Jsec. 

34. 
Bryant 

SW. JSW. isec. 
1. 



George Egger. 
J. Sullivan 



F. Naeve 

J. F. Diercks 

C. Schroeder 

T. 83 N., R. 7 E. 
(PART OF Elk 
River). 

Shattock.. . . 



Frank Naeve. 



NE.JSE.isec. 
23. 

SE.iNE.isec. 

24. 
SW. iSE.Jsec. 

26. 

SW. i SW. i sec. 

26. 
Sec. 7 



SE.JSW. ise- 

35. 
NW.isec. 31. 



NW.iNE.isec. 
27. 

Teeds Grove, 
sec. 10. 

Sec. 33. 

Sec. 33 



Feet. 
190 



160 
140 
111 

175 



108 



128 
200 



180 
160 

225 
108 



212 
399 



W. I see. 31. 



100 
220 



100 



Andover, S. 
sec. 22. 



Inches. 



Feet. 
30 



Feet. 



50 



125 



212 
142 



60 



Limestone 



.do. 
.do. 
.do. 



Limestone 
..do 



Gravel 

Limestone 
Gravel 

Limestone 



Sand. 
Shale. 



Sand. 



Shale. 



Drift, 30; limestone, 
40; blue mucky 
shale, 40; lime- 
stone, 80. 

Yellow Clay, 6; 
limestone, 154. 



Plenty of water, 
though a well 50 
feet distant and 
300 feet deep was 
not a success, 
both striking 
rock at the same 
depth. 



Yellow clay, 30; 

blue clay, 38; 

limestone, 135. 
Yellow clay, 30; 

blue till, 116; 

gravel, 10. 
High ridge. 

Ridge. Yellow 
clay, 20; blue 
till, 135; gravel, 5. 

Drift, 125; lime- 
stone, 100. 

Goose Lake chan- 
nel. Alluvial clay 
and sand. 



Drift, 142; lime- 
stone, 100; shale, 
157. 80 rods 
north on same 
place a well 
found limestone 
180 feet thick 75 
feet from surface. 

Soapstone (Maquo- 
keta shale) at 97 
feet. 

AUuvium and blue 
till to rock. 



Terrace 60 feet 
above water level 
in Mississippi 
River. Stops in 
sand under blue 
mucky clay. 

Surface deposits, 
60; limestone, 30; 
shale, 110; water 
heads near sur- 
face. 



CLIKTON COUNTY. 

Typical wells in Clinton County — Continued. 



397 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Diam- 
eter. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 
to 

water- 
bed. 



Water- 
bearing 
formation. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 82 N., R. 6 E. 
(Hampshire; 
PART OF Spring 
Valley). 

J. Lindmeyer 

H. B. Paulson 

Peter Ehlers 

Peter Swartz 

A. Clausmann 

W. Wenzel 

Claus KJnutsen 

School district 

G. Lueders 

James Hand 

George Lange 

N. Everhard 

B. Manning 

G.F.Cook 

T. 82 N., R. 7 E. 
(part of Spring 
Valley). 

Eagle Point Park.. 



George An. 

Marion Gates 

Oakland Cemetery 

George An 

T. 82 N., R. 5 E. 
(Center). 

James McDevitt. . . 
William Wiese 

Hans Wiese 

A. Steudemann 

Do 

William Buech 

Robert Swartz 

Center Grove 
Creamery. 



SE.i sec. 14.... 
NE. 1 SE. \ sec. 

18. 
NW. J NW. i 

sec. 28. 
NE.JNW.isec. 

3. 
NW.iSE.-isec. 

10. 
NE.Jsec. 14... 
SE.iNE. Jsec. 

18. 

SE.iNW.isec. 

21. 
Sec. 16 or 17. . . . 

N.^ sec. 30 

SW. i SE. i sec. 

5. 
Sec. 2 

Sec. 8 

Sec. 9 

Sec. 12 

Lyons 

W. 4 sec. 7 

Lyons 

do 



NW. J NW. 
sec. 7. 



Sec. 3. 



NE.JNE.Jsec. 



NW. \ NW. J 
sec. 14. 



SW.JSW. isec. 

9. 
SW. 1 SE. 1 sec. 

15. 
SW. J sec. 14. . . . 

SE. 1 NE. J sec. 
14. 

SE. i SE. J sec. 

23 
SW.'jSW.Jsec. 

2. 



Feet. 
118 
162 



150 



175 
170 



180 
150 
192 



240 
110 

157 



200 

276 

(?) 



425 

250 
132 
175 
230 

148 



Inches. 



Feet. 
45 



63 



Feet. 



20 



Limestone 



100 
55 
140 



140 
50 
90 



Limestone 



Sand veins 
in shale. 



Sand. 



Gravel . 



30 



106 



Limestone 

Sand 

..do 



130 

60 
130 



High ground. 
High ground; all 

yellow clay to 

rock. 



Heads 72 feet be- 
low curb. 



Loess, 20; Niagara 
dolomite, 140; 
Maquoketa shale, 
200; Galena dolo- 
mite, 104; a weak 
well. 

Weak well. Head, 
70 feet below 
curb. 

Blufl. Ends on 
shale. 

Loess and drift, 60; 
limestone, 116; 
shale, 100. 

Yellow clay, 76. 



Goose Lake chan- 
nel. All sand. 
Head, 1 foot be- 
low curb. 

Hillside, about 25 
■feet above creek; 
flowed for sev- 
eral years from 
gravel under blue 
clay. 

Valley. Drift, 30; 
limestone, 120; 
shale, 180; Ga- 
lena dolomite 95. 

Ends in Niagara 
dolomite. 

Goose Lake chan- 
nel. All sand. 

Goose Lake chan- 
nel. 

Upland overlook- 
ing Goose Lake 
channel. 



398 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells in Clinton County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Diam- 
eter. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

to 
water- 
bed. 



Water- 
bearing 
formation. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 82 N., R. 6 E. 
(Center)— Contd. 

Town 



EU-ira. 



Feet. 
118 



Inches. 



Feet. 



Feet. 



Sand. 



John Tiemey 

T. 82 N., R. 4 E. 

(Washington; 

PART OF DE 

Witt). 



M. Duffy. 



E. Parker... 



E.§NW.isec.4 



NE. isec. 6. 



M. Shannon. .. 

Peter Hanson. , 

WUliam Burka 

E. Kelly 

J. McDermott. . 
T. Naughton. . 



T. 82 N., R. 3 E. 
(Welton; part 
OF De Witt). 



SW.iNE.jsec. 

17. 

E. 1 sec. 23 

(SE. 1 sec. 12 or 
\NW. isec. 13... 

See. 9 

See. 10 

Sec. 10 

SW.JNE. isec. 

15. 
NW. 1 NW. \ 

sec. 15. 



158 



87 

118 

70 

66 
175 
187 
194 

225 



64 
125 
180 



Gravel. 



Sec. 1. 



Sec. 4. 



William Betts.. 
P. H. Ryan 

W. Rilly 

L. A. Loofboro. . 

Reedinger 



T. 82 N., R. 2 E. 
(Berlin). 



Mary Hassett. 
A. Galloway.. 



Sec. 6 

NE.JNE. Jsec. 
11. 

NW. }sec. 16... 



SE. \ SE. 1 sec. 
17. 



Old Welton. 



SW. \ sec. 2. 
Sec. 3 



160 



140 
106 



130 
180 
227 

132 
326 



100 
66 



100 

80 

227 



Limestone 
...do 



...do 

..do 

Gravel . . . 

..do 



Alluvium, 5; j[el- 
low clay with 
sandy streaks, 50; 
sandy blue clay, 
60; sand 3. 



Yellow clay, 40; 
blue clay nearly 
to rock; a little 
sand on rock; 
blue quicksand 
50 feet on rock. 

Lowland. 

High ground. 



Hard blue tUl, 105. 

Hard blue till, 120. 

Clay; no rock. 
High land. 

Yellow clay, 40; 
hard blue till, 
80; quicksand, 70; 
coarse sand and 
gravel, 35. Sur- 
rounding wells 
struck rock at 
about 125. 



Curb 770 feet above 
sea level; hence 
rock less than 610 
feet above sea 
level. 

Loess and yellow 
till, 25; rather 
soft blue till with 
sand streaks 75; 
blue till compact, 
58. 

Yellow clay, 36; 
blue clay, 30; 
limestone, 40. 

Yellow clay, 20; 
sand, 80; lime- 
stone, 30. 

Yellow clay, 30; 
b I u e c 1 a y, 50; 
limestone, 100. 

Yellow clay, 35; 
blue clay to grav- 
el on rock. 



High upland. Yel- 
low clay, 30; blue 
clay, 98 gravel, 4. 

High upland; curb 
840 feet above sea 
level. Black soil, 
3; yellow clay,30; 
blue clay, 288; 
red clay, 3; lime- 
stone, 2. 



CLINTON" COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Clinton County — Continued. 



399 



Owner. 



I>ocation. 



Depth. 



Diam- 
eter. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

to 
water- 
bed. 



Water- 
bearing 
formation. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 82N., R. 2E. 
(Berlin)— Contd. 

Dougherty Estate. . 



Patrick Conners . . 



H. Schocker 
M. J. Pinter 

P. Peterson. 



William Rock 

P. Twogood 

WiUiamBetts 

Kohler Bros 

J.M.Wolfe 

T. 82 N.. R. 1 E 
(Liberty). 

J. Figly 

J.E.Wolfe 

T. Horstman 



T. 81 N., R. 1 E. 
(Spring Rock). 

M. Pingel 



City of Wheatland. 



K. Jergenson. 



L. Homrighausen... 

T. 81 N., R. 2 E. 
(Olive). 

C. Reming 

A. Tumpani 

O. F. Ludwigson... 

Bruce Walker 



T. 81 N., R. 3 E. 
(Orange and 
PART or Dewitt), 

Town of Grand 
.' Mound. 
C.Munts ,, 



Sec. 4 

S. J sec. 7 

SE.Jsec. 8 

SE. JSE.Jsec 
12. 

SE. isec. 13... 



NE.i^sec. 23. 
NE. J sec. 26. 
SE.isec.28.. 



Center of S. 
sec. 36. 



SE.isec.36... 

See. 5 

Sec.14 

Sec. 27 



SW. i sec. 4. 
Wheatland.. 



NE,iNE.isec. 
25. 



SE.JNE.isec. 
28. 



Sec. 5 

S.iSE.isec.ll 
Sec. 20 

Calamus 



Grand Mound. 
See. 19 



Feet. 
175 



117 
242 



210 



130 
100 
70 

180 



100 
140 

175 



130 
171 



Inches. 



287 

117 

55 

230 

137 



Feet. 



170 



102 
222 



Feet. 



Limestone 



Sand. 



70 
110 

155 



87 



180 



102 

48 
228 

120 



Limestone 
.-do 



.do. 



.do. 



..do 

Gravel . . 



Limestone 



Sand 

Limestone 



.do. 



.do. 



Sand. 



Limestone 
Sand 



High upland. Yel- 
low clay, 30; blue 
clay, 50; lime- 
stone, 95; 

Sandy soil, 20; blue 
clay, 20; sand, 
120; limestone, 2. 

Yellow clay, 32; 
blue clay, 190; 
limestone, 20. 

Yellow clay with 
sand, 50; blue 
clay, 30; quick- 
sand, 15; blue 
clay, 110; lime- 
stone, 5. 



Sandy soil, 30; 

limestone, 40. 
Sandy yellow clay, 

32; blue clay, 40; 

sand, 10; blue 

clay, 96; gravel, 2. 



Sand, 70; lime- 
stone, 30. 

Wapsipinic on 
bottoms. Sand, 
110;Umestone,30. 

Wapsipinicon 
bottoms. Yellow 
clay, 35; blue 
clay, 120; lime- 
stone, 20. 



Soil, 1; sand, 120; 
hardpan, 9. 

lowan plain. Allu- 
vium, 5; yellow 
clay,43; blue clay, 
39; limestone, 84. 

Wapsipinicon 
bottoms. River 
sand, 60; blue 
clay, 80; black 
hard clay, 40; 
blue shale, 40; 
limestone, 9. 

Bluffs. 



Soil, 2; sand, 100; 

Umestone, 15. 
Yellow clay, 48; 

limestone, 7. 
Sand, 100; blue 

clay, 20; sand, 

108; limestone. 2. 
Yellow clay, 20; 

blue clay, 100; 

limestone 17. 



Soil and gravel, 41; 
limestone, 47, 



400 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

-A ■ Typical wells in Clinton County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Diam- 
eter. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 
to 

water- 
bed. 


Water- 
bearing 
formation. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 81 N., R. 3 E. 
(Orange and 
PART OF De- 
Witt)— Cont'd. 

George Jordan 

Chauncey Herring- 
ton. 

T. 80 N., R. 6 E. 
(PARTS OF Eden 
AND Comanche). 

E.B.Wilkes 


Grand Mound... 

1 mile northwest 
of De Witt. 

Folletts 


Feet. 
144 

130 

51 

97 

172 

524 

267 

47 
26 


Inches. 
4 


Feet. 
15 

130 
37 


Feet. 
125 


Limestone 


Heads, 80 feet be- 
low curb. 
High ridge. 




...do 


Maple Grove School 
C. Van Epps 


2 miles west of 
Folletts. 

NW. isec. 3 

De Witt 

do 




Limestone 
at bot- 
tom. 

Gravel 

Limestone 
..do 


stone, 14. 








Sand, 40; blue clay 
130; gravel, 2. 

Yields 50 gallons a 

minute. 
Soil and sand, 40; 


T. 81 N., R. 4 E. 
(part of De 
Witt). 

Town of De Witt 

No. 1. 
Chicago & North 

Western Ry. 

H. E. Vickery 


10 


40 




SW.iNE.isec. 

36. 
NE.JSW.isec. 

19. 




7 




.. do 


limestone, 220; 
shale, 7. 




Gravel 















IOWA COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The surface of Iowa Comity is well dissected and contains only 
isolated tracts of relatively level upland. The largest stream is 
Iowa River, which meanders through a broad flood plain. 

The bedrock consists of indurated limestones, sandstones, and 
shales which belong to the Devonian and Carboniferous systems 
and dip gently southwest. (See PL XV, p. 670.) Though the 
main body of the Pennsylvanian series (upper Carboniferous) is 
found farther south and west, there is reason to beheve that thin 
outliers of this series occur in this county, lying on an erosion surface 
of the older formations. The unconsolidated deposits, which rest on 
the bedrock, range in thickness from a mere veneer to more than 300 
feet, this difference being due not only to the relief of the present 
surface but also to notable irregularities in the surface of the bedrock. 
There is evidence of the existence of two distinct drift sheets, the 
Kansan and the Nebraskan, separated by the Aftonian gravel.* 
Throughout most of the county the drift is concealed beneath loess, 
but in the principal valleys alluvial deposits are at the surface. 

1 Aim. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 9, 1899, pp. 523 et seq.; vol. 20, 1910, pp. 172 et seq, 



IOWA COUNTY. 401 

UNDERaFvOUND WATER. 
SOUHCE. 

Alluvial sand or gravel furnishes generous and permanent supplies 
of water wherever it occurs, but elsewhere most of the water comes 
from the drift or associated porous materials. Many of the older 
wells were dug or bored a short distance into the drift and these 
furnish only a scanty and precarious supply, but at present many 
drilled wells range in depth from 50 to more than 300 feet, ending 
in layers of sand and gravel interbedded with bowlder clay or lying 
immediately below the drift. Most of these latter wells are 2 inches 
in diiameter and are finished with screens that become incrusted after 
a few years of service. 

On account of the irregularities of the rock surface great differences 
are found in the occurrence and water-bearing capacity of the drift 
aquifers and in some localities the drill enters rock before it encounters 
a satisfactory source of water. The sandstones and some of the 
limestone strata will yield water but the shales and argillaceous or 
massive limestones are of little value as aquifers. Many successful 
rock wells of only moderate depth have been drilled, but in some 
places the indurated formations have been penetrated for several 
hundred feet without finding water. Where the drift is underlain 
by shale it is advisable to finish wells in the drift whenever possible, 
but in localities in which a good water-bearing sandstone or limestone 
lies within a few hundred feet of the surface it may be more satis- 
factory to case out the fine sand deposits that will give trouble by 
clogging the screens and to end the well in rock. 

The water from the alluvium and upper part of the drift is only 
moderately hard; that from the deeper beds of sand differs greatly 
in mineralization, some being harder than that of the shallow water 
and some too hard and corrosive for either domestic or boiler use. 
The water from the rock formations is generally rich in dissolved 
solids. 

At Marengo three or four flowing wells end at depths of several 
hundred feet in what is supposed to be Devonian limestone. Farther 
up the valley of Iowa River and also in the valleys of Honey Creek 
and Bear Creek many flowing wells obtain water in the Aftonian 
gravel and a few are supplied from rock strata. These flows belong 
to the famous BeUe Plaine artesian basin (pp. 356-358). 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Amaria. — ^At Amana (population, 621), which is located in the wide 
valley of Iowa River, there is a 1,640-foot artesian well and also a 

36581°— wsp 293—12 26 



402 



UNDEEGEOUlSrD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



well about 475 feet deep which passes through shale and ends in 
what is supposed to be Niagara dolomite. 

The deeper well is 6 inches in diameter. The curb is 730 feet above 
sea level. The original head was 30 feet above the curb and the 
head in 1908, 20 feet above the curb. The original flow was 200 
gallons a minute; in 1896 the flow was 100 gallons and in 1908 it was 
50 gallons. The temperature of the water is 68° F. This well is 
located in the SW.i NW.i sec. 36, T. 81 N., R. 9 W. From the start 
in 1881 to the finish in 1883, it was drilled wholly by the labor and 
skill of the Amana Society. Originally it was cased to a depth of 400 
feet with 6-inch pipe which withstood the corrosive action of the 
water about four years, when a 4-inch pipe of equal length was 
inserted and made tight at the bottom with secure packing. 

Water began to flow at a depth of about 400 feet, 330 feet above 
sea level, about the horizon of the Independence shale member of the 
Wapsipinicon limestone. Like the flow from this horizon at Daven- 
port, the yield was very small, not over 8 gallons a minute. A 
slight increase, raising the discharge to 16 gallons a minute, said to 
be from the Maquoketa shale, was the only addition met with until 
the St. Peter, 80 feet thick, was reached at a depth of 1,020 feet, 
when the discharge rose to 30 gallons. At about 1,200 feet (440 feet 
below sea level), in the Jordan sandstone, a rapid increase began and 
the full flow was reached at 1,640 feet. The water is used only for 
scouring in the woolen mill of the society. 



Record of strata in Amana well. 




Depth. 



Pleistocene deposits 

Shale (Carboniferous and Devonian) 

Limestone (Niagara) 

Shale (Maquoketa) 

Limestone (Galena and Platteville) . 

Sandstone (St. Peter) 

Limestone (Prairie du Chien) 



Feet. 

50 

350 

550 

770 

1,020 

1,100 

1,640 



In the shallower well at Amana the water at first rose 7 feet above 
the valley surface but now stands 6 or 8 feet below the surface. It 
has been pumped at the rate of 29 gallons a minute. 

Water diverted from the river and led through a canal to this set- 
tlement for use in power plants is used in the factory boilers and also 
supplies the small gravity system of waterworks. As it is softer 
than the underground water, it is generally employed for washing, 
but water from shallow weUs is used for drinking and for culinary 
purposes. 



IOWA COUNTY. 



403 



East Amana. — At East Amana a 475-foot well is supposed to end 
in Niagara dolomite. It is located on somewhat higher ground than 
the wells at Amana and hence does not overflow. A similar well 
was drilled at West Amana. At South Amana the waterworks are 
supphed from a drilled well 600 feet deep, and at Middle Amana from 
a shallow dug well; at High Amana a spring is largely relied upon. 

Homestead. — At Homestead the society has a well 2,224 feet deep 
which is located on higher ground and hence does not overflow, 
although it yields well when pumped. (See PL XV, p. 670.) It sup- 
plies a small gravity system of waterworks similar to the one at 
Amana. 

This well, which was drilled by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago, is 10 
inches in diameter to 340 feet, 7f inches to 750 feet, 6 inches to 
1,560 feet, 5 inches to 2,023 feet, 4 inches to 2,224 feet. The curb is 
868 feet above sea level. The water originally stood 117 feet below 
curb, and the present head is 87 feet below curb. Water was found at 
600 feet in the Niagara, rising to 150 feet below the curb, and at 1,700 
feet in the Jordan, rising to 1 17 feet below curb. Date of completion, 
1895. Casing was carried from the top to 340 feet, from 335 to 525 
feet, and from 750 to 1,000 feet. No packing was used. The pres- 
ent yield of this well is 80 gallons a minute. 

The strata penetrated are indicated by the following log and record: 

Driller's log (geologic correlation added) of Amana Society well at Homestead (PI. XV, 

p. 670). 



Depth. 



Pleistocene, Carboniferous, and Devonian (505 feet thick; top, 868 feet above sea 
level): 

aay 

Shale 

Silurian (Niagara dolomite, 245 feet thick; top, 363 feet above sea level): 

Limestone 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (250 feet thick; 118 feet above sea level) — 

Shale 

Galena and Platteville limestone (300 feet thick; top, 132 feet below sea level) — 

Limestone 

St. Peter sandstone (100 feet thick; top, 432 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone 

Prairie du Chien group (370 feet thick; top, 532 feet below sea level) — 

Sandy limestone ; 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (100 feet thick; top, 902 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone 

St. Lawrence formation (230 feet thick; top, 1,002 feet below sea level)— 

Limestone 

Dresbach sandstone and earlier Cambrian strata (124 feet penetrated; top, 
1,232 feet below sea level) — 
Sandstone (penetrated) 



Feet. 



300 
505 

750 

1,000 
1,300 
1,400 
1,770 

1,870 
2,100 



404 UNDERGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in well at Homestead. 

Depth in feet. 

Shale, greenish yellow; many siliceous pebbles 275 

Shale, yellow; numerous small brick-red ocher nodules; ferrugi- 
nous, arenaceous; practically noncalcareous 285 

Shale, light greenish gray, fissile, slightly calcareous; some red 
ocherous nodules and a few fragments of limestone, chert, 

quartz, and dark shales 475 

Limestone and shale, light blue-gray; chips of light-gray compact 
limestone of earthy luster and highly argillaceous; in highly 

calcareous concreted powder 500 

Dolomite, blue-gray, vesicular; in small chips 600 

Dolomite; in white powder 750 

Shale, greenish 805 

Sand and gravel, superficial and recent 970 

Limestone, drab; in thin flakes; earthy, fossiliferous 1, 010 

Shale 1, 030 

Shale, calcareous 1, 250 

Sandstone, fine, white 1, 345 

Sandstone, calciferous; chiefly quartz sand with considerable 

dolomite and chert 1, 475 

Sandstone, cream-yellow; coarser than at 1,345 feet; grains mostly 

rounded 1, 800 

Sandstone; very fine, white angular quartz sand; considerable 

dolomite and chert 1, 825 

Sandstone; in white powder of microscopic quartz 1, 850 

Dolomite, gray 2,025 

Sandstone, red, highly calciferous; argillaceous and calcareous 

"from 2,100 to 2,200" 2, 200 

The wells at Homestead and Amana are less than 4 miles apart, but 
their records are greatly inconsistent. The summit of the Maquo- 
keta in one is at 180 feet above sea level and in the other at 118 feet 
above sea level; the summit of the first sandstone in one is 290 feet 
below sea level and in the other is 432 feet below sea level. The 
record of the Homestead weU, inexact as it may be, is used in the 
geologic section from Davenport to Des Moines. 

Marengo. — The public supply of Marengo (population, 1,786) is 
derived from a well located in the valley and sunk through sand and 
clay into a bed of gravel lying at a depth of 35 feet. The well is 18 
feet in diameter and is cased with brick. Water stands 2 to 12 feet 
below the surface, according to the season, and it is reported that 
when this level is lowered 6 feet by pumping water flows into the 
well at the rate of 350 gallons per minute. The analysis (p. 158) 
indicates that the water is only moderately hard and is relatively 
good for boiler use. Before the present well was dug, a system of 
driven sand points was used but was not satisfactory because of the 
clogging of the strainers. 

The water is lifted into a tank elevated upon a tower and is thence 
distributed by gravity through a system of mains. It is used by 



IOWA COUNTY. 405 

about half of tlae people and by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 
Railway, approximately 65,000 gallons being consumed in an average 
day. 

Forecasts for artesian water at Marengo have special interest 
because of the difficulty usually experienced in getting good water 
from the shale of the Eanderhook (Mississippian), which forms the 
country rock in the vicinity. 

After penetrating this shale the drill will enter the Devonian 
rocks, which also may be expected to contain considerable shale. 
Below these lie the Silurian dolomite (Niagara), which probably con- 
tains some water under a high head but not sufficient to reach the 
curb. The Silurian here may include the Salina ( ?) formation, which 
contains some gypsum or anhydrite, either disseminated or in layers 
or lenses, and the water from this formation may be rather highly 
sulphated. The dry Maquoketa shale should be next reached at a 
depth of about 638 feet (about 100 feet above sea level) and may be 
250 feet tliick. The next formations in descending order, the Galena 
limestone, Decorah shale, and Platteville limestone, will yield some 
water, which may contain sulphureted hydrogen. The St. Peter 
sandstone lies about 450 feet below sea level (about 1,200 feet from 
the surface). Drilling should not be stopped at the St. Peter, how- 
ever, but should be carried a few hundred feet deeper, through the 
Prairie du Chien group — creviced dolomites with sandy layers — and 
through the water-bearing Jordan sandstone. 

The water from the Jordan may be expected to flow with a pressure 
of about 10 pounds. The well should not be sunk deeper than 1,800 
feet except under the advice of a competent geologist who has exam- 
ined a full set of drillings from the well and to whom all the facts as 
to the water found have been submitted. 

The quality of the water will depend in part on how effectively the 
upper waters — those of the Klnderhook and possibly the Silurian — 
have been cased out. Analyses should be made of all flows so that 
deleterious waters may be shut off and good waters with high heads 
admitted. With due precautions a fair drinking water should be 
obtained. 

Victor. — ^Victor (population, 640), situated on the banks of Big 
Creek, has a system of waterworks that is supplied from an open 
shallow well. 

Williamshurg. — ^The waterworks at Williamsburg (population, 
1,060) are suppHed from two wells at separate pumping stations — 
one in the valley of Old Man Creek and the other recently drilled on 
somewhat higher ground. The old well is 8 inches in diameter and 
110 feet deep, and ends with a 20-foot screen in a bed of sand below 
blue clay, the water rising to about 45 feet from the surface. 
The new well is also 8 inches in diameter and ends with a long screen 



406 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

in what is apparently the same bed of sand. Starting from higher 
ground, it goes to a total depth of 145 feet with the water remaining 
at about 85 feet below the surface. With the cylinder at a depth of 
128 feet, the well is reported to have been tested at 200 gallons a 
minute and is usually pumped at about 100 gallons. The water, as 
shown by analysis (p. 158), is only moderately minerahzed. The 
water is stored in two compression chambers on relatively high 
ground and the pressure is supplied in part by gravity and in part 
by compressed air. The mains have a total length of about 2 miles 
and there are 24 fire hydrants and approximately 175 points at which 
the water is used. A large portion of the inhabitants are supphed 
and an average of 20,000 gallons are consumed daily. 

The railway supply is obtained from a well which is similar to the 
two village wells and which has been tested at 250 gallons a minute. 

JACKSON COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The larger part of the upland of Jackson County has been carved 
by running water to high complex ridges whose rounded crests and 
gently sloping flanks descend to deep and in many places rock-walled 
valleys. The topography is that of the driftless area. The earhei" 
invasions of the glacial ice probably covered nearly the entire county, 
the northeast corner alone being excepted; but the thinner deposit 
of the earlier ice sheets only shghtly modified the preexisting rehef, 
and the thicker ones were afterwards sculptured to much the same 
form. The thorough dissection of the area is due not only to the 
length of time in which it has been exposed to weather and running 
water, but also to its differences in elevation. In the northeastern 
part of the county the surface stands nearly 1,200 feet above sea 
level, and at Sabula, in the southeast corner, is only 603 feet above 
the sea. 

The lower and more level lands include a small area in Butler 
Township referred to the lowan drift, one of the same general char- 
acter extending from Monmouth to Maquoketa and thence into 
CHnton County, together with the forested or grassy flood plains of the 
Mississippi and the wide valley floors developed in the weak Maquoketa 
shale by the broad ancient temporary channel of the Mississippi from 
Green Island to Spragueville and thence south to the county Hne. 

GEOLOGY. 

The drift commonly exposed to view is the Kansan, a stony clay, 
reddish where weathered but blue-gray originally and where unaf- 
fected by weathering. Over all the uplands of the area, except in a 



JACKSON COUNTY. 407 

small tract in Butler Township allotted to the lowan drift, is spread 
the loess, a yellow dust or silt reaching a maximum thickness of 25 
or 30 feet. 

The formations immediately underlying the drift in Jackson County 
comprise the Niagara dolomite, the Maquoketa shale, and the Galena 
dolomite. (See PL IX, p. 354; PL X, p. 374.) 

The Niagara is a hard dolomite, which, except on some small areas 
underlain by the Maquoketa, forms the bedrock on which the surface 
materials are spread over all the uplands of the county. 

The ]\Iaquoketa comprises a blue plastic shale, 150 feet thick, 
reached by the drill in different portions of the county and at once 
recognized by its clayey nature and by the fact that it immediately 
underhes the limestone which forms the country rock of the uplands 
and is the first shale to be reached by the drill. The Maquoketa 
forms the bedrock of the valleys of the creeks tributary to the 
]\iississippi and of an area of several square miles about Preston. 

The Galena, a hard dolomitic limestone, cut by the drill into sharp 
glistening yellow sand, is exposed at Bellevue near water level in the 
Mississippi (its southernmost outcrop) and forms conspicuous bluffs 
in the northeast townships of the county. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOUECE. 

The available water beds of Jackson County are chiefly in the 
indurated rocks. Drift deposits, such as those at the base of the loess, 
and the gravels interbedded with stony clay or overlying rock, have 
generally been left dry, or at least inadequate for stock wells, by the 
gradual lowering of the ground water. In locaUties where 30 3^ears 
ago water for domestic purposes could be obtained by wells 100 feet 
deep it is now necessary to drill to 150 and 175 feet. . 

The sands of the wide flood plain of the Mississippi between Belle- 
vue and Sabula, the smaller flood- plain areas along the Maquoketa, 
and an area a mile wide which extends from Green Island to Sprague- 
ville, are saturated nearly to the surface and yield water to driven 
wells. The ancient terraces of alluvium along Mississippi River also 
afford water at moderate depths. 

Over the larger part of the county wells are compelled to enter 
rock to fmd permanent ground water adequate for farm or village 
supply. The chief water horizon is the Niagara. This dolomite, in 
changing from its original form of a nonmagnesian limestone, became 
vesicular and porous, so that water seeps slowly through it, especially 
in certaui layers. Moreover, percolating water has dissolved out 
passageways in the s'oluble rock, thus securing an active circu- 
lation. Furthermore, the Niagara is underlain by an impervious 
shale bed, the Maquoketa, which by arresting the descent of ground 



408 



UNDEEGEOUN'D WATEK EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



water tends to keep the lower portions of the limestone saturated. 
For this reason water is often found some distance above the summit 
of the shale. It occurs in porous granular beds cut by the drill to 
sharp shining fragments the size of sand, thus giving the false impres- 
sion that the drill is working in sandstone. The layers of limestone 
interbedded with thin layers of chert or flint which occur near the 
base of the Niagara are generally water bearing. Abundant supplies 
may be obtained when the drill happens to strike a crevice or other 
opened passageway of ground water. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

Two areas in which water occurs in the drift are of special interest 
inasmuch as they mark river channels long since abandoned by the 
streams which formed them. 

Goose Lake channel, carved and in part filled by the diverted Mis- 
sissippi, crosses the southwestern part of Van Buren Township, pass- 
ing thence into Clinton County. A well in the SW. J sec. 32 of Van 
Buren Township, probably representative of much of the area, has 
the folloAving log: 

Log of well in Van Buren Township. 



Depth. 



Soil, black 

Clay, blue, hard and gritty; old forest bed at 30 feet 

Quicksand 

Gravel 




Feet. 



A well in Preston, on the same lowland, shows the following 
sequence: 

Log of well at Preston. 



Depth. 



Soil, dark 

Soft yellow "stuff" 

Clay, blue, gritty; 5-foot streak of yellow "stuff" 
Gravel 




10 
25 
115 
125 



On the other hand, a well sunk by the town of Preston to a depth 
of 140 feet on the same ancient channel is reported to have been 
entirely in sand and gravel. A well at the stockyards at Preston 
ends in sand and gravel at 128 feet. 

A second ancient channel forms a plam 1 to 2 miles wide, utilized 
by the tracks of the Chicago & North Western Kailway from Mon- 
mouth to Maquoketa, and extending southward from the latter city. 
To the west it ends abruptly a short distance from Monmouth, 
where Bear Creek descends to it through a rock- walled gorge. An 



JACKSON" COUNTY. 409 

investigation of the wells of the vicinity has not disclosed any west- 
ward extension of the buried channel into Jones County. At Mon- 
mouth, on the south side of the town, wells reach rock within about 
70 feet of the surface (670 feet above sea level) and find their supply 
in the upper 8 or 10 feet- of porous and water-logged limestone, the 
head being sufficient to bring the water within 10 feet of the surface. 
But on the north side of town few weUs exceed 50 feet in depth and 
they reach rock from 2 to 25 feet from the surface. 

On the plain between Monmouth and Baldwin some wells about 
60 feet deep end in gravel, anc" the rock floor is found at 40 feet from 
the surface. At Baldwin the rock floor is about 650 feet above sea 
level, wells near the Chicago & North Western Railway station entering 
it at 90 feet. In the NW. { sec. 25, Monmouth Township, a well is 
reported as 225 feet deep, reaching rock at 200 feet, but one-fourth 
mile farther west rock outcrops 75 feet higher than the well curb. 
In sec. 29, South Fork Township, a well 240 feet deep ends in gravel, 
the drfll having passed through blue clay and quicksand; the rock 
floor here lies below 520 feet above sea level. On the section south 
of that just mentioned the preglacial vaUey is partly covered with 
heavy drift cut into hills rising to more than 100 feet above the 
plain. Here wells go more than 200 feet — one goes to 240 feet — 
without entering rock, the rock floor of the ancient valley being here 
below 580 feet above sea. Water is obtained m gravels overlain by 
quicksand 40 feet thick, the whole being buried beneath 200 feet of 
till. In sees. 33 and 35 wells on this plain 90 and 120 feet in depth 
end in gravel, the rock floor here not rising above 610 feet above 
sea. In the southeastern part of the township the rock beneath the 
plain hes much nearer the surface; weUs are known to reach it at 20 
and 40 feet, finding water in the underlying limestone within 80 feet 
of the surface. 

At Maquoketa, on the eastern border of this plain, the depth to 
water and the elevation of the rock surface are both variable. Rock 
outcrops near the station of the Chicago & North Western Railway 
and conies within 6 feet of the surface at the station of the Chicago, 
Milwaukee & St. Paul Raflway. Six rods west of the last-named 
station, however, the drill finds rock more than 80 feet below the 
plain, and southwest of the station does not reach it for nearly 100 
feet. In the southwestern part of the town there are wells 140 feet 
deep which fail to reach rock, whose surface must here lie below 600 
feet above sea. The succession of deposits here is as follows: 

Section at Maquoketa. 

Feet. 

Clay, yellow, at surface 20 

Clay, soft, blue, gritless 25 

Quicksand, blue 100 



410 ' UlSTDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The quicksand, which is found iii many wells in town, is water 
bearing, but as it is too fine to afford footing for the casing the wells 
are continued to gravel or to rock and the sand cased out. How 
sharp are the descents to this narrow buried valle}^ may be seen 
from the fact that rock is found at 40 feet on the next street west 
from the one on which wells go 140 feet without finding rock. On 
the hill east of the high school a well 84 feet deep penetrated blue 
clay nearly to the bottom of the well without entering rock, but 
withm one block rock was found 50 feet below the surface and water 
in the Niagara dolomite 120 feet below. 

The depth of wells in the Niagara varies greatly. Wells located 
in ancient rock-cut valleys obviously need to go a shorter distance to 
reach the base of the Niagara than wells on the summits or sides of 
hills. The height of the hills is in many places accentuated by 
deposits of drift and loess, and the depth of wells therefore depends 
in part on the thickness of these surface clays. With the dip of the 
strata to the southwest the Niagara thickens and may reach 250 feet 
or more in Monmouth Township. It thins to the north and east, and 
in Tete de Mort Township overlooks the valleys in steep cliffs 40 
to 60 feet in height. An upfold of the strata wliicli extends from 
Sabula northwest for 20 miles, together with subsequent denudation, 
has thinned the Niagara and brought the Maquoketa shale nearer to 
the surface over a considerable area in the southeastern part of the 
county, thus reducing the depth of ordinary wells. In southern Van 
Buren and Fairfield townships the Niagara has been widely removed 
by erosion and the Maquoketa forms the country rock. Fortunately 
the deep valleys excavated in the weak shales in preglacial time have 
been deeply filled with drift in wliich water is usually found so that 
it is not necessary for wells to enter the dry shales. In general, wells 
supplied from the Niagara horizons range in depth from less than 100 
feet to 230 or 260 feet. 

The Maquoketa almost everywhere consists of dry shales, and 
where water is not found above it the driller must choose between 
abandoning the drill hole for one in another location or continumg 
the drilling with the definite expectation of having to pass through 
the entire body of shale before finding water at a greater or less depth 
in the Galena dolomite. Inasmuch as the limestones of the middle 
Maquoketa found in counties lying farther north are absent in Jackson 
County, there need be no expectation of finding water before reaching 
the base of the Maquoketa. 

As examples of the depths needed to get water if it is not found 
above the Maquoketa shale three wells situated not far west of the 
Niagara escarpment near Sabula may be cited. One of these (sec. 24, 
Union Township) gives the following section: 



JACKSOlSr COUNTY. 411 

Section of wellin Union Township. 



Formation. 


Thickness. 


Depth. 


Drift 


Feet. 

40 
154 
120 

30 


Feet. 

40 


Niagara dolomite 


194 


Maquoketa sliale 


314 


Galena dolomite 


344 







Another well, on the farm of L. P. Hunderad, in sec, 35, Iowa 
Township, is reported as 450 feet in depth; and a third well, in sec. 
34, sanie township, is said to reach a depth of more than 500 feet, 
the Maquoketa shale being entered at 150 feet. 

In the valleys of Tete de Mort, Spruce, and Mill creeks, excavated 
in the Maquoketa shale, wells find water in the Galena dolomite 
within moderate distances from the surface. 

SPRINGS. 

Large springs are numerous along the bluffs bordering the Missis- 
sippi and the sides of the valleys of its tributaries at the sunimit of 
the Maquoketa shale. Transitional upper impure limestones of the 
Maquoketa, 20 to 30 feet thick, and the massive Niagara dolomite 
serve as a reservoir whose floor is the impervious shale beneath. As 
examples may be mentioned the springs of George Egan (SE. | SE. I 
sec. 15, T. 86 N., R. 4 E.), of Nicholas Leg (SW. i SW. i sec. 16), of 
Peter Schreiner and of John Wagner (NW. I NW. J sec. 29), all on 
Little Mill Creek west of Bellevue. Some of these springs flow a rip- 
pling stream 2 feet wide and 3 or 4 inches deep of crystalline clear 
water. They emerge from talus slopes at the base of the bluffs, about 
30 feet below the massive ledges of Niagara dolomite or from near the 
base of the yellowish, thin, layered beds which form the transition 
between the Niagara and the Maquoketa. The August temperature 
of these springs is 50° F. As the valley floor rises above the base of the 
Niagara up valley the series of springs comes to an end, the last one 
noted bemg that of Peter Wagner (NW. i NE. I sec. 29, T. 86 N., R. 
4 E.). The same description applies to the large springs on Mill 
Creek up Paradise Valley, the largest being on the farm of L. R. 
Potter (NW. i SW. i sec. 10) and that of Anton Earnst (SW. i SW. i 
sec. 6). 

The springs issuing along the upper reaches of Tete de Mort 
Creek in sees, 4, 9, and 16, T. 87 N., R. 3 E., have given name to the 
civil township of Prairie Spring, They emerge low down along the 
bluffs somewhat above the summit of the Maquoketa shale. 

In eastern Jackson Township in all the valleys which transect the 
summit of the Maquoketa shale, springs almost universally take the 
place of wells. Each farm has its spring house for dairy purposes, 
and the supply is usually ample for all uses of home and farm. 



412 



UlSrDERGEOUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 



CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Bellevue. — At Bellevue the base of the Maquoketa shale is 617 
feet above sea level, and a deep well will pass through about 350 
feet of Galena dolomite, Decorah shale, and Platteville limestone 
before reaching the St. Peter sandstone. Water from the dolomite 
and limestone will probably flow, but in insufficient quantity. The 
St. Peter should afford water m moderate quantity, but it is recom- 
mended that the drill should probe also the lower-lying creviced and 
sandy dolomites and sandstones, all water bearing, to a depth of 
850 to 950 feet from the surface. This will give a flow of the purest 
water beyond all present needs of the town under a pressure at 
first adequate for fire protection. The well should be situated some 
rods back from the river front so as to avoid the old channel 
of the river filled deeply v/ith alluvial sands and gravel and so as to 
encounter within a few feet the Galena dolomite. As the town is 
situated on a sand-covered rock bench, the well should be so located 
and so carefully cased as to reduce the danger of surface contamina- 
tion to a minimum. 

Green Island. — At Green Island (population, 128) water is obtained 
from drilled wells, 30 to 75 feet deep, entering rock at 30 feet, and 
from small springs. 

The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. has a well 823 feet 
deep, 8 to 4f inches in diameter, cased with 8-inch pipe to 140 feet, 
and with 6-inch pipe put down in 1906 (four years after the well was 
completed) to 180 feet from the curb and packed with rubber. The 
curb is 601 feet above sea level, and the head is 64.5 feet above the 
curb. Water was obtained from 60 feet and from 504 to 564 feet. 
The strata penetrated are indicated by the following table: 

Record of strata of railway tvell at Green Island (PI. X, p. S74). 
[Based on drillers' log.] 



Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (140 feet thick; top, 601 feet above sea level)— 

Clay, blue, and shale 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone (335 feet thick; top, 461 feet above 
sea level) — 

Limerock 

Rock, gray 

St. Peter sandstone (106 feet thick; top, 126 feet above sea level) — 

Sandi'ock 

Shale 

Sandrock 

Prairie du Chien group (242 feet penetrated; top, 20 feet above sea level)— 

Rock, gray 

Shale 

Sandrock 

Shale 

Rock, gritty, hard 

Shale, blue 

Rock, gray 

Shale 

Sandrock 

Rock, flinty 

Shale 

Sand and gi-avel 

Shale 

Limestone, shaly 



Feet. 



140 



310 


450 


25 


475 


25 


500 


4 


604 


77 


581 


25 


606 


2 


608 


28 


636 


5 


641 


20 


661 


5 


666 


45 


711 


5 


716 


25 


741 


20 


761 


4 


765 


11 


776 


5 


781 


42 


823 



JACKSON- COUNTY. 



413 



La Motte. — The waterworks at La Motte (population, 288), used 
chiefly for fire protection, comprise a well, a standpipe, mains extend- 
ing for five blocks, and five fu'e hydrants. Drilled wells, in depth 
from 75 to 100 feet, with some as deep as 190 feet, entering rock at 
about 40 feet, furnish the domestic supply. 

Maquoketa. — Maquoketa (population, 3,570) takes its water from 
a well and from Maquoketa River. The water is pumped to a stand- 
pipe and is distributed under a domestic pressure of 70 pounds and a 
fire pressure of 125 pounds. There are 13 miles of mains and 102 fire 
hydrants. Drilled wells 100 to 160 feet deep are largely used for 
domestic supply. 

The possibility of obtaining water from deep wells at Maquoketa 
is indicated by the record of a prospect hole for oil put down by the 
Texas Drillmg Co. in 1907 to a depth of 1,716 feet in the SW. I sec. 11, 
T. 82 N., R. 3 E. (See Pis. IX, X.) The mouth of the hole is about 
760 feet above sea level; 10-inch casing was carried to a depth of 277 
feet, and S^-inch casing to 1,103 feet. Water was struck in the 
Niagara dolomite at a depth of 155 to 215 feet, heading 85 feet below 
curb; at 215 feet, in the base of the Niagara; at 486 to 695 feet, in 
the Galena dolomite; at 1,110 to 1,190 feet, in the Jordan sandstone; 
at 1,338 to 1,596 feet and at 1,695 and 1,716, in the Dresbach and 
underlying sandstones. At 1,716 the water overflowed while the 
drill was in the well. 

Record of strata in prospect hole at Maquoketa (PL IX, p. 354; PI- X, p. 374). 



Residual and recent (6 feet thick): 

Soil 

Clay hard yellow 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (209 feet thick; top, 754 feet above sea level) — 

Dolomite 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (225 feet thick; top, 545 feet above sea level)— 

"Sand and shale in seam, second water" 

Shale light blue; and limestone blue-gray hard, close textured; slight 

effervescence 

Shale blue 

Shale chocolate brown, fissile; rather hard; petroliferous, burning with 

strong flame 

Galena dolomite (255 feet thick; top, 320 feet above sea level) — 

Dolomite, porous, subcrystalline, gray; in log called "hard white shale". 
Dolomite, light buff, crystalline; in log, "mixed hme and shale hard"... 

Dolomite, light buff, cherty; in angular sand 

Decorah shale (15 feet thick; top, 65 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, bright green, fissile, fossiliferous; with dark-gray, fossiliferous, non- 

magnesian pyritiferous limestone; log — "slate and shale" , 

Platteville limestone (46 feet tliick; top, 50 feet above sea level) — 

Limestone, gray, earthy, compact, nonmagnesian 

Limestone, brown, nonmagnesian, hard; in flaky chips 

Limestone, light gray, soft, earthy 

Shale, blue, plastic, with some chips of brown limestone; in log "slate 

soft, blue " ( Glen wood shale of Iowa State Survey) 

St. Peter sandstone (59 feet thick; top, 4 feet above sea level) — 

Sandstone, clean, white; grains well rounded, moderately coarse, many 

having diameter of 1 millimeter or more 

Beds between St. Peter sandstone and Oneota dolomite (241 feet thick; top, 
55 feet below sea level)^ 
Sandstone, fine, brick-red; considerable red argillaceous or ferric admix- 
ture; when washed in hot water, drillings remain pink owing to films of 
ferric oxide on grains of quartz sand; grains rounded, many broken; 
said by driller to contam seams of red shale; in log "red sandstone" . . . 



Thickness. 



Feet. 



209 



241 



Depth. 



Feet. 



215 



215i 



63| 
151 


279 
430 


10 


440 


46 
79 
130 


486 
565 
695 


15 


710 


5 

7 
28 


715 
722 
750 


6 


756 


59 


815 



1,056 



414 UNDEEGEOUlsrD WATEK EESOUKCES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in prospect hole at Maquoketa — Continued. 



Depth. 



Ordovician— Continued. 

Oneota dolomite (54 feet thick; top, 296 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, light yellow-gray: with much dark-red and dark-brown hard 
flne-graiaed shale, some light-green shale, a fine yellow quartz sand, a 
fragment of red fine-grained sandstone set with pieces of green shale; all 

except dolomite probably foreign, at 1,056 

"Shale, soft gray;" of log; sample supposed to represent this stratum 
consists of sand grains of St. Peter facies, but with an occasional grain 
showing secondary enlargement; rather fine, with considerable foreign 

red and light-green shale and some chert and chips of dolomite 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (80 feet thick)— 

"Sandstone, soft water;" of log; sample said to represent this stratum 
consists for the most part of angular sand of light-gray dolomite with 
some arenaceous admixture; a sample at 1,125 feet is of sandstone, some 
grains showing secondary enlargements, along with some chert and 

dolomite • 

St. Lawrence formation (198 feet thick; top, 430 feet below sea level) — - 

Dolomite, light yellow-gray 

Dolomite, purple-brown , 

Dolomite, light-gray 

Dresbach sandstone (208 feet thick; top, 628 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, soft, white; grains well rounded, fairly uniform in size, largest 

1 millimeter in diameter 

Undifferentiated Cambrian strata (120 feet penetrated; top, 836 feet below sea 
level)— 
Sandstone; in buff sand with the appearance of dolomite to unaided eye, 
but seen imder the microscope to consist of microscopic gi-ains of crys- 
talline quartz with dolomitic cement, along with some fine rounded 

grains of quartz sand and some glauconite at 

Sandstone as above, with some gray shale 

Sandstone of same composition as above; white 

Sandstone, fine grained, light buff; in minute detached grains and in 

angular chips as above 

Sandstone, white, clean, fine: grains imperfectly rounded, most grains 
from 0.0075 to 0.01 inch in diameter; "quicksand" of log 



Feet. 
1,110 



1,190 

1,300 
1,320 
1,388 



1,696 



1,596 
1,650 
1,695 

1,700 

1,716 



At Maquoketa the drill will probably pass through the country rock 
(Niagara dolomite) and discover the Maquoketa shale 184 feet below 
the surface (about 500 feet above sea level) . Some water will probably 
be found in the Niagara and also in the dolomite beds generally present 
in the Maquoketa in this part of Iowa. About 200 feet deeper the 
drill will enter the Galena dolomite, passing thence into the Decorah 
shale and the limestones and shales forming the Platteville limestone, 
and the yield should be augmented from these horizons. The St. 
Peter sandstone should be reached about 35 feet below sea level, or 
about 720 feet below the surface at the Chicago & North Western 
Railway station. 

For industrial enterprises, hotels, liveries, etc., the yield from these 
beds should be ample, but for a city supply the wells should be sunk 
about 1,200 feet, or to 500 feet below sea level, so as to secure the full 
yield of the Prairie du Chien group and the Jordan sandstone, and 
may indeed profitably go to 800 or 850 feet below sea level to tap the 
Dresbach sandstone. The limit of 1,500 or 1,600 feet from the surface 
need not be exceeded, as at about this depth the drill should pass into 
close-grained dry sandstones or marls underlying the Dresbach. 



JACKSON COUNTY. 415 

A flowing well with a head of about 20 feet is indicated, but is not 
assured, and to secure the best results the yield should be increased 
by the use, sooner or later, of deep cylinder pumps or air compressors. 

Miles. — At Miles (population, 334) water is obtained from drilled 
wells ranging in depth from 50 to 90 feet and entering rock at 12 feet. 

Monmouth. — At Monmouth (population, 221) wells, dug and drilled, 
range in depth from 16 to 100 feet. These wells reach rock 25 feet 
below the surface. Water stands 10 to 20 feet below the curb. 

Nashville. — At Nashville wells are 40 to 50 feet deep, and the 
water level is 20 to 30 feet below the curb. 

Preston. — At Preston (population, 642) the water-supply system 
is owned by a private corporation. Water is obtained from a well 
108 feet deep and 6 inches in diameter, entering rock at 100 feet, and 
yielding from a vein in rock 75 gallons a minute. The well is located 
on a hill 90 feet above the level of the business street, and the water 
heads 60 to 80 feet below the curb. 

Water is distributed from a tank with a capacity of 70,000 gallons 
under a domestic pressure of 50 pounds. The fire pressure is 75 
pounds. There are 1^ miles of mains, 10 fire hydrants, and 150 
taps. The consumption is 30,000 gallons daily. 

Sabula. — The water supply of Sabula (population, 918) is drawn 
from one of the finest artesian wells in the State. (See PI. IX.) The 
water is pumped directly through 3 miles of mains under a domestic 
pressure of 28 pounds, and 50 pounds for fires. There are 28 fire 
hydrants and about 400 taps. 

This well is 973 feet deep, 8 to 6 inches in diameter, and is cased 
to 173 feet (rubber packer). The curb is 582 feet above sea level. 
The original head was 74 feet above curb; in 1905 it was 41 feet above 
curb. The original flow was 720 gallons a minute. Water was 
obtained at 400 feet (St. Peter sandstone), at 525 feet, and at 700 
feet (Prairie du Chien group); total discharge at this depth, 350 
gallons a minute; the strongest vein was struck at 950 feet (Cam- 
brian). Temperature, 59° F. Drilling was completed in 1895 by 
J. P. Mller & Co., of Chicago. 

With the original pressure of 32 pounds, the well furnished fire 
protection, as well as a superabundant water supply. With the 
diminution of pressure to 18 pounds, about 1904, it was found neces- 
sary to install a 32-horsepower gasoline engine and triplex pump, 
which are used only in case of fire. In 1908 the pumping capacity 
was reported at 500 to 600 gallons a minute. 



416 UN"DEEGKOUND WATEK KESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in city well at Sabula {PI. IX, p. 354)- 



Quaternary (163 feet thick; top, 582 feet above sea level): 

Sand, alluvial; in ancient channel of Mississippi River 

Ordovician: 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone (262 feet thick; top, 419 feet above 
sea level) — 
Dolomite, hard, rough, crystalline, buff and gray; some vesicular; 10 

samples 

Sandstone, argillo-calcareous; drillings consist of light green-gray powder, 
with fragments of dark-gray sandstone; calciferous; grains not so well 

rounded and uniform in size as is common with the St. Peter 

Shale, green, fissile, arenaceous, slightly calcareous 

St. Peter sandstone (25 feet thick; top, 157 feet above sea level) — 

Sandstone, grains moderately fine, rounded, and ground; a large propor- 
tion of drillings consists of angular chips of gray dolomite; much green 

shale, probably from the superior shale , 

Prairie du Chien group (325 feet thick; top, 132 feet above sea level) — 
Shakopee dolomite: 

Dolomite, medium dark gray; in angular fragments, clean except for 

a few pieces of green shale , 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous; drillings consist of rounded grains of 
quartz and minute angular fragments of dolomite, in some of the 

larger of which quartz sand is embedded 

Dolomite, gray and light brown; drillings contain sand, probably 

from above; 2 samples 

Dolomite, light brown, arenaceous 

Dolomite, gray and bull; 3 samples , 

New Richmond sandstone: 

Sandstone, argillaceous and calciferous 

Oneota dolomite : 

Chert; in fine white powder, calciferous; 2 samples 

Dolomite, gray, cherty '. 

Dolomite, white, higlily arenaceous, and cherty 

Dolomite, white, cherty, slightly arenaceous 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone and imderlying Cambrian (198 feet penetrated; top, 193 
feet below sea level) — 
Sandstone; white, calciferous, cherty; grains of sand, mostly fragmental, 

but many rounded; 3 samples 

Unknown, cuttings washed away; reported by drillers to be no change. . 



Thickness. 



Feet. 



163 



212 



35 

163 



Depth. 



Feet. 



375 



400 
425 



450 



35 


510 


15 


525 


SO 


575 


25 


600 


50 


650 


90 


740 


10 


750 


25 


775 



810 
973 



WELL DATA. 



Information concerning typical wells in Jackson County is presented 
in the folio wins: table: 



Typical wells in Jackson County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 
to 

water- 
bed. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 84 N., R. 1 E. 
(Monmouth). 

T. Volker 


NW. 1 NE. I 

sec. 20. 
NW. i NW. i- 

sec. 21. 
NW. i NE. i 

sec. 21. 

NW. isec. 2 

Sec. 7 


Feet. 
68 

48 

120 

202 
173 

42 
151 


Feet. 

58 


Feet. 




Feet. 
10 


Red sand and grav- 


J. H. Sokol 






el on rock. 
Bear Creek; ends in 




40 

65 
65 


200 


Limestone 

...do 

. .do 


192 


gravel. 
Loess, 20; yellow 


Brown 


till, 20; Niagara 
dolomite, 80. 

Clay to rock. 

High ground. 




NW. J SE. 1 
sec. 19. 

NE. } NE. 1 
sec. 30. 




Sand. 




FUnt from 153 
feet to bottom. 
Low ground 


John Wood 


63 




Limestone 




Black soil, 8; 
blue clay, 31; 
sand, 3. 
High ground. 





JACKSON COUNTY. 

Typical wells in Jackson County — Continued. 



417 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 
to 

water- 
bed. 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 84 N., R. 1 E. 
(Monmouth)— Con. 



Teeple 

Amanda Littell. 
Charles Long 



Schoolhouse . 



"Wright. 



Will Campbell. 

W. T. Clapp..., 

Graywich. 

Walker. . . , 



T. 85 N., R. 1 E. 
(Brandon). 

William Miller 



T. 86 N., R. 1 E. 
(Butler). 



D. Duggan 

T. 84 N., R. 2 E. 
(South Fork). 

H. B. Griflen 



W. G. Marster. 

D. Stevens 

Heming . . 



Richard Elwood. 
W. P. Dunlap... 
Chapman... 



■ Wilson . 



SE. Jsec.2 

NW. i NW. i 
sec. 32. 

Sec. 34 

NW. Jsec. 25... 
Sec. 31 



Baldwin 

Near railway 
station, Bald- 
win. 

Nashville 



Milhock 

SW. J sec. 23.... 

SW. } NW. { 
sec. 12. 

NE. i NE. J 

sec. 28. 
NE. i SW. i 

sec. 28. 
SW. I SE. J 

sec. 29. 



SE. i SW. i 
sec. 31. 



NE. 1 NE. i 
sec. 32. 

Sec. 26 



SE. J SW. I 
sec. 30. 

S. J NW. i 
sec. 13. 

NE. } NE. i 

sec. 31. 
Maquoketa, 

west side. 

SW. i SE. i 
sec. 32. 



SW. i SW. 1 

sec. 32. 
SE. 1 NE. i 

sec. 33. 
SE. 1 SE. i 

sec. 35. 
SE. J SE. i 

sec. 35. 
NE. i SE. i 

sec. 36. 
NW. i NW. i 

sec. 36. 
Sec. 11 



Feet. 
194 



128 
228 
270 

126 



53 
102 
73 
71 

96 

60 

240 



244 
217 

124 

135 

76 
135 



206 
120 
90 
85 
82 
36 
138 



Feet. 
32 



Slight. 
60 



Feet. 



200 



Gravel 

Niagara 

dolomite. 

..do 



Gravel. 



Gravel. 



Porous 
1 i m e - 
stone. 



120 



Nia g a r £ 
d o 1 ■ 
mite. 



Gravel. 



-do. 



.do. 
.do. 



Feet. 
162 



Bluff; water in 

porous rock. 
Upland. 



Valley. 

Maquoketa shale 
at 240 feet. 

Hill. 

Bear Creek bot- 
toms. 

Ail sand and grav- 
el. 

Rise above creek 
bottoms. 

Creek bottoms, 60 
rods from creek. 

Hollow; mostly 
yellow clay to 
rock. 

Soil 10; black 
quicksand, 80. 

Creek. 

Bottom. Blue 
clay and quick- 
sand; ends in 
gravel. 



Valley. Black 
soil, 10; fine 
white sand, 51. 



Bluff. Gravelly 
red clay (till), 63; 
hmestone, 191. 

Loess, 2; till, 10; 
gravel 10 to rock. 



High hill. 



East side of deep 
ravine; rock at 
surface. 

Ridge. 

Sand and sandy 
clay, 50 feet; 
hmestone, 85 feet. 

Drift, mostly blue 
till, 200; quick- 
sand, 40; ends in 
gravel. 

Ends in gravel. 

Ends in gravel. 

Blue till, 82; grav- 
el, 7; blue till, 1. 
Level land. 



36581°— wsp 293—12- 



-27 



418 UNDEKGKOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells in Jackson County — Continued. 



Ovmer. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

to 
water- 
bed. 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 84 N., R. 6 E. 
(Van Buken). 

Knack 



Peter Kuhl. 



Van Buren 

Prussia 

H. Gosh 

Klemm 

Roe 

E. A. Clausen 

T. 85 N., R. 5 E. 
(part of Wash- 
ington). 

Henry Schultz 



T. 84 N., R. 6 E. 
(Iowa). 



Crawford . 



T. 84 N., R. 4 E. 
(Fairfield). 



SW. 1 NW. 

sec. 25. 
NE. 1 NE. 

sec. 12. 



Center of sec. 15. 
S. 4 NW. i 
sec. 14. 

SW. i SW. i 

sec. 4. 
NE. \ SW. i 

sec. 35. 
NE. \ SE. I 

sec. 16. 
SW. \ SE. 1 

sec. 15. 

NW. i SW. J 
sec. 16. 



Sec. 2. 



Fea. 
100 



190 



75 
225 



175 
175 
170 
125 

202 

230 



Feet. 
10 



(o) 
30 

20 
40 
40 
40 

40 

36 



Feet. 



On shale. 



Feet. 



125 



Limestone 



On shale. 



(f') 



Limestone 



NE. \ SW. 
sec. 25. 

SE. i SW. 
sec. 32. 



Green Island 



NE. 1 NE. \ 
sec. 34. 

NE. J SW. i 

sec. 32. 
SW. i SW. J 

sec. 19. 
NE. i SW. i 

sec. 24. 



SE. i SE. \ 
sec. 23. 



NE. J NE. i 
sec. 26. 



90 



200 



Gravel . 
...do... 



60 



.do. 



125 
190 
344 



Galena 
d o 1 - 
mite. 

Limestone 

..do 



320 



Galena 
1 i m e - 
stone. 



Gravel . 



Drift, 40; Niagara 
dolomite 85; Ni- 
agara dolomite, 
gray cherty, 60; 
Maquoketa 
shale, 5. 



Drift, 30 feet; Ni- 
agara dolomite, 
195 feet. 

Maquoketa shale 
not struck. 

Maquoketa shale 
at 170 feet. 

Maquoketa shale 
at 170 feet. 

Stony blue clay, 
40; Niagara dolo- 
mite, 85. 

Yellow clay, 20; 
blue clay, 20; 
limestone, 162. 

Drift, 36; Niagara 
dolomite to shale 
at bottom, 194. 



Mostly gritty blue 
clay; ends in 
gravel. 

Goose Lake chan- 
nel. Black soU, 
10; hard, gritty 
blue clay, 30; 
quicksand, 40; 
gravel, 10. Old 
forest bed at 30. 

Bottoms. Soft 
blue clay, 50; 
dirty yellow 
clay, 20; gritty 
blue clay, pass- 
ing into gravel, 
130. 



High ridge; 150 feet 
to Maquoketa 
shale. 



About 820 feet 
above sea level. 
Drift, 40; Ni- 
agara dolomite, 
154; Maquoketa 
shale, 120; Ga^ 
lena dolomite, 30. 

Yellow clay, 20; 
blue clay, 20; 
limestone, 110; 
shale, 222; Ga- 
lena dolomite, 
301. 



On rise from creek. 
Yellow clay, 25; 
hardpan, 50; 
gravel, 5. 



a Near ground. 



6 On rise from bottoms. 



JOHNSON COUNTY. 

Typical wells in Jackson County — Continued. 



419 



Owner. 


Location. 


Bepth. 


Bepth 

to 
rock. 


Bepth 

to 
water- 
bed. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
cui'Jd. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 85 N., R. 2 E. 
(Farmers Creek). 

J. W. Sagers 

Mrs. Rose Stoddard. 


SW. Jsec. 20.... 
Sec. 21 


Feet. 

236 

90 

136 
240 

180 
190 
186 
217 
223 
200 

106 
100 

54 


Feet. 
00 

12 

90 
26 
36 
28 
40 
100 
75 

96 
50 


Feet. 

200 

40 

114 
150 
150 
168 
150 




Feet. 
146 
30 

14 

150 
150 
68 
150 
102 






High ground. All 
light blue day. 
Adjacent wells 
are 180 to 263 
feet deep, with 
only 25 to 30 feet 
of clay on rock. 


Emory Button 


Sec. 20 


Limestone 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 


Walter Button 


Sec. 30 




Walter Hutt 


Sec. 21 




John S. Burrows. . . 


Sec. 20 




George Willison 

Robert Wood 


See. 18 




Sec. 35 






Sec. 34 






Much quicksand. 


P.W.Tracy 

T. 86 N., R. 4 E. 
(part of Belle- 

VUE). 

H. Steich 


W. §sec. 35 

Seel 












Limestone 

Lime- 
stone, 
Galena. 




A large amount of 


Golden 

T. 87 N., R. 4 E. 
(Tete des Morts). 

H. Soppe 


West of city 
limits of Belle- 
vue. 

Sec. 36 


sand and gravel 
beneath loess. 
Terrace in Mill 
Creek valley. 

Loess-capped ter- 
race 90 feet above 
Mississippi. 















JOHNSON COUNTY. 

By A. 0. Thomas. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The surface of Johnson County is chiefly of the prairie type. Along 
the principal streams are belts of rather heavy native timber, much 
of which is being rapidly cut away. 

Because of the location of the Territorial capital at Iowa City, 
Johnson County was one of the earliest west of those bordering 
Mississippi River to be settled. Its pioneers found an abundant sup- 
ply of water in the main streams and their tributaries and in shallow 
open wells, but as population increased more reliable sources of 
supply, free from contamination and from possible exhaustion dur- 
ing times of droughts, had to be sought. Now drilled wells pumped 
by windmills or gasoline engines are a part of the equipment of 
each up-to-date farm. 

Far more than half of the county is covered by Kansan drift, which 
is extensively overlain by loess, although in some areas along Old 
Mans Creek the loess is so thin that the preloessial topography may 
still be recognized. Except for the broad alluvial flood plain of 
Iowa Eiver, which intersects it in a north and south direction, the 



420 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

southern half of the county is characteristically Kansan. The ridges 
and divides are much dissected^ as a rule narrow, and in many places 
loess covered. 

Several lobes of the lowan drift sheet cross the northern part of 
the county. These lobes are characterized by bowlder-strewn fields 
and rich black loam which covers in a general way the entire surface 
of the drift. The freshness of the light-colored bowlders, the incom- 
plete drainage, and the comparatively level surface, free from loess, 
present a marked contrast to the rougher and much-eroded Kansan 
drift. One lobe of lowan drift crosses the eastern part of the north- 
ern boundary of the county and trends southeastwardly to Solon. 
Its level plains are well developed just north of that town. A second 
and larger lobe comes down to and a little beyond the village of North 
Liberty, covers Monroe and parts of Jefferson, Oxford, Madison, and 
Penn townships. It is crossed m an east-west direction by Iowa 
River whose broad flood plain blends into the drift plam on the south. 
The limits of these lobes are not yet defuiitely determined along 
their entire length. Their terminal moraines, though high and promi- 
nent in many places, are in others very indefinite, due to some extent 
to post-Iowan erosion. 

A broad alluvial plain has been developed along Iowa River from 
the point where it enters the county to sec. 22, Madison Town- 
ship where it flows into a narrow, rock-walled, tortuous channel 
from which it emerges near Iowa City after wmding about for more 
than 20 miles. Here it again enters a broad valley with extensive 
flood plains, which continue until it has passed out of the county. 
A flood plain about 2 miles wide and 6 to 8 miles long extends along 
Cedar River in Cedar Township. 

The larger tributaries of Iowa River, like Old Mans, Clear, and 
Rapid creeks, have developed alluvial flood plains of some extent, 
especially in that part of their valleys nearest the Iowa. That of 
Old Mans Creek is the most extensive, bemg 18 to 20 miles long 
and from half a mile to a mile or more in width. 

Study of the course of Iowa River through the county shows that 
a preglacial channel must have existed between the east end of its 
northern flood plain and the north end of its southern flood plam, 
for the present course between these two pomts is neither the most 
dkect nor the most easily constructed.^ Well records are, how- 
ever, too meager to afford data from which to project the vaUey 
of this ancient stream. It is certain that the buried channel affects 
the water supply of the area under which it lies, and it is to be 
hoped that future borings will clearly establish its approximate limits. 

1 Calvin, Samuel, Ann. Eept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 7, 1897, p. 48. 



JOHNSON COUNTY. 421 

GEOLOGY. 5^ 

Indurated rocks are exposed only in the northern and northeastern 
parts of Johnson County. The rocks dip to the southwest (PL XV, 
p. 670), a fact of special interest to the well driller, for he must drill 
through a greater thickness of rock in the southwestern part of the 
county than in the northeastern part when seeking one of the deep- 
seated aquifers like the St. Peter sandstone. The character and kind 
of rocks which underlie the drift in the southern part of the county 
are indicated by such rock exposures as those along English River 
in the northern part of Washington County. 

Silurian rocks (Niagara dolomite) are typically exposed along Cedar 
River in the northeastern part of the county. Southwest from 
this Silurian outcrop the lower beds of the Middle Devonian appear at 
Solon and elsewhere. 

Rocks of Carboniferous age are exposed in only a few small out- 
liers belonging to the Des Moines group (Pennsylvanian) . The largest 
of these outliers is a body of coarse-grained sandstone in the southern 
part of Monroe Township just north of Iowa River and extending 
westward into Iowa County. Another is located immediately north 
of Iowa City and occupies an old deep pre-Carboniferous valley whose 
course runs at a wide angle to that of the present Iowa River valley 
and whose bottom is 60 feet or more below the bottom of the latter. 

The drift of the southern part of the county is probably underlain 
by the Kinderhook group (Mississippian) of the Carboniferous. No 
record of well bormgs encountering these rocks has been obtained, 
but they doubtless have been reached by drillers in southern 
Washington and Sharon townships. Interglacial sands and gravels 
known as the Aftonian gravel and the Buchanan gravel are widely 
distributed, the former beneath the Kansan drift and the latter above; 
the Kansan, and form aquifers of considerable importance in the 
county as a whole. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The exceedingly rough preglacial topography of Johnson County 
precludes expectation of finding extensive well-defined water-bearing 
formations in the drift deposits, which range in thickness in different 
parts of the county from an exceedingly attenuated layer to a deposit 
measuring 300 feet. Nevertheless, the most constant aquifer of the 
drift is the sand and gravel (Aftonian) underlying the stiff blue clay 
beds of the Kansan drift. Most of the deeper wells of the county 
derive their supply from this stratum, though well drillers frequently 
report failure to obtain water in it and are obliged to try elsewhere 
or to go deeper. Locally, however, the sand and gravel bed is absent 



422 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

and the drill passes directly from the Kansan clay to the hard rock. 
In the southern and southwestern townships of the county, in parts 
of Madison and Jefferson townships, and elsewhere in the areas 
covered by the lowan drift sheet, these sands and gravels (Aftonian 
and Buchanan) jdeld a fairly abundant supply of good water to wells 
ranging in depths from 50 to 250 feet. In areas in which the drift is 
thin and the country rock lies close to the surface, most of the wells 
penetrate rock to some distance and obtain water either in a rock 
crevice or in a gritty layer which does not seem to lie at any regular 
horizon. The expense of sinking wells in these areas is usually greater 
than in the areas of deep drift and the possibility of failure is greater. 
The wells along Iowa River west and north of Iowa City are mainly 
of this type. Another area of this sort is in the vicinity of Solon, 
where the country rock comes almost to the surface ; the town well of 
Solon, for example, strikes rock at a depth of 7 feet. 

In the alluvial flood plains of the principal streams, an abundant 
supply of water is obtained cheaply by shallow dug wells curbed with 
cheap lumber, or by "sand points" driven into the earth to a depth 
of 15 to 25 feet and attached to hand pumps. "Drive wells" are 
abundant along Iowa River in Liberty and Lucas townships and in 
the valley of Clear Creek in Clear Creek Township. 

In the northeast part of Lucas Township the wells average 100 feet 
and obtain water in the gravel above the rock. 

Hundreds of shallow weUs on the farms of every community, which 
are being slowly supplanted by deeper drilled wells, draw principally 
from the ground water below ground-water level, though some of 
them are filled by the surface run-off, for which they act as catch 
basins. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Coralville. — The water supply of Coral ville (population, 151) is 
taken from shallow wells 15 to 30 feet deep. 

Hills. — The water supply of HUls (population, 195) is all from 
shallow wells. Many of them are "driven wells" and these obviously 
furnish a purer supply than that of the shallow open wells. 

Iowa City. — In Iowa City (population, 10,091) water for the city 
mains is pumped from the river to a large standpipe on an eminence 
in the north part of the city. River water is unfit for drinking unless 
it is boiled. When the city was visited the water company was 
installing a filter plant said to be capable of filtering aU the water 
needed. 

The homes on the west side of the river obtain satisfactory water 
from wells sunk into the limestone. Some of the wells are open but 
most of them are drilled. Many shallow weUs, 20 to 50 feet deep, 
are still in use. 



JOHNSON COUNTY. 423 

An artesian forecast * is of interest in view of the probability that 
sooner or later one or more deep wells will be drilled for artesian 
water for the city or for the State University. 

The bedrock here is the Cedar Valley limestone (Middle Devonian) . 
After passing through this formation the drill will enter the Wapsipini- 
con limestone (also Middle Devonian), which is characterized by 
brecciated beds, shaly and cherty layers, fine-grained and thin-bedded ' 
limestones, and magnesian limestones, which overlie the hard Silurian 
dolomites (Niagara) . In both the Devonian and the Silurian forma- 
tions water will probably be found in crevices and porous layers. If 
the head of these waters is higher than that of the main flows to be 
reached farther down, they may be allowed to enter the drill hole and 
thus augment that of the deeper flows ; but if their head is less they 
should be cased out to prevent the escape of the deeper water through 
their channels. The drill will pass from Silurian rocks into a dry 
Ordovician shale, the Maquoketa, probably more than 200 feet in 
thickness, which should be cased to prevent caving. The Galena 
and Platteville limestones, which lie beneath the Maquoketa, contain 
large stores of water in irregular channels, crevices, or porous beds, 
but no assurance can be given that the drill will strike one of the 
waterways. The head of any inflows from these limestones should be 
tested and their waters analyzed for comparison with those of the 
main water horizons underneath. 

After passing through the basal shale of the Platteville, which will 
need casing, the drill will enter the St. Peter sandstone at 1,000 to 
1,050 feet below the surface (350 to 400 feet below sea level). A 
good yield is assured although exact estimates can not be made, as 
the sandstone varies in thickness and also to some extent in size of 
grains and porosity. It is not at all probable that the water obtained 
thus far will be sufficient to meet any large demands. The well 
should be drilled 500 or 600 feet deeper, or to 1,650 feet below the 
surface, in order to tap the large stores of water carried by the dolo- 
mites and interbedded sandstone of the Prairie du Chien group, and 
especially by the subjacent Jordan sandstone (Cambrian). The drill 
should stop at the heavy glauconiferous shales and marls of the St. 
Lawrence formation, the next terrane in descending order. 

A flow may be confidently expected and although estimates of head 
are notoriously uncertain, it may be said that the head may reach 50 
feet above the river. 

A single well will yield a supply sufficient for such university use 
as a gymnasium, but for a city supply more wells should be sunk and 
the installation of an air compressor to increase the yield will be 
probably found advantageous, as at Waterloo, although the natural 

1 By W. H. Norton. 



424 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

pressure of a well at Iowa City may be expected to considerably 
exceed that of one at Waterloo. 

In choosing a location for city or university wells, the possibility 
of contamination from ground water through leaky or defective cas- 
ings should be considered, and upvalley sites, other things being 
equal, should be given preference. Too much care can not be taken 
to exclude absolutely all soil and subsoil waters. 

Lone Tree. — The town of Lone Tree (population, 782) has one of the 
best public water-supply systems in the county. A drilled well, 130 
feet deep, penetrates, beneath deep drift, a gravel bed (possibly 
Aftonian) from which an abundant supply of pure water is obtained. 
A gasoline engine furnishes the power for pumping. 

North Liberty . — The village of North Liberty (population, 200) has 
no public water supply. The shallow wells are 12 to 30 feet deep, the 
rise of water in them depending on the season. The village greatly 
needs a drilled well, especially because it is located on nearly level, 
poorly drained land, and the water in its shallow wells is within a 
few feet of the surface for the greater part of the year. 

Oakdale Sanitarium. — Oakdale Sanitarium is an institution main- 
tained by the State for the treatment of incipient cases of consump- 
tion. It is located in sec. 25, Clear Creek Township. As a large 
well-stocked farm is part of the general equipment a considerable 
supply of water is needed for domestic and other purposes. In the 
summer of 1909, a 3-inch well was sunk to 360 feet, at which depth 
water was obtained in a layer of "gritty shale," which underlies about 
250 feet of Hmestone. The water rises in this well within 100 feet of 
the surface and is of excellent quahty. 

An artesian forecast made by W. H. Norton, in 1906, when the 
question of good water was a factor in the location of the sanitarium, 
predicted that the St. Peter sandstone would be reached at a depth 
of 300 to 400 feet below sea level and that this formation, with other 
water-bearing beds higher up, would furnish a supply sufficient for 
the institution, reckoned at 30,000 gallons a day. To obtain a larger 
supply it was recommended that the well be sunk into the Jordan 
sandstone, here probably about 700 feet below sea level. 

Oxford. — At Oxford (population, 614) the water-supply system is 
owned by the town. Water is pumped from a shallow weU not 50 
feet deep and is distributed from a standpipe. Many shallow weUs 
20 to 40 feet deep, are in use over the town. 

Sliueyville. — The town of Shueyville (population, 100) has no pub- 
He supply, the people dependmg mainly on shallow wells. Judging 
from experience on near-by farms, a well about 150 feet deep would 
develop an adequate supply. 

Solon. — The pubHc at Solon (population, 450) is abundantly sup- 
plied with water from a 6-inch well, which penetrates the limestone 



JOHNSON" COUNTY. 



425 



for 140 feet. The glacial mantle above the limestone is only 7 feet 
thick. The water is of good quality. 

Swisher. — The water supply of Swisher (population, 40) is obtained 
from shallow wells 15 to 20 feet deep. 

Tiffin. — The water supply of Tiffin (population, 176) is from shallow 
wells averaging about 30 feet in depth. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Johnson County: 

Typical wells of Johnson County. 



Owner. 



Loca- 
tion. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Source of 
supply. 



Remarks (logs given in feet). 



T. 81 N., R. 7 W. (Jef- 
ferson; PART OF 
Madison). 

F. Novotny 

Anna Becicka 

J. Louvar 

M. Herdlicka 

William Roberts 

T. 81 N., R. 6 W. (Big 
Grove; part of Penn) 

James A. Ulch 

J. Pesarek 

T, 81 N., R. 5 W. 
(Cedar). 

John A. Henick 

W. Verba 

T. 80N.,R. 7W. (PARTS 
OF Madison, Clear 
Creek, and Penn). 

George Hoover 

H. Lininger 

M. M. Snavely 

J. C. Bowman 

J. D. Colony 

J. J. Craig 

Edw. Craig 

Walter Cox 

Charles E. Colony 

T. 80 N., R. 6 W. (PARTS 
OF Penn and New- 
port). 

Martha Bowman 

Samuel Green 

Do 

Jos. Hemphill 

James Hotka 

George Grizel 

T. 80 N., R. 5 W. (Gra- 
ham; part of New- 
port). 

J. J. Dvorsky 

James J. Krall 



Sec. 



28 



Feet. 
74 

77 

210 
156 



282 
158 



160 



262 

90 

115 

312 

144 

213 

65 
50 

100 



288 

300 
140 
126 
108 
220 



62 

217 



Feet. 
IS 

77 

70 
24 



60 



No 
rock. 



142 



120 



100 



98 
140 



Rock 

Gravel . . . 



Rock 

Soft rock . 



Gravel... 



Soft rock. 
Rock 



Sand. 
Rock. 



Rock. 
Sand. 
..do.. 
Rock. 



G ravel - 
Rock... 



Sand. 
..do.. 



.do. 



Rock. 



...do.... 
Sand.. . 
Gravel . 
Sand... 



Rock. 



Yellow sandy clay, 18 feet; very hard rock. 
Hill. Yellow clay, 20; the rest blue clay; 

gravel bed thin. 
Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 50. 
High ridge above river; rock hard and 

bedded except the last 7 or 8 feet. 
Gravel bed thin. 



First water at 130, but flow not good. 
A log struck at 60; loam, yellow clay, blue 
clay; thin layer of sand on rock. 



Yellow sandy clav; blue to 145; yellow 

sandy clay to 200; sand. Well 35 feet 

in this sand. 
Reddish clay, 20; blue clay, yellow sandy 

ciay, and red clay; 2 of black soil at 120; 

brownish clay and yellow clay to rock. 



Loam; blue clay; no sand above rock. 

Same as last, but sand bed thick. 

Yellow clay; blue clay; water in sand. 

No sand at bottom of mantle rock; com- 
pare Hoover's well. 

Yellow clay; blue clay; gravel bed thin 
but coarse grained. 

High ridge; no water in drift; the supply 
comes from a crevice in the rock. 

Usual drift, underlain by sand. 

Drive well; many of this tj^pe in neigh- 
borhood. 

Water just above rock. 



High knoll; no water in drift; rock hard; 

water band "gritty." 
Very similar to Bowman well. 
Water at bottom of drift in thin sand. 

Yellow clay; blue clay; gravel. 



Yellow clay; blue clay; no gravel; water 

in "crevice" in rock. 
Water in shaly rock, beneath very hard 

rock; unsatisfactory water bed at 100. 



426 



UNDEKGROUND WATEE RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

Typical wells of Johnson County — Continued . 



Owner. 


Loca- 
tion. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


T. 80N., R. 5 W. (Gra- 
ham; PART OF New- 
port)— Continued. 

M. F. D vorsky 


Sec. 
19 
6 

13 

13 
12 
11 

11 
11 

10 

10 
17 
20 

24 
22 
24 

19 

25 

30 
31 

36 
30 

30 

9 
16 

7 
7 

16 

9 

17 
16 

16 

8 

18 
6 

■ 16 
17 
16 
20 
20 
20 
20 
20 


Feet. 
110 
140 

172 

174 
170 
318 

140 

2S2 

340 

126 
90 
130 

100 
100 
170 

179 
96 

....400 

90 
106 

205 

135 

148 

122 

200 

64 
190 

126 

116 

200 
140 

150 
108 

140 
116 
124 
139 
120 
120 
108 
120 


Feet. 


Gravel 


Yellow clay; blue clay; gravel. 


G. C. Rossler 


T. 79 N., R. 7 W. 
(Union; part of 
Clear Creek). 

County poor farm 

Do 


168 

166 

'"'"i72" 

174 

100' 


Rock 

...do 

Sand 

Sandy rock 

Sand 

Rock 

Shale 

Sand 

...do 

do . . 


Yellow clay, about 60; blue clay, over 100; 
httle or no gravel. 


Mrs. H. Schnarre 

Evan Williams 


Similar to the poor-farm well. 

Drift very similar to the preceding, but 
no gravel; three trials to find water at 
top of rock failed; water bed is shaly 
brownish-red sandstone or gritty hme- 
stone. 

Sand bed thin; the well became dry in a 
few months. 

Yellow and blue clays; thin bed of sand; 


R. Williams 


Do 


John Hradek 


rock well bedded; the drill dropped into 
a crevice at the bottom and well yields 
an abundance of water. 
Similar to Evan Williams well, but with 


Geo. Wicks 


shale below the gritty hmestone. 
Yellow and blue clays. 


J. R. Breese 


This well is located in a hollow. 


Chas. Rohret 


Yellow clay, about 60; blue, 120; the 


John Lloyd 




.. do 


water seems to run in a "vein" in the 
sand. 
Yellow and blue clays. 


E. T. Davis 




. do 


Yellow clav, about 20; blue clay, over 70. 


Anna Singula 


170 


Gravel 

...do 


Yehow and blue clays; water on top of 

rock. 
On top of rock. 
On lower ground than the last-named 


H. E. Edwards 


Julius Tudor 




...do 


H. Roeland 


240 
260 




well. 
No water; driller gave it up. 
Yellow clay, 30 to 40, blue clay, 2C0; 


S. E. Pate 


Shale 

Sand 

...do 


T/iimlpy Tndnr. , , , 


sand; tough clay to the rock, which is 
quite hard down to the limy shale. 


Mrs. Bf. Rowland 


Water bed loose sand, into which the drill 


D. W. Jones 




do 


sank for some distance by own weight. 
Yellow and blue clays. 

Rock hard and well bedded. 


T.79N., R.6W.(Lucas 

AND PART OF UNION). 

Black estate. 


2 
40 

'"■"266' 
64 
40 

126 
116 
SO 

150 
108 


Shaly rock 
Rock 

Sand 

On rock. . . 

Gravel 

Shale (?).. 

On rock... 

Gravel .... 

Rock 

Gravel 

Sand 

Gravel 

Sand 

do 


Wm. Cannon 


Yellow clay, 40; a little gravel; "bird's- 


Wm. A. Fry 


eye" limestone, 40; blue limestone, 
over 60; water in a crevice. 


Mark H. Clear 


Yellow clay, 40; blue clay, over 150; no 

gravel. 
Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 35; coarse 

gravel to rock. 
Residual material, mostly loess with 

some gravel below; water in "honey- 
combed" shale. 
Yellow and blue clays; no gi-avel; water 

bed on the rather friable rock. 
Clays as in the last, but the gravel is 10 

to 15 feet thick. 
Compare with Byington well. 
Yellow clay, 30; blue clay, about 100; fine 

sand; coarser sand. 
Yellow clay; blue clay; gravel. 
Yellow clay; blue clay; water on top of 

rock in gravel. 


Edw. Rohret 


0. Byington... 


J. Cropley 


A. R. Payne 


Mrs. W. Black 


Edw. Rohret.. 


Mack Stevens 


J. K. Hemphill 


Mary A. Lindsey 

J. R. Breese. .. 


H. Garnett 




do..... 


On top of rock. 


Geo. Lewis 


139 
120 
120 
108 
120 


...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 

...do 


T. H. Morford. 




W. J. Davis 


1 All on same ridge, not over three-fourths 


Owen Davis 


of a mile apart. 


E.P.Jones 





JOHNSON COUNTY. 
Typical wells of Johnson County — Continued. 



427 



Owner. 


Loca- 
tion. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


T.79N.,R.6W.(LucAS 

AND PART OF UNION)— 

Continued. 


Sec. 
20 
29 

33 

32 

32 

22 

26 

23 

13 

13 

12 

12 

East 

Iowa 

City. 

...do. . 


Feet. 
40 ± 
207 

140 
296 

306 

40 

30± 

200 

186 
62 
64 

140 
62 

162 
162 
200 
220 

220 
180 
400 
196 
260 
260 

232 
104 
116 

224 
220 

135 
140 
140 

120 

84 

100 
127 
125 

120 
130 


Feet. 

'"'246' 
256 


Sand(?).. 
Sand 

Gravel 

Rock 

...do 


"Drive well" along a creek. 
Yellow clay, 20 to 30; blue clay, over 150; 
thick sand. 

No water in gravel above rock; water bed 
rather shaly. 




Elias J. Hughes 

S.C.Jones 




Jas. McCollester 




Chas. A. Vogt... 


50' 

100 
62 


Sand 

Soft shale. 

Rock 

Sand 


"Drive well." 


Alfred Ohl 


Not enough water on top of rock. 
Yellow clay; blue clay; thin gravel. ■ 
Plenty of water. 
Low part of the farm. 
Hill. 




Nellie Swisher 


Jno. C. Shrader 


Do 


60 
57 

60 


Rock 

...do 

...do 

Sand 

...do 




4-inch we 1; abundant water; yellow clay, 
20; blue clay, 37. 

Water in a shaly rock. 


W F.Main 


Elmer Buck 


19 
30 
25 

20 
18 
16 
16 
34 
21 

34 
35 

4 

7 
6 

15 
10 
16 

2 

2 

1 

1 

12 

32 
10 


D. H. Hastings 


On top of rock. 
Do. 






...do 


T. 79 N.,R.5W. (Scott). 
Frank Lord 


200 
175 


Rock 

...do 

.do 




E. Westcott.. 


Water in friable rock. 


W. P. TenEyck 

R. Hunter . ... 




190 
240 
216 

232 


On rock. . . 
Soft rock.. 
Rock ; 

Sand 

. .do 


Water in top layer of rock. 


Edw. Greer 


No sand above rock. 


Benj. Price 


Soil and yellow clay, 36; blue clay, 180; 


Geo. H. Bothel 


no sand; limestone, 16; yellowish clay, 
8; hard rock, 20, to water. 
Yellow and blue clays; the water in sand. 


Jos. Krellek .... 


"Quicksand," below blue clay. 
4-inch well; plenty of water. 

Yellow and blue clays. 

Yellow clay and loam, 45; blue clay, 90. 
Very similar to the last. 
Do. 


Chicago, Rock Island & 

Pacific Ry. 
J. T. Strubble... 


116 

100 
200 


Gravel 

Rock 

...do 

Sand 

...do 


Lemuel Hunter 

T. 78 N.,R. 8 W. (Wash- 
ington). 

J.P.Wagner 


Jno. Fry 


C. Swartzendruber 




...do 


T. 78N., R. 7W. 
(Sharon). 

Jno. Hughes 




Sand 

do 


Hill. Yellow clay, 20 to 30; blue clay, 


P. Zahner, sr, , 


about 90. 
Foot of Hughes Hill. Soil and yellow 


T. D. Davis 




...do 


clay, 15; blue clay, about 60. 


R. R. Hughes... 




.do 


Below blue clay. 


W.J.Davis 




.do 


Yellow and blue clays, then sand. 


T. 78 N., R. 6 W. (Lib- 
erty; PARTS OF Pleas- 
ant Valley). 

John Knebel. , 

T. 77 N., R. 5 W. (Fre- 
mont). 

Town well, Lone Tree . . 




Sand 

Sand 


Yellow clay and soil, 30; blue clay, 85; 
sand, fine grained. Mr. Knebel re- 
ports that there are no wells down to 
rock in the township and that the gen- 
eral depth is about the same as his own. 
Along Old Mans Creek and on Iowa 
River bottom drive wells are about 20 
feet deep. 

Soil and yellow clay, about 30; blue clay, 
about 95; sand, about 5 to 8, with pieces 
of wood and bark at top. The driller 
penetrated a bluish tough clay below 
the sand to some distance, but with- 
drew the drill and made the sand the 
water bed. 



428 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

JONES COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Alternating belts of upland and lowland, of loess-covered Kansan 
ridges and lowan drift plains, give to the surface of Jones County 
a peculiar ''fluted" topography. The trend of these singular belts 
and of the rivers wliich cross them is northwest-southeast and the 
streams flow with seeming indifference either tlu"ough wide post- 
mature valleys adjoining the plains or, leaving the lower lands cleave 
the ridges lengthwise with deep gorges. 

Thus, on the right bank of the Maquoketa a bold ridge, loess- 
covered and fringed with lenticular loess-capped hills of drift, called 
paha, extends as far southeast as Monticello and its trend is continued 
by a lower ridge of similar character near Scotch Grove. These ridges 
overlook to the southwest a belt of prairie 4 or 5 miles wide, diversified 
in places with low, long swells of drift trending northward. South- 
west of tliis prairie plam of lowan drift, on wliich are located the 
towns of Onslow, Center Junction, and Langworthy, rises another 
upland. Northwest of Langworthy it is narrow, and its pahoid, 
forest-covered crests rise 100 feet and more above the level of the 
adjacent lowlands; from Amber southeast to the county line it is 
more massive, attaining a height of 140 feet above the neighboring 
valleys. A narrow belt of lowland parts this ridge from a massive 
upland cut by Wapsipinicon River to a depth of 220 feet, beyond 
which to the southwest lie other narrow belts of upland separated 
from one another by long enchained pahoid hills. 

GEOLOGY. 

The geologic structure of Jones County is of the simplest. The 
drift sheets of the county are the lowan, the deeply buried Nebras- 
kan, and the Kansan. The two last named are for the most part 
hard blue stony clays called ''hardpan" by many of the drillers. 
The Kansan, however, may be reddened and loosened in texture by 
long weathering to a depth of from 10 to 20 feet from the surface. 
The lowan lies on the surface of the lowlands — a brown sandy and 
gravelly drift with bowlders or a pale-yellow stony clay. On the 
hills and ridges the yellow dust or silt deposit known as loess has 
accumulated to a depth in places of 40 feet, although thin or entirely 
absent on the adjacent prairies. Tlu-oughout, the rock lying beneath 
the drift is the Niagara dolomite (PI. IX), except probably over a 
few square miles in the extreme southwestern part, where the heavy 
drift may conceal Devonian limestones. 



JONES COUNTY. 429 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOUECE. 

The diversified surface, in which well-dissected uplands where 
ground water stands far below the crests alternate with low young 
prairie plains only slightly scored by drainage channels where ground 
water stands high, makes it exceedingly difficult to give any averages 
as to the depth to water supplies, even in areas so small as townships. 

The most important water-bearing formation is the Niagara dolo- 
mite. The water occurs in porous beds and in waterways opened by 
solution along joints and bedding planes, but not in any definite 
stratum whose depth at any point can be predicted. Water is found 
also in drift sands and gravels, both in those contained witliin the 
drift sheets and in those which separate them. 

PROVINCES. 

Northeast of Maquolceta River. — In Highland, Washington, and the 
northeastern part of Monticello townships the Niagara dolomite lies 
everywhere at no great distance below the surface and outcrops 
in numerous ledges on the hillsides and in discontinuous high rock 
walls along the deeper valleys. North and South forks of Maquoketa 
River below Monticello flow tlirough narrow winding valleys desti- 
tute of flood plains. In these valleys wells find rock a few feet from 
the surface, but must penetrate it deeply to obtain sufficient water. 

On the uplands the deep and intricate dissection of most of the area 
allows ground water to sink low. Few wells find it in less than 100 
feet, and many are compelled to go more than 200 feet. In a few 
places the Niagara is found dry nearly to its base, and wells supphed 
from the water accumulating immediately above the impervious 
Maquoketa shale must be drilled a little way into the Maquoketa for 
reservoir. For example, the well of T. Cooper (sec. 20, T. 86 N., 
R. 2 W.) found clay to 20 feet, Niagara dolomite to 385 feet, and was 
carried 16 feet into the Maquoketa shale — a total of 401 feet. 

Even on the high drift prairie of the northwest part of this area 
wells do not find enough water in the drift, which here ranges from 
10 to 65 feet in thickness. Wliere the drift is comparatively thick 
for this area, reaching about 50 feet, water may be found within the 
limestone 15 or 20 feet below the rock surface. Where the drift is 
thin, and locally where it has some thickness, weUs range in depth from 
150 to 250 feet. Few wells of this province are less than 140 feet 
deep. Thus, the well of R. M. Hicks (sec. 2, T. 86 N., R. 2 W.) is 180 
feet deep, rock being struck at 5 feet, and the well of J. F. Moore 
(sec. 5, T. 86 N., R. 2 W.) goes through 40 feet of drift and penetrates 
240 feet into the Niagara dolomite to obtain sufficient water. 

Between MaquoTceta and Wapsipinicon rivers. — The larger part of 
the belt of country 12 to 14 miles wide, extending from northwest 



430 UNDEKGKOUND WATEK EESOUKCES OF IOWA. 

to southeast across the county between Maquoketa and Wapsipini- 
con rivers, is a prairie of lowan drift, but it is traversed longitudi- 
nally and is bounded on the east side by massive ridges of Kansan 
drift capped with loess. 

To the northeast, along a zone bordering the Maquoketa, the 
Niagara dolomite stands high and is covered with a thin mantle of 
drift. In the northern part of Castle Grove Township, as at Argand, 
it outcrops as high as 920 feet above sea level. In southwestern 
Monticello Township the loess and drift of the ridges may exceed 
40 or 50 feet in thickness, but the rock outcrops about their bases or 
is found at slight depth below the surface. Southeast of Monticello 
the limestone also stands high, outcropping well up to the summits 
of the hills overlooking the Maquoketa, its height above sea level at 
Scotch Grove being about 900 feet. Here water is not found in the 
drift nor on the rock. Wells must be sunk a considerable distance 
in the Niagara dolomite to find sufficient supply. Locally plenty of 
water is obtained within 50 feet of the surface, as at the Scotch Grove 
creamery well, but most wells are 100 feet or more in depth. Even 
on the wide river valley northwest of Monticello, where rock comes 
within 15 to 20 feet of the surface, wells are about 100 feet deep, and 
on the adjacent hills some of them exceed 200 feet. On the high 
bluffs overlooking the Maquoketa, southeast of Monticello, it may be 
necessary to go 200 and even 300 feet to find water in the limestone. 

An exceptional feature of the belt of country bordering the 
Maquoketa on the southwest is a buried river channel disclosed by 
wells in the lower valley of Kitty Creek and on the Maquoketa flood 
plain above Monticello. Thus, in sec. 27, Monticello Township, a 
well on the Kitty Creek bottoms found rock 70 feet from the surface, 
720 feet above sea level. The city well at Monticello on the same 
bottoms enters rock at 135 feet, 665 feet above the sea, and a well 
in sec. 16 of the same township on the Maquoketa flood plain is 
reported as 119 feet deep, with 20 feet of alluvium at top, below 
which the well penetrated only sand. The rock floor at the last well 
must be less than 680 feet above sea level. The buried river channel 
thus disclosed was cut about 125 feet below the present channel of 
the Maquoketa. That the ancient valley does not coincide with the 
broad valley of the river above Monticello is seen in the numerous 
wells on both sides of the river which enter rock at 10 to 20 feet below 
the surface. 

From the upland along the right bank of the Maquoketa, where 
the Niagara dolomite reaches an elevation of about 900 feet above sea 
level and where the drift is relatively thin, the rock everywhere 
descends to the southwest to a wide rock-cut valley now deeply filled 
with drift, on whose farther side the rock again ascends and again 
approaches the surface along a belt of country stretching along the 



JONES COUNTY. 431 

left bank of the Wapsipinicon. The distance to which wells must be 
drilled to reach rock varies not only with the depth of this ancient 
valley and the positions of its numerous branch valleys with their 
divides of rock buried beneath drift, but also with the height to which 
the drift has been heaped over the area — whether it has been smoothed 
to the broad, flat plain which stretches from Castle Grove to Lang- 
worthy and Onslow or has been piled in the massive ridges which 
overlook this prairie from the south. The greatest depth to rock 
naturally occurs where the ridges directly overlie the central trough 
of the buried valley. In Castle Grove Township (sec. 8) the drift is 
in one place 190 feet thick, the rock floor being 810 feet above sea 
level. In sec. 33 the drift is more than 200 feet thick, the rock 
floor not being reached at 800 feet above sea level. On the ridges 
from northwest of Amber to Onslow a number of wells are reported 
which approach and exceed 300 feet in depth, and a few successful 
weUs are reported as less than 200 feet deep. On the bluffs near the 
Wapsipinicon, where rock stands high, few wells exceed 150 feet and 
a number of successful ridge wells from 80 to 120 feet deep are on 
record. 

South of Ne'v^ort the Wapsipinicon is bordered by flood plains 1^ 
miles wide, and here driven wells are entirely adequate. 

South of Wapsipinicon River. — On the high ridges southwest of the 
Wapsipinicon the depth of the wells reported ranges from 50 to 150 
feet. On the prairie occupying the extreme southwestern part of 
the county about Morley and Martelle wells find water in the drift, 
and in few places exceed 130 feet, so far as reported. South of Fair- 
view a number of successful wells are but 40 or 50 feet in depth. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs supplied by underground courses dissolved in the Niagara 
dolomite emerge in the deep gorges of the Maquoketa and the North 
Maquoketa. That of J. Kibury, in the NW. i NW. i sec. 30, T. 86 N., 
R. 2 W., feeds a small creek discharging into Maquoketa River. 

To a somewhat less extent springs are found along the course of the 
Wapsipinicon where it leads through narrows cut in the Niagara 
dolomite. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Anamosa. — The pubHc supply of Anamosa (population, 2,983) is 
derived from a city well drilled by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago, in 
1898. The well is situated a few yards from the bank of Wapsipinicon 
River, is 1,754^ feet deep and 10 to 6 inches in diameter. It is 
packed with lead and rubber and carries 100 feet of casing. The head 
of the water is 30 feet below curb. The water comes from depths of 
600, 950; and 1,200 feet. The original and present pumping capacity 



432 ITNDEEGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA, 

is 300 gallons a minute. Temperature, 52° F. Water is pumped to 
a reservoir and the pressures, gravity and direct, are 60 and 120 
pounds, respectively. There are 3 miles of mains and 13 hydrants. 
The only cuttings preserved from this well come from the St. Law- 
rence formation and underlying Cambrian strata. The following 
table presents the record : 

Record of strata of city tvell at Anamosa. 

Depth in feet. 
Dolomite, gray, arenaceous; as seen by grains embedded in dolo- 
mite chips 1, 335 and 1, 345 

Dolomite, light yellow gray 1, 370 

Marl, light pink; powder contains large residue of minute angular 

quartzose particles; cement dolomitic glauconiferous 1,375 

Marl, bright pink, as above 1, 385 

Marl, blue, dolomitic, quartzose, glauconiferous 1, 435 

Shale, white, calcareous, siliceous, in powder 1, 440 

Sandstone, green gray, grains minute, rounded, slightly calcareous, 

argillaceous, glauconiferous 1, 525 

Sandstone, white, rounded grains; largest, 0.6 mm. in diameter ... 1, 530 

Sandstone, gray, fine 1, 660 

Sandstone, white, very fine 1, 670 

Sandstone, buff, of finest grain, glauconiferous 1, 690 

Sandstone, pink, of finest grain, in loosely coherent chips 1, 720 

Shale; green 1, 735 

Shale, bright green, calcareous, glauconiferous, highly siliceous; 
with minute quartz particles 1, 750 

The water-supply problems of Anamosa seem to have been success- 
fully solved by the excellent and abundant supply of water from the 
city well. Domestic supplies are still drawn, however, from many 
house wells, which on the hUls are not uncommonly 100 to 160 feet 
in depth. The drift, which is 40 feet deep, is dry, and water must be 
sought in limestone. 

In the remote contingency that the present supply from the deep 
- well may be overdrawn by increasing population, tests might well be 
made of the amount of ground water available on the low ground 
west of the town near the mouth of Buffalo Creek, where the conver- 
gence of drainage lines points to some considerable store. Several 
wells of small diameter sunk about 320 feet to the horizon of the 
Maquoketa shale would probably yield a large supply. 

The State penitentiary weU has a depth of 2,007 feet and a diameter 
of 10 inches (cased) to 96 feet, 8 inches (uncased) to 290 feet, 6 inches 
(cased) to 987 feet, 5 inches to 2,007 feet. The curb is 816 feet above 
sea level. The original head was 760 feet above sea level; the pres- 
ent head is 768 feet. The original and present pumping capacity is 
more than 300 gallons a minute, and the amount pumped daily in 
summer is 135,000 gallons. When pumped at rate of 200 gallons a 
minute water is lowered 19 feet in half an hour. The water comes 



JONES COUNTY. 



433 



from 860 feet and from between 1,070 and 1,215 feet. The well was 
completed in 1896 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago, at a cost of 
SI 1,000. Temperature, 53.5° F. 

The well yields excellent drinking water. Since its completion no 
cases of typhoid fever have occurred in the penitentiary, although, 
from 1875 to 1891, 64 were reported by the prison physician. The 
water forms much scale in boilers but is not otherwise deleterious. 

Record of strata of penitentiary ivell {PL IX, p. S54)- 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene (78 feet thick; top, 816 feet above sea level): 

Clay, yellow 

Clay and sand 

Quicksand 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (282 feet thick; top, 738 feet above sea level)— 

Dolomite, light bluish gray, crystalline, vesicular; 5 samples; at 145 feet, dark 

bro^vn gray and more compact , 

Dolomite, as above, cherty 

Dolomite, light gray, crystalline; 2 samples 

Dolomite, cream colored and buff, cherty; 4 samples 

Dolomite, gray, in flaky chips, argillaceous, luster earthy, with some chert; 2 

samples 

Dolomite, blue gray, highly argillaceous 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (175 feet thick; top, 456 feet above sea level): 

Shale, green gray, slightly calcareous; 4 samples 

Dolomite, brown, somewhat bituminous; blackens in closed tube 

Shale, in molded masses; 2 samples 

Galena dolomite and Platte vUle limestone (325 feet thick; top, 281 feet above sea 
level)— 
Dolomite, buff and gray, hard, rough, crystalline; 10 samples, at 675 feet, cherty. 

Limestone, magnesian, blue gray, granular, crystalline; 2 samples , 

Shale, blue and dark brown, bituminous 

Limestone, magnesian, or dolomite, bufl gray, fine grained, crystalline; samples 
at 800 and 820 feet; in the latter sample are found fragments of magnesian 

limestone which may extend from that depth to 852 feet 

Shale, no sample 

St. Peter sandstone (55 feet thick; top, 44 feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone; clean, white quartz sand; gratus well rounded, moderately fine 

Prairie du Chien group (335 feet thick; top, 99 feet below sea level) — 

Shale, green, noncalcareous, finely laminated, containing some rounded grains of 

quartz 

Dolomite, light yellow gray 

Shale; tu large fragments, noncalcareous, green, finely laminated 

Dolomite, gray and white; 5 samples 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (95 feet thick; top, 434 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, light blue gray, calciferous 

Sandstone, clean, white; grains rounded 

Sandstone, white, calciferous 

St. Lawrence formation (235 feet thick; top, 529 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, yellow gray, rough 

Dolomite, cream yellow; rounded graius of quartz in driliings; 2 samples 

Dolomite, ranging from white to brown 

Sandstone, red, argillaceous and calcareous, of microscopic grain, with green 

grains like glauconite 

Shale, light green gray, slightly calcareous 

Dolomite; fragments mottled pink and gray 

Dresbach sandstone (180 feet thick; top, 764 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, cream yellow, buff and white, fine grained; 4 samples; softest sand- 
stone in well by driller's log 

Undifferentiated Cambrian strata (247 feet penetrated; top, 944 feet below sea level) — 

Shale, green, flssUe 

Sandstone, buff, very fine, glauconiferous: 3 samples 

Sandstone, brick-red, very fine grained, argfllo-calcareous, glauconiferous 

Sandstone, as above, but less calciferous 

Sandstone, gray and buff, fine; argillo-calcareous at 1,890; 3 samples 

Sandstone, coarser; with green shale 

Sandstone, gray; moderately fine grains, angular, hard 

Sandstone, white, rounded; unbroken grains, soft 

Sandstone, light pink, sample of rounded grain, mostly unbroken, hard, 2J hours 
to drOl 5 feet; sample not a quartzite 



Feet. 

30 

46 

2 



137 
20 
30 
60 



130 
10 
35 



205 
30 
30 



40 

15 

20 

260 



180 

10 
45 
40 
20 
20 
5 
50 
45 



Feet. 



216 
235 
265 
325 

355 
360 



490 
500 
535 



740 
770 
800 



852 



915 



955 

970 

990 

1,250 



1,305 
1,325 
1,345 

1,380 
1.415 

i;485 

1,490 
1,540 
1,580 



1,760 

1,770 
1,815 
1,855 
1,875 
1,895 
1,900 
1,950 
1,995 

2,007 



36581°— wsp 293—12- 



-28 



434 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Center Junction. — The domestic supply of Center Junction (popu- 
lation, 199) is drawn from deep wells, which range from 116 to 140 
feet in depth and find water in the Niagara dolomite 6 or 8 feet below 
the rock surface. Here, as at Onslow, a sand mixed with small gravel 
and reaching a thickness of 50 or 60 feet occurs beneath glacial stony 
clays, but, on account of difficulties in screening, wells are drilled 
through it into rock and are cased to a few feet below the rock surface. 

Langworthy. — At Langworthy (population, 100) shallow wells in 
sand and gravel are about 15 feet deep; drilled wells range from 50 
to 200 feet. Langworthy is on low ground on the lowan drift plain 
and ground water stands near the surface, heading 2 to 10 feet below 
the curb in most wells, and in one or two overflowing. 

Monticello. — The city supply of Monticello (population, 2,043) was 
originally from an artesian well drilled in 1875, which had a depth of 
1,198 feet and a diameter of 8 to 5 inches. The curb was 820 feet 
above sea level and the head 40 feet below the curb. The tested 
capacity, original, was 200 gallons a minute; about 1898, with pump 
cylinder set 45 feet below the curb, it was 25 gallons a minute; and 
with air compressor working 200 feet below the curb it was 125 gal- 
lons a mmute. The well was abandoned in 1900. The strata pene- 
trated are shown in the following table : 

Record of strata in Monticello city well. 

Pleistocene 85 feet thick; top, 820 feet above sea level: Depth in feet. 

Drift 60 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite 180 feet thick; top, 735 feet above sea 
level — 

Dolomite, light buff 85 

Dolomite, lighter in color than above, porous, sub- 
crystalline; some chert 100 

Dolomite, gray; with chert 200 

Dolomite, buff, hard, porous 235 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (195 feet thick; top, 555 feet above sea 
level)— 

Shale, greenish, calcareous at 263 and 380 feet 380 

Shale, dark brown, strongly bituminous, pyriti- 

ferous, slightly calcareous 420 

Shale, light greenish gray, magnesian 460 

Galena dolomite and Plattesville limestone (315 feet 
thick; top, 360 feet above sea level) — 

No sample 460-550 

Dolomite, gray and buff; much shale powder and 

foreign coarse quartz sand 550 

Dolomite and limestone, soft, white 615 

Limestone, blue gray nonmagnesian ; in flaky 

chips; fossiliferous, rather soft 645 



JONES COUNTY. 435 

Ordovician— Continued. Depth in feet. 

St. Peter sandstone (25 feet thick; top, 45 feet above sea 
level) — 

Sandstone, white, grains rounded, fine 775 

Prairie du Chien group (340 feet thick; top, 20 feet 
above sea level) — 
Dolomite, cream colored; some quartz sand, prob- 
ably from above 800 

Dolomite; as above, but darker 820 

Dolomite, light gray 920 

Dolomite, light yellow 975 

Sandstone, calciferous, or dolomite, highly arena- 
ceous 1, 025 

Dolomite, hard, siliceous, reddish buff 1, 025 

\ Sandstone, argillaceous; drillings largely coarse 

quartz sand, imperfectly rounded 1, 040 

Dolomite, gray 1, 085 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (58 feet penetrated ; toj?, 320 feet below 

sea level) 1, 140-1, 198 

In 1893 the supply was found insufficient for the needs of the town 
and a well 120 feet deep was drilled a short distance away and con- 
nected with the pumps. In 1895, 250 gallons (?) per minute could 
be pumped from the dual supply without lowering the water. A few 
years later the diminishmg yield was increased by the use of an air 
lift which discharged from the deep well 125 gallons per minute from 
a depth of 200 feet, but this increase proved to be but temporary. 
The loss of capacity was thought to be largely due to defective casing, 
but on attempting to recase the well it was found that the bore hole 
was '^ crooked" and a 4-inch pipe could not be driven below 400 feet. 
As the Maquoketa shale lies at about this depth it is possible that the 
so-called crookedness was due to creep of the thick body of shale 
constricting the bore and diminishing its capacity. It is reported 
that no casing had been placed in the well below 105 feet. 

In 1902 the municipality abandoned both wells, which were situ- 
ated near the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway station, and 
found an abundant supply in a well sunk in the outskirts of town on 
the flood plam of Eatty Creek near its junction with the Maquoketa. 
This well, supplying 250 gallons per minute, is 8 inches in diameter 
and 219 feet deep. The water heads but 15 feet below the curb. 
The driller's Jog is as follows: 

Log of well at Monticello. 



Soil 

Sand, water bearing 

Clay, blue, hard 

Gravel of wMte flint with some water. 
Limestone (Niagara), water bearing.. . 




436 UlSTDEEGKOUND WATEK KESOUECES OF IOWA. 

The water is distributed from a reservoir under gravity pressure 
of 65 pounds. For fire protection, direct pressure of 80 pounds is 
available. The system comprises 4^ miles of mains, 37 fire hydrants, 
and 536 taps. 

The depth of the well, the heavy impervious blue clay, and the 
casing which extends to rock, give assurance that with due care in 
keeping the casings intact, thus excluding all water in surface sands, 
the well will remain entirely safe as a city suppl}^, notwithstanding 
the low ground on which it is situated and the increasing settlement 
of the area above it. 

The yield from the Niagara is exceptionally large at other points 
in town; the capacity of the well of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 
Paul Railway, for example, which is sunk 40 feet in the Niagara, is 
100 gallons a minute; but the supply near Kitty Creek is especially 
large because of the broad deep sag in the rock surface which under- 
lies the valley. In this sag the limestone is no doubt saturated with 
water supplied from the higher rock on either side, and perhaps 
from a considerable chstance to the north and the south. 

Olin. — Water at Olin (population, 659) is found in sands of the 
ancient flood plain of Wapsipinicon River on which the village is 
built, and in the underlying Niagara dolomite, which is reached at 
different depths, in places somewhat more than 100 feet. Water 
rises within 10 or 15 feet of the surface. 
' The town is supplied from an 8-inch well 272 feet deep. Water 
was found in sand at 25 feet, and also in the Niagara, which was 
entered at 117 feet. Casing shuts out water above that of the lime- 
stone. Water stands at 13 feet from the surface, and the capacity 
of the well is 100 gallons a minute. On pumping at this rate water 
lowers 9 feet. There is a pneumatic storage tank. The pressure is 
from 45 to 80 pounds. There are 6,400 feet of mains and 16 hy- 
drants. 

Onslow. — Onslow (population, 207) is supplied by deep drilled 
wells, some of which are sunk in the deposits filling an ancient buried 
valley (p. 430). 

House wells find abundant water in the Niagara just beneath the 
drift. Rock is found at different depths from the surface, as the 
lowan plain on which the town is built here overlies the sloping 
side of a buried valley. At the south end of the village rock is found 
at 80 feet; 700 feet north the rock floor has descended to 137 feet 
and 300 feet north to 206 feet. In some of these wells as much as 
70 feet of sand is found beneath heavy glacial stony clays. 

Oxford Junction and Oxford Milts . — The level plain adjacent to 
Wapsipinicon River about Oxford Junction (population, 822), and 
Oxford Mills (population, 233) is underlain by the Niagara dolomite, 



JONES COUNTY. 



437 



wliich comes to the surface within the limits of the former town, 
but is cut with deep ancient channels of the river. Thus in Oxford 
Mills rock occurs within 4 feet of the surface at the schoolhouse, 
and a block away a house well enters rock at 11 feet. 

Stone. — The village of Stone (population, 700), situated on the 
bluffs of Wapsipinicon River, depends on drilled wells for house 
supply. On the highest elevations wells are 265 feet in depth and 
water stands 190 feet from the surface. 

Wyoming. — The waterworks of Wyoming (population, 733) com- 
prise a well 78 feet deep, a storage basin, and 2 miles of mains. 
Water is distributed by gravity and by direct pressure of 55 pounds. 
There are 15 hydrants. The well is located in the valley of Beaver 
Creek and is sunk 41 feet into the Niagara dolomite. An 8-inch cas- 
ing is driven 3 feet into the tock, but is not packed. The material 
penetrated above the rock is river sand, deriving its water by per- 
colation from the surface. 

It may be necessary in the future to prevent the ingress of water 
liable to contamination by recasing the well to considerably greater 
depth and by very thorough packing. Water stands within 9 feet 
of the curb, and is not lowered by pumping 100 gallons a minute. 

Many house wells are used throughout the town. On the fiat land 
in the northern part rock is found at about the same depth from the 
surface as at the city well. On the hills bordering the valley, house 
wells enter rock after passing through 70 feet of glacial clays and 
obtain water in the Niagara at depths of 90 and 100 feet below the 
surface. 

WELL DATA. 

Information concerning typical wells in Jones County is presented 
in the following table: 

Typical wells in Jones County. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


125 


40 


200 


190 


150 


40 


80 


70 


100 





126 


124 


125 


115 


150 


74 


90 


75 


125 


SO 


220 


218 


200 




175 


ieo 



Source of sup- 
ply. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet) . 



T. 86 N., R. 4 W. (Cas- 
tle Geove). 

P. Kehoe 

T. Cashman 

A. W. Cramer 

Geo. Henderson 

Wm. Henderson 

D. W. Cunningham 

J. Lukken 

J.M.King 

N. Deischer 

C.Pheil 

M. Brown 

N. Nichols 

A. B. Harms 



NW. iNW. isec.5. 

NW. Jsec. 8 

SW. 1 NW. 1 sec. 14. 
ggc 19 

N. j NW. isec!"20".V. 
NE. JSW. ^sec. 21. 
SW. iSE.isec. 25.. 
SE. JSW. Jsec. 29.. 
NW. JNW. Jsec. 29 
NW. J N W. i sec. 32 
SW. JSW. isec.33. 
NW. JNW. isec. 33, 
NW. 1 SW. J sec. 34. 



Limestone 
Limestone 
Gravel 

Limestone 
....do 

Sand 



Blue clay to rock. 
Do. 

Ridge. 



Fairly level ground. 

All blue clay. 

Blue clay to sand. 
Mostly blue clay; one 

10-foot stratum of 

sand. 



438 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical ivells in Jones County — Continued . 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Source of sup 
ply- 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 86 N., R. 3 W. (MoN- 

TICELLO). 

R. A. Ryerson 

R.M. Hicks 

J. McNutt 

H. Sandhouse 

P. Meyer 

J. Joussi 

J. Mangold 

Wm. Rolston 

C. A. Schatz 

J. Voorhees 

Mrs. Ferring 

James Skelly 

G. H. George 

P. Byerly 

T.86N.,R. 2 W. (Rich- 
land). 

J. F. Moore 

Diamond Creamery 

Wm. Farragher 

T. Casper 

M.Allen 

John Shover 

T.85N.,R.4W. (Cass), 

E.Head 

Mrs. Mayberry 

A. B. Harms 

Norman Clark 

Colton 

Geo. Watt 

H. C. Thompson 

P. Osborne 

L. H. Darrow 

John Gerdes 

A. C. Stickle 

J. J. Richards 

George Ketcham 

R. Stout 

P. Berryman 

L. Hartman 

T. Deming 

T.Foley 

T. 85 N., R. 3 W 

(Wayne). 

R. Batchellor 



Langworthy Creamery... 



H. Himebaugh 

A. B. Jacobs , 

S. Woster 

T.H.Dunn , 

H.M. Dirks 

Noah Bigly , 

William Helgens.. 

A. G. Zimmerman 



SE.JNE. Jsec. 1... 
NW. iNE. J sec. 2.. 
NW. iNW. isec. 2. 

W. 4SW. Jsec. 5 

NE.'i NE. Jsec. 6... 
NE. iSW. Jsec. 6... 

SW. iNW. Jsec. 8.. 
SW. i NW. I sec. 14. 
NE. JNE. 1 sec. 15.. 

SE. iNE. isec. 17.. 
SW. iSW. isec. 16.. 

SW. JSE. isec. 22.. 
SE.iSE. isec. 27..., 
NW. i NE. i sec. 29. 



SW. iSE.isec.5... 
NW. iNE. isec. 19. 
SE.iSW. isec.l7.. 
N. ASW. isec. 19... 
SE.'iSE.isec. 20... 

E.4SW. isec. 20... 
SE.iSE. isec. 30... 

SW. iSW. isec. 1.. 
SW. iSE.isec. 1... 
SW. iSW. isec. 2.. 
SW. iNE. isec. 2.. 
SE.iSE. isec. 3.... 
NW. iSW. isec. 3.. 

SE. isec. 5 

NW. iNW. isec. 10 
NW.iNE.isec.il. 
SW. iNW. isec.l3. 
SE. iNE. isec. 15.- 

SW. i NW. i sec. 20. 
SE. iNE. isec. 22.. 

NE. isec. 24 

N. ASW. isec. 25... 
SE.iSE. isec. 28... 
SE.iNW. isec. 36.. 
NW. iNE. isec. 36. 



SE.iNE. isec. 7. 
Langworthy 



SE.iSW. isec. 10... 



SE.iSE. isec. 12... 
SE.iSW. isec. 18.. 



NE.iSW. isec. 19.. 
NW. i SW. i sec. 20. 



NW. iSW. isec. 21... 
SW. iNW. isec. 22... 

SW. iSW. isec. 22... 



Feet. 
95 
180 
85 
85 
105 
220 

85 
55 
150 

100 
119 

100 
100 
150 



280 
60 
100 
150 
401 

219 
100 



220 
185 
177 
280 
200 
185 
97 
160 
180 
136 
185 

54 
144 
127 
200 
203 
200 
257 



130 
120 

100 



180 



240 
320 



250 
100 



190 



Feet. 
10 
5 
65 
15 
20 
40 

15 
40 
10 



200 
170 
157 
260 
190 
155 
60 
140 
180 
104 
161 

17 
93 



167 
107 
197 
240 



100 



20 
170 



230 
300 



Limestone 
---.do 

Limestone 

...-do 

-.-.do 

---.do 

Limestone 

.--.do 

Sand 

Limestone 

-.-.do 

.--.do 



Limestone. 

do 

do 

do 



Sand. 



River bottom. 

Do. 
Hilly ground 

from river. 
River bottom. 



back 



Across road from Rols- 
ton well. 

Dirt, 20; sand, 99. 
River bottoms. 

Creek bottoms. 
Rock; yellow clay, 50. 



Ions per minute. 



Clay, 20; limestone, 

365; shale, 16. 
Started in a spring. 
Sand, 25. 



Hill. 



Sand. 



Do. 
Do. 



Much blue clay in lo- 
cality. 



Rather low ground. 



Nearly 100 feet of 
quicksand on rock. 



Heads 11 feet above 
curb. Blueclay, 100; 
sand, 30. 

Flowing well; blueclay 
and sand in alternate 
strata, 100; rock with 
water, 20. 

Yellow clay, 20; sand. 



Sand and blue clay to 
rock. 

From 120 to 190 feet 
sand; a well on same 
section, 306 feet to 
rock, has 100 feet of 
sand. 

Blue clay, 50; sand, 30; 

rock, 20. 
Blue clay, 100; sand, 90. 



JONES COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Jones County — Continued . 



439 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Feet. 
170 
185 


Feet. 
160 
184 


245 


200 


300 


299 


200 


175 


420 


415 


330 
300 
328 


300 
280 
320 


250 
320 
245 


225 
320 
225 


225 




50 
170 
315 
280 
213 


18 

9 

34 

16 

210 


120 


120 


240 
110 
250 


235 
100 
240 


280 


260 


160 
100 
111 


148 
45 
100 


398 


391 


311 


311 


44 


10 


130 

226 


123 
221 



Source of sup- 
ply- 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 85 N., R. 3 W 
(Wayne)— Contd. 

J. H. Hoyen 

A. Balster 

H. S. Hartman 



J. Cunningliam... 

Aug. Toenges 

William Rilken... 

J. Dorsey 

WilUam Stout. . . . 
A. B. Hungerford 

Bigler 

G. E. Strawman.. 
J. Schron 

Amker Creamery. 



T.85N.,R.2W.(SC0TCH 
Grove). 

P. E. Preibilbis 

A. O. Preibilbis , 

David Sutherland 

A. G. Haukea , 

J. Sutherland 

P. Kahns 

R. Williamson 



R. Livingston. 

Wm. Mclntyre 
Wm. Leech... 
S. Walworth. . 



G. Overly 

Elmer Overly. 



Scotch Grove Creamery . . 



R, Gunn 

W. H. Chatterton. 



SE.JSE.Jsec. 23.. 
NE. JSE. J sec. 24. 



NE.J-SW. Asec.26... 



SE.iSE. isec. 27. 



SW. iNE.Jsec. 28.. 
NE.iSW. isec. 29.. 



SE. iNW. Isec. 29.. 
S W. i NW. i sec. 30 . 
NW. iSE.Jsec. 30.. 



SW. 1 SE. isec. 31. 

SW. isec. 32 

SE. iNE. isec. 33.. 



Amker. 



SE.i-NW.isec. 11..-. 
NE.iNW.isec.ll(?) 
NW.iNW.isec. 14... 
NE. iNE. isec. 23.... 
NW. iNE. isec. 25.. - 

SW.iSW.isec.27.... 



SE.iSW.isec.28.. 
SE.iNW.isec.29. 
SE. iNE. isec. 31. 



NW.iNW.isec. 33.. 

SW.iNE.isec.33... 
NW. iNE. isec. 34.. 
SW. iNE. isec. 36... 



2 miles east of Center 

Junction. 
2 miles east of Center 

Junction. 



Scotch Grove. 



Limestone. 



Gravel. 



White flint. 
Limestone . 



SW.iSW.isec.19... 
SE.iSW.isec.20... 



Soft 1 i m e- 
stone. 



Blue clay with sand 
streaks 6 and 8 feet 
thick, 144; gravel; 
hard clay, 40; rock, 1. 

Yellow clay, 20; blue 
clay, 180; limestone 
and shale in alternate 
layers about 5 feet 
thick, 35; limestone 
with water, 10. 

Blue clay; sand and 
gravel; gravel 30 feet 
thick on rock. 

Drill dropped 12 inches 
in rock cavity. 

Ridge. Yellow clay, 
50; remainder sand 
and blue clay to rock. 



Yellow clay, 30; blue 
clay, 160; quicksand 
with water, 130; lime- 
stone, 8. 

High ground. 

Yellow clay, 60; blue 

clay and streaks of 

sand, 175. 
Yellow clay, 15; sand, 

65; hard blue clay; 



River bottoms. 
Bluff. 

Do. 

Do. 

Heads 11 feet below 
curb. 

Blue clay to rook. 
Level groimd. 

Much sand. 

Blue clay to rock. 

Sand and blue clay; 
sand quicksand 
above growing 
coarser toward 
bottom. 

"Surface," 15; "hard- 
pan," 135; sand, 98; 
clay, 12; rock, 20. 



Low ground near creek; 
heads 4 feet above 
curb. Blue clay, 40; 
sand and gravel, 45; 
clay, 15; rock, 11. 



Surface soil, hardpan, 
sand, old wood, 4; 
clay rock. In same 
locaUty wells of Mrs. 
Van Slyke, 325 feet 
deep. 317 feet to 
rock and Wm. Alex- 
ander, 348 feet deep, 
300 feet to rock. 



100 feet "hardpan"; 
121 feet sand to rock. 



440 



TJNDEEGKOUND WATER RESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Typical xoells in Jones County — ^Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Source of sup- 
ply- 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T.85N.,R. 2 W. (Scotch 
Gkove)— Continued. 

Neelans 

T. MacManus 

R. Haynor 

Carstens 

Oar 

J. Russell 

Mrs. MacMasters 

T.84N.,R. 4 W. (Faik- 
VIEW). 



L. J. Adair 

Wm. Bromley.. 
James Shonflin . 
Robt. Lister 



M. Wagener. 



A. Alspaugh 

Edward Grimm. . . 

J. Joslin 

J. Meeks 

— Ercanbrack . 

Allen Stone 

T. Helberg 



J. Dumont 

J. Underwood . 
Daniel Joslyn. 
S. E. Bills 



T. 84 N., R. 3 W. (Jack- 
son). 

Frank McNeely 



P. Cheshire 

W. Johnson 

Melvin Strawman. 



H. Mowerv. 



J. L. Brown 

Frank Barly, sr. 

John McNeely. . 
Creamery 



LHay 

Ben Johnston. 



T.84N.,R.2W. (Madi- 
son). 

J. F. Brown 



Carlston Kettleson . 



John McDonald. 
M. O. Felton..., 
F. Baily 



J. V. Smith. 



G. H. Simpson. 
B. C. Bromwell 



SE.iSE.isec.20.. 
NE.iNE.isec.21. 



NE.iSW.isec.23.. 

NW.isec.28 

SW.iNE.isec.29.. 
SW.iNE.isec.31.. 
SW.iNW.J-sec.32. 



SW.JNE.i-sec. 1.. 
SE.iNE.isec. 2. . 
NW.iNE.Jsec.3. 
NW.JNE.Jsec.5. 

SW.isec.9 



SW.iSW.Jsec. 15.. 
NW.i-NE.isec. 16. 
SW.iNW.isec.22. 
SW.iNW.isec.24. 

SE.isec.25 

NE.iSE.isec.25.. 
NE.iNE.isec.27.. 

SW.iSW.isec.29.. 
SW.iNE.isec.33.. 
NE.iSE.isec.35.. 
SW.iSE.isec.36.. 



SE.iSE.isec. 1. 



SW.iSW.isec. 3. 

NE.iNW.isec.4. 
NW.iNE.isec.5. 



NW. iSW. isec. 6.. 



NE.iNE.isec.il. 
Sec. 12 



NE.iNE.isec. 12. 
See. 13 



NE.iNE.isec. 17. 
NE.iSE.isec. 19. 



NE.iSW.isec. 6. 
SW.isec.7 



NW.iNW.isec.8. 

SW. isec. 11 

Center sec. 13 



NE.iNE.isec. 13... 



NW.iNW.isec. 14. 
NE.iNW. isec. 17. 
SE.iSE.isec. 20... 



Feet. 
156 
205 



282 
156 
130 

85 
115 



165 
124 
131 

215 



175 
190 
142 
134 
202 
188 
152 

96 
70 
100 



Feet. 
150 
2 



20 

150 

20 

15 

2 



139 
123 



91 
100 
70 
52 
109 
142 
128 

40 
51 



290 
260 
270 



143 
213 



238 
160 



85 
112 



245 

322 

214 
324 
190 

135 



120 
235 
317 



Limestone . 



289 



200 
130 

262 



Gravel . 



229 
153 



210 
320 



Sand and 
gravel. 



Gravel . 



30 
230 
310 



5-foot crevice full of 
water with strong 
current. 



Mostly sand to rock. 

High ridge, nearly all 
yellow clay to rock. 

Nearly all yellow clay 
to rock. 



60 to 90 feet clean clay 
"river sand." 



Heads 127 feet below 
curb. 100 feet quick- 
sand on rock. 



Yellow clay, 30; stony 
clay, 110; sand, 100; 
cemented sand and 
gravel, 22; rock, 8. 

Blue clay; quicksand, 
30; cemented gravel, 
4; rock. 

Top of ridge. Heads 
198 feet below curb. 

All blue clay to rock. 

Heads 115 feet below 
curb. 



Ridge. Heads 125 feet 

below curb. 
Sand at 200 feet; much 

sand on ridge. 

Much sand. 

Heads 177 feet below 
curb. 

"Surface," 15; hard 
blue clay, 25; sand 
and gravel, 10; hard- 
pan, 50; sand, 30; 
clay, 2; rock, 3. 



"Surface," 10; yellow 
clay and ' ' hardpan ' ' ; 
clear sand and gravel 
225. Not 50 feet 
above Bear Creek. 



LINN COUNTY. 

Typical toells in Jones Counii/— Continued. 



441 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source of sup- 
ply- 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T.84N.,R.2AV. (Madi- 
son)— Continued. 

J. S. Bromwell 


NE.iNE.isec.22.... 
NE.iSE.isec.23.... 
SW.iNE.isec. 25.... 
NW.iNW.isec.27... 

NE.iNW.isec.29.-. 
SE.iNE.isec.5 


Feet. 
240 
211 
165 
63 

280 


Feet. 

230 

205 

160 

20 

275 

80 
30 
65 
70 
15 
50 

202 

68 

32 
53 
80 






J. L. Finch 






J. Thompson 










Sand and gravel to 
rock. Greek b ot- 
toms. 






T.84N.,R.1W.( Wyo- 
ming). 

J. Corbit 




Mostly blue hardpan. 


Israel Edwards 


Sec. 11 


120 
116 
162 
88 
170 

214 

98 

62 

86 
86 

100 
132 

216 
131 

159 
210 

60 
76 

61 
179 

78 

200 
45 
160 
163 

72 

42 
160 
150 




J. F. Allen 


SW.iSW.isec. 13.... 
E.J sec. 23 












Peter Kegly 


Sec. 24 




Hill. 


J. W. Kegly 


Sec. 24 






T.83N.;R.4W.(Green- 
field). 

Geo. Lamb 


NW.iSE.isec.l 

SE.iNW.isec.3 

SE.iNW.isec.4 

NW.iNE.isec.5 

NW.iNW.isec.6.... 

NE.iNW.isec.lO... 
NE.iSW.isec.l2.... 

NW.iSE.isec.6..-- 
NE.iNE.isec.7 

SW.iNW.isec.8.... 
SE.iNW.isec. 10.... 

SE.iSW.isec. 13..-. 
SW.iSW.isec. 14.... 

NW.iSW.4sec.l7... 
SW.iNW.isec.25... 

SW.iSW.isec. 36..-. 

SE.iSW.isec. 1 

NW.iNW.isec.7.... 
SW.iSW.isec. 13.... 

SE.iSE.isec. 16 

SW.iSW.isec. 20.... 

NW.iSW.isec.22-.. 
SW.iNE.isec.24--.- 
NW.iNW.isec.27... 




All clay to rock. 
Nearly all sand. Ra- 
vine. 


F. B. Hakes 




J.Ellison 




J. H. Armstrong 




Low ground. 


Wm. Breeds 




Yellow clay, 20; blue 
clay to rock. 


A. D. MacCanahy 


99 




132 

195 
95 

158 






T.83N.,R.3W.(ROME). 
Jane Gauser 






R.J. Boots 




Water heard running 


H. P. Famham 




in vein. 


S. Strong 


80 




Soil, 4; yellow clay, 71; 


B. A.Jeffries 


12 
50 

32 
70 

36 

70 
20 
70 
100 
26 

23 




no blue clay. 






First rock hard gray 


Thrapp 




flint underlain with 
soft porous limestone. 
Plenty of water. 


W. R. Vernon 




Heads 59 feet below 


J. Rummel 




curb. 
Heads 48 feet below 


T.83N.,R.2W.(Hall). 
Murray Bros 




curb. 


B. Sherman 












P. W.Mitchell 






W. &L. Ghck 




Heads 30 feet below 






curb. 


B. Meyers 


70 
145 






G. A. Phillips 













LINN COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The salient topographic features of Linn County are two long belts 
of dissected upland, consisting of loess and Kansan drift, coincident 
in the main with the courses of Cedar and Wapsipmicon rivers and 
hence traversmg the county diagonally from northwest to southeast. 
Thes^ ridges rise 60 to 100 feet above the bordering drift plains and 



442 UNDEEGROUISTD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

as much as 200 feet above the streams which cleave them. In, places 
they close in on the rivers from either side and leave but narrow rock- 
bound gorges for the pathways of the streams, and for long stretches 
they draw back, leaving space for alluvial plains 1 to 2 miles wide. 
Here and there the upland disappears on one or both sides of the 
rivers and the lowan drift plain comes down to the immediate valley 
of the stream. 

The remainder of the county is occupied by the plam of lowan drift. 
To the north of the Kansan upland bordering the Wapsipinicon lies a 
drift prairie, the only village upon it within the limits of the county 
being fitly named Prairieburg. To the south of the upland of Cedar 
River is an area of lowan drift prairie fluted with numerous loess- 
capped elliptical hills, called paha, which rise in places as much as 120 
feet above the adjacent stream ways and whose major axes bear north- 
west and southeast. The surface is here further diversified by the 
wide and ancient channel now held by Prairie Creek. Fairfax and 
Ely are the villages of this area. 

Between the two river ridges lies a broad plain of lowan drift, on 
which are built Walker, Center Point, Marion, Springville, Mount 
Vernon, Lisbon, and several villages. The valleys of a number of 
southward-flowing creeks trench the prairie to a depth of from 40 to 
60 feet. Paha are generally absent from the area except about its 
margins. Southeast of Springville, however, the plain is divided by 
a belt of hilly country with pahoid crests, leaving on either side an 
undulating prairie 3 or 4 miles wide. 

GEOLOGY. 

The uplands of the county are mantled, in some places to a depth 
of 40 feet, with loess, a yellow silt distinguished by the driller from 
the yellow stony clays beneath by its freedom from pebbles and by its 
darker and duller tint. The lowan drift, which covers the prairies 
with its brownish pebbly sands and light yellow till, is too thin to be 
of importance in this inquiry. The Kansan drift sheet underlies the 
entire county. To it belong most of the blue and yellow stony clays 
which the driller finds everywhere. In places the Nebraskan drift 
is indicated by a dark till, separated from the overlying Kansan by 
old soils (Af tonian) . 

In the eastern part of the county the drift rests on the Niagara 
dolomite — a coarsely granular, crystallme, buff or blue-gray dolo- 
mite — which presents two phases. The first, the so-called "lime 
rock," seen at Viola and at the palisades near Mount Vernon, occurs 
in massive lenses 80 feet thick, almost destitute of structure planes, 
and also in highly tilted layers which afford easy descent for ground 
waters. The second phase, a buff, granular, finely laminated stone, 
is used extensively as a building stone; the strata are approximately 



LINN" COUNTY. 443 

horizontal and the jomts and numerous beddmg planes and porous 
layers offer ready passageways for the water. 

In the central and western parts of the county (PI. XI) the drift 
rests on strata of Devonian age, of which two formations have been 
distinguished. The upper, a yellowish limestone, in places highly 
fossiliferous, is known as the Cedar Valley limestone. The lower is an 
assemblage of strata, chiefly limestones, called the Wapsipinicon lime- 
stone, which includes a number of members to which names have been 
given by the Iowa State Survey from places of outcrop in tliis or 
adjoining counties. At the base of the Wapsipinicon is a soft, granular 
magnesian limestone (Coggon beds of Iowa Survey) somewhat resem- 
bling the Niagara, on which it rests. Next in ascending order is a 
variable brown or drab limestone, in places flinty (Otis beds of Iowa 
Survey), succeeded by a series of shales and shaly limestones, nor- 
mally blue but locally black with carbonaceous content, and even 
containing thin discontinuous seams of coal, to which the Iowa State 
Survey has given the name Kenwood beds but which are considered 
as the equivalent of the Independence shale member of Buchanan 
County. 

In the latter beds much fhnt is contained in concretionary masses. 
Upon them lies a heavy bed of broken or brecciated limestone made 
up of angular fragments (the Upper Davenport and Lower Davenport 
beds of the Iowa Survey), which may even embrace some of the 
underlying beds and in places include some of the lower beds of the 
overlying Cedar Valley limestone. In small areas in the county the 
bedrock is a sandstone or coaly shale belonging to the Pennsylvanian 
series. 

The limestones of the Devonian are exceptionally soluble because 
of their slight magnesian content, and contain many water passages 
and some crevices where the drill drops slightly and in which running 
water is found. As the "Kenwood beds" (Independence shale mem- 
ber) are more or less clayey, they serve to arrest the descent of ground 
water and to impound it witliin the overljdng limestones as in a 
reservoir. In Otter Creek, Wasliington, Spring Grove, and Fayette 
townships drillers report beds of "soapstone" which are referable to 
the Independence member. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

On the broad flood plain of Cedar River open and driven weUs 15 
to 30 feet deep obtain an abundant supply of water in river-laid 
sands and gravels. 

About the margin of the lowan drift the loess graduates downward 
by interstratification into yeUow sands, which furnish small supplies 



444 UN-DEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUKCES OF IOWA., 

for house and farm wells in the areas bordering paha hills and the 
Kansan upland, and in some of the towns of the county bring ground 
water into the cellars of houses located on the flanks of loess-capped 
liills. The lower portion of the loess, wliich is in many places gray 
or ashen in color, may become so saturated with water as to form a 
quicksand in railway cuts and other excavations, and may afford a 
scanty and inconstant supply for shallow wells. The loess and its 
basal sands are poor aquifers. The loess is thick upon the summits 
of the uplands and of the paha liills; but these uplands are deeply 
dissected and water readily drains out, leaving little stored for the 
supply of wells; and where the land is low and comparatively level, 
the loess is either so thin as to be negligible, or is wholly wanting. 
Wells sunk in loess should, if possible, be located where the subsurface 
seepage follows along channels cut in the Kansan drift, as, for example, 
near the foot of a large ravine or where several ravines converge. 

Beds of sand and gravel occur in the drift clays and may sepa- 
rate the upper weathered zone of yellow stony clay from the blue 
unweathered till beneath. The sands immediately beneath the yellow 
tills may yield small supplies of water, but as a rule wells are compelled 
to seek deeper aquifers, which may occur in sands and gravels 
(Aftonian) lying beneath the Kansan drift sheet, in lenses of sand in 
either of the older drifts, or in gravels lying on bedrock. The gravels 
above bedrock are in some places found oxidized and even cemented 
to a hardpan through the seepage of water, wlrile the overlying till 
retains its normal bluish color. 

On the lowan drift plain ground water stands high wherever porous 
beds capable of storing and transmitting water are found near the 
surface, but even here impervious tliick beds of stony clay may force 
the owners of wells to drill deep to find water in adequate amounts in 
interglacial and preglacial sands or in the rock. On the uplands of 
loess and Kansan drift in the immediate Adcinity of the rivers and 
creeks the ground-water surface approaches the level of its outlets at 
the water level of the streams, and wells are necessarily deep. 

In general, all these Pleistocene beds have been decreasing in value 
as water bearers, owing both to the progressive lowering of ground 
water since the settlement of the country and to the continued increase 
in the drafts upon them. 

Old soils and accumulations of wood which affect the quality of 
well water are reported from some wells, but are relatively so few 
that they do not seem referable to any special horizon. Thus, in 
sees. 10 and 11 of Washington Township dug wells encounter at 
about 60 feet from the bottom deposits of wood, like driftwood, with 
some logs said to show marks of beaver cutting. The forest bed here 
occurs beneath blue clay which extends upward to within a few feet 
of the surface, yellow till being absent. 



LINISr COUNTY. 445 

The Niagara dolomite is one of the cliief aquifers of the county. 
The towns of Mount Vernon and Lisbon draw from it their town sup- 
ply, and farm wells tap it over all the eastern townships of the county. 
The formation measures more than 300 feet in thickness and rests 
upon the tliick and impervious Maquoketa shale wliich effectually 
prevents any leakage of ground water downward. In the central and 
western parts of the county the westward dip of the Niagara carries 
it beneath overlying Devonian strata along a sinuous line extending 
south from Coggon to near Bertram, and the formation carries with 
it the ground water received on its broad area ^f outcrop. The lower 
argillaceous beds of the Devonian here to a large extent prevent 
upwa,rd leakage from the artesian pressure to which the water of the 
Niagara is subjected. Wells sunk into the Niagara in tlie central and 
western townships of the county have fair prospects of obtaining a 
bountiful supply of water, although in this, as in all other limestone 
formations, it is never certain that the drill will strike one of the water 
channels of the rock. 

BURIED CHANNELS. 

Some exceptionally deep wells in drift indicate ancient channels 
excavated in rock in interglacial or preglacial time and later filled 
with deposits of ground moraine or outwash sands. Thus a belt of 
"deep country" where a number of wells in drift exceed 275 and 300 
feet in depth extends north from Prairieburg to the Delaware County 
line, embracing sees. 2, 10, 11, 15, 22, and 28 of Bowlder Township. 
Tliis channel is probably a continuation of that of vfestern Jones 
County. In several places farm wells have disclosed such buried 
channels which can not be traced across the country with the little 
data at hand. Thus 3 miles west of Mount Vernon (SE. J SE. I sec. 
12, T. 82 N., R. 6 W.) the following well section is reported. It will 
be noticed that the depth at which rock was reached is 110 feet below 
low water in the Cedar River and nearly 100 feet below its rock- 
cut bed. 

Section oftvell 3 miles vjest of Mount Vernon {PL XI, p. 382). 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


14 


14 


48 


62 


6 


68 


66 


134 


8 


142 


63 


205 


6 


211 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, hard, blue, pebbly. 

Soil, dark, and wood 

Clay, blue, stony , 

Sand and gravel , 

Clay, blue, stony 

River sand to rock 



446 UNDEEGKOUND WATEK KESOUKCES OF IOWA. 

In the northern part of the county (NW. i sec. 17, T. 86 N., R. 6 W.) 
another buried channel shows the following section : 

Section of well in northern part of Linn County. 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


19 


19 


4 


23 


190 


213 


13 


226 


12 


238 


3 


241 



Soil and clay, yellow, pebbly 

Sand, yellow 

Clay, blue; changeable from hard to soft every few feet. 

Sand, fine, white 

Sand, coarser, with wood 

Gravel, coarse 



In towns, house wells are so closely spaced that even narrow gorges 
cut in rock can be discovered and traced. At Lisbon, where the rock 
outcrops or is found within 6 to 24 feet of the surface, a gorge half a 
mile long, 115 feet deep, and about 18 rods wide extends through the 
town. The drift, which completely fills this ancient channel, leaving 
no surface indication of it, consists of yellow and blue clays with some 
beds of gravel. At Central City an old channel of Wapsipinicon 
River is disclosed by wells on the east side of the village. It is 
separated from the present channel by a rocky elevation that comes 
within a very few feet of the surface of the low plain on which the 
village stands. The channel, which is filled with yellow sand, is 96 
feet deep, or 60 feet below water in the river. 

In Cedar Rapids, on the west side of the river, a buried channel 60 
feet deep extends parallel to the river and separated from the present 
rock-cut bed of the stream by limestone rising nearly to the level of 
the low, broad flood plain on which this portion of the city is built. 

SPRINGS. 

No marked spring horizons are found in Linn County, for in it 
there are no outcropping planes of contact of limestones with under- 
lying thick and persistent shales. The most important sj^rings are 
those which form the main supply of the town of Marion. (See 
p. 449.) Other springs rise from the Devonian along its outcrops on 
the valley sides of Cedar River north of Cedar Rapids, and still others 
along the Wapsipinicon from Central City to Troy Mills, but few, if 
any, are strong enough to yield a stream of any size. 

Springs from the Niagara are found in many localities over the 
outcrop of that formation. Thus the springs in Spring Hollow, at 
the summer resort of the Palisades of Cedar River, rise from the base 
of cliffs of the Niagara. A large spring from the same formation is 
that of Granger, on Wapsipinicon River, 2 miles northwest of Central 
City. The large spring which supplies Lisbon may in part draw its 
waters from the Niagara. 



LINN COUNTY. 



447 



Small springs and seepages occur in large numbers where the 
valleys transect the porous sands and gravels of the drift. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Cedar Rapids. — The public supply of Cedar Rapids (population 
32,811) is drawn from Cedar River and from three artesian wells 
located 100 to 200 feet apart at the apices of a triangle. (See PL 
XI.) The total capacity of the works is 10,000,000 gallons daily 
and the consumption is 2,500,000 gallons. The domestic pressure is 
60 pounds and the fire pressure 130 pounds. There are 53 miles of 
mains, 4,200 taps, and 310 fire hydrants. The wells are described 
as follows : 

The waterworks well No. 1 has a depth of 2,225 feet and a diameter 
of 5 inches. The curb is 733 feet above sea level. The original 
head was 28 feet above the curb and the original discharge 250 gal- 
lons a minute; the present bead is 2 feet above the curb and the 
present discharge 150 gallons a minute. First water was from 85 
feet and first flow from 1,050 feet; water was also found at 1,300 to 
1,450 feet and at 2,000 feet. The well was completed in 1888 at a 
cost of $6,065 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. Corroded casing 
was drawn in 1893. In 1894 th'^ well was reamed to 8 inches to a 
depth of 1,450 feet and plugged there to shut off a lower salty and 
corrosive water; no increase in flow resulted. 

The following record of strata is based on only 25 samples, and 
its accuracy is, therefore, open to question: 

Record of strata of waterworks well No. 1, at Cedar Rapids (PL XI, p. 382). 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


10 


10 


40 


50 


85 


135 


40 


175 


65 


240 


60 


300 


30 


330 


20 


350 


25 


375 


45 


420 


200 


620 


295 


915 


5 


920 


65 


985 


1 


986 


50 


1,036 


114 


1,150 


270 


1,420 


88 


1,508 


42 


1,550 


140 


1,690 


100 


1,790 


IGO 


1,950 


200 


2,150 


75 


2,225 



Alluvium 

Limestone, Ught buff, rather soft, magnesian, and gray, very hard, nonmagne- 
sian, compact; somewhat fragmental in structure 

Limestone, gray, sparry, subcrystalhne 

Limestone, moderately hard, Ught buff, magnesian 

Dolomite, pink, minutely vesicular, subcrystalline 

Dolomite, bright buff, porous 

Dolomite, hard, Ught gray, porous 

Dolomite, light yellow; coarser grained than that above 

Dolomite, hard, light gray, subcrystalline; some white chert 

Dolomite , yellowish; like above but softer 

Shale, fine, bluish green, calcareous, magnesian 

Limestone, magnesian and nonmagnesian 

Shale 

Sandstone, sUghtly bluish or greenish gray; grains of quartz rounded; consider- 
able calcareous powder; some gray shale 

Shale, dark colored 

Sandstone; clean, white grains, rounded and somewhat uniform in size 

Dolomite, light gray, rather hard, arenaceous, fine textured; much finely lam- 
inated green shale 

Dolomite, gray; with chert, white, and quart zose sand 

Sandstone; fine, white, rounded grains with much finely comminuted quartz and 
many small angular fragments of white dolomite 

Sandstone, fine, yellowish , water bearing 

Sandstone, with slight admixture of calcareous powder 

Shale, tough and hard; small amount of very fine siUceous particles and some 
dolomite 

Sandstone; light, reddish grains largely angular; some with crystalline facets 

Sandstone, cream colored, very fine grained 

Quartzite, reddish brown; grains angular; rock drilled with great difiiculty 



448 



UNDEEGKOUND WATEK EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



The waterworks well No. 2 has a depth of 1,450 feet and a diameter 
of 5 inches; cased to 85 feet. The curb is 733 feet above sea level. 
The original head was 28 feet above the curb; present head, 2 feet 
above the curb. The original discharge was 250 gallons a minute; 
present discharge, 150 gallons a minute. Water comes from depths 
of 485 feet, 1,050 feet, and 1,300 to 1,450 feet. Temperature, 62° F. 
The well was completed in 1888, at a cost of $3,205, by J. P. Miller 
& Co., of Cliicago. 

Waterworks well No. 3 is of the same dimensions as well No. 2. 
It is not now used. 

The Young Men's Cliristian Association well has a depth of 1,462 
feet and a diameter of 5 inches. The curb is 733 feet above sea 
level and the original head is 2^ feet above the curb. It was at first 
cased to a depth of 1,372 feet, but as a large part of the flow was 
thus shut off the casing was drawn and the well left cased to 85 feet. 
The well was completed in 1894 by A. K. Wallen, of Ottawa, 111. 

The following record of strata is based on a large number of drill- 
ings taken at frequent mtervals. Unfortunately, samples were not 
saved for the first 90 feet, within which space the drill must have 
passed through the lowest beds of the Devonian system. 

Record of strata of Young Men's Christian Association well at Cedar Rapids. 



Thickness. 



Depth. 



Devonian (95 feet tliick; top, 733 feet abo.ve sea level) — 

No samples ; 

Nonmagnesian limestone, dark, slate-colored; in chips: argillaceous, hard, 
compact, subconchoidal fracture; pyritiferous; showing junction surfaces 
with green clay; smaller chips of light buff magnesian limestone; not 

porous; earthy luster; green clay 

Silurian: 

Niagara dolomite (349 feet thick; top, 63S feet above sea level) — 

Magnesian limestone, or dolomite, light buff; slightly vesicular, earthy 

luster; samples at 95, 105, 115 feet 

Dolomites, buff, pinkish, and gray; mostly vesicular, suberystalline and 

sub translucent; 17 samples ." 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (276 feet thick; top, 289 feet aT)ove sea level)— 

Dolomite, hard, gray, argillaceous; with argillaceous powder 

Shale, bluish; intercalated limestones at 525, 565, and 595 feet; 7 samples. 
Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone (305 feet thick; top, 13 feet above 
sea level)— 

Dolomites, rough, hard; 6 samples 

Limestones, magnesian, some cherty; 8 samples : 

Limestones; briskly effervescent, earthy; in flaky chips; bluish gray 

Shale and limestone, brown, petroliferous 

Shale, blue. 



Limestone, bluish gray; in flaky chips; briskly effervescent; samples at 
990 and 1,000 feet. 



St. Peter sandstone (20 feet thick; top, 292 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone; of clean, white quartz sand; grains rounded and ground 

Prairie du Chien group (355 feet thick; top, 312 feet below sea level)— 
Shakopee dolomite (125 feet thick) — 

Dolomite, gray, cherty; samples at 1,045, 1,080, 1,100, and 1,115 feet.. 
Dolomite, arenaceous; in fine buff dolomitic powder with some 

quartzose grains 

New Richmond sandstone (55 feet thick) — 

Sandstone; in fine, light yellow quartz sand of angular grains; some 

dolomite; 3 samples. . . ". 

Oneota dolomite- 
Dolomite, gray; 12 samples; at 1,240 and 1,380 feet arenaceous 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (62 feet penetrated; top, 667 feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone: clean white quartz sand similar to the St. Peter, but coarser; 
4 samples; at 1,435 feet slightly calciferous 



Feet. 



25 
324 



270 



65 
135 
15 
15 
40 



Feet. 



120 

444 



450 
720 



785 
920 
935 
950 
990 



1,025 
1,045 

1,130 
1,170 



1,225 
1,400 



1,462 



LINlSr COUNTY. 449 

This section indicates that the lower strata of water-works well 
No. 1 may be correlated as follows : 

St. Lawrence formation, 1,462 (?) to 1,790 feet; earlier Cambrian, 
1,790 to 2,150 feet; Algonkian (?) quartzite, 2,150 to 2,225 feet. 

A number of moderately deep wells, such as those of the gas com- 
pany, the starch works, and the Montrose Hotel, draw an excellent 
supply of water from the Niagara. The well at Montrose Hotel is 
8 inches in diameter and 235 feet deep. Water heads 11 feet below 
the curb and can be lowered but 7 feet by pumping. The well is 
cased to rock about 30 feet below the level of the street. An older 
well, 95 feet deep, yielded a wholly insufficient supply. 

Central City. — At Central City (population, 558) the St. Peter 
sandstone will be found at about 75 feet above sea level or 912 feet 
below the surface. Possibly this sandstone, together with the water 
of such veins as might be struck in the Niagara and Galena, would 
furnish a supply ample for the town at present. Otherwise the well 
should be sunk about 400 feet deeper, or. to a total depth of about 
1,300 feet. 

Coggon. — ^Water is supplied to Coggon (population, 471) by a well 
and pumped to an elevated tank affording a gravity pressure of 43 
pounds. There are 3,000 feet of mains and nine hydrants. 

Lisbon. — At Lisbon (population, 848) a spring whose water issues 
from Niagara dolomite, near the head of a ravine in the northwestern 
part of town, is pumped to a standpipe. The domestic pressure is 
45 pounds and the fire pressure 100 pounds. There are 16 hydrants 
and 1| miles of mains. 

Marion. — ^Water for Marion (population, 4,400) is obtained from 
four large springs, supplemented for fire protection by water from 
Indian Creek. Four springs — the Bowman, Lower Bowman, Davis, 
and Riley — are inclosed in stone reservoirs with roofed superstructures 
and screened openings. They flow 3,000,000 gallons a day from near 
the base of the Wapsipinicon limestone. The pressure is direct, the 
domestic being 60 pounds and the fire pressure from 80 to 120 pounds. 
There are 15 miles of mains, 73 hydrants, and 1,000 taps. The supply 
from the springs far exceeds the maximum daily consumption. 

The record of the Cedar Rapids deep wells indicate approximately 
the prospects for such wells at Marion. Allowing for the difference 
in elevation and the dip of the strata, a well about 1,500 feet deep 
would obtain water which would not flow, but wliich should rise 
nearly to the surface. 

Mount Vernon. — The water supply of Mount Vernon (population, 
1,532) is drawn from a well 328 feet deep, ending near the base of 
the Niagara dolomite. (See PI. XL) The yield is augmented from 

36581°— wsp 293—12 29 



450 UlSTDERGKOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

surface gravels whose waters are admitted to the well, so that pump- 
ing draws the water down in adjacent shallow wells. 

The well entered rock at 10 feet and the principal supply is said 
to have been found at 160 feet. Water rises within 6 feet of the curb. 
The water is distributed under direct pressure and from a standpipe ; 
the pressure varies, according to location, from 45 to 80 pounds. 
There are 2f miles of mains, 42 hydrants, and 275 taps. The con- 
sumption is estimated at 25,000 gallons daily. 

A statement of the artesian conditions at Mount Vernon was pre- 
pared by W. H. Norton several years ago, when the city waterworks 
were built, but was not acted on, as the supply obtained by the city 
well was considered sufficient. The advisability of a deep well has 
been again raised, however, as a supply for Cornell College and 
especially for the swimming pool of the new gymnasium. 

At Mount Vernon (elevation, 843 feet) the drill will find below the 
country rock (Niagara) 250 feet or more of a dry shale — the Maquo- 
keta. This shale rests on a series of dolomites and limestones with 
some shales, aggregating 300 feet or more in thickness and known as 
Galena dolomite, Decorah shale, and Platteville hmestone. The St. 
Peter sandstone will be struck somewhere between 100 and 250 feet 
below sea level, the exact position being doubtful because of the strong 
upwarp of the strata whose axis probably lies east of the town, 
(PI. XI). It is probable that the effect of the uplift extends as far 
west as Mount Vernon, and the St. Peter is expected to occur nearer 
the first-mentioned than the last-mentioned depth. 

The water from the St. Peter and such as may be found in the 
superior limestones may be found adequate for the college needs. 
The water will be of good quality and should rise within 50 to 100 feet 
of the level of the surface at the railway station. 

A deep well for city supply should be drilled to a depth of 400 or 
500 feet below the St. Peter sandstone to obtain the much greater 
yields of the water-bearing strata underlying that terrane. To tap 
the Prairie du Cliien and the Jordan aquifers, a well need not exceed 
1,600 feet in depth, and a depth of 1,400 feet would probably suffice 
if the St. Peter lies as high as there is some reason to suppose. The 
well should be so located as to avoid all ground-water drainage lines 
passing through the town through surface sands and gravels, and 
should be so cased as absolutely to exclude such waters. 

S'pnngville. — The water supply of Springville (population, 588) is 
drawn from a well of which no report has been obtained. The 
gravity pressure from standpipe is 62 pounds and the direct fire 
pressure is 120 pounds. There are nine hydrants and 1 mile of mains. 

Walker. — Artesian wells at Walker (population, 517) should find 
the St. Peter sandstone about 965 feet below the surface or 75 feet 
below sea level. From 540 to 310 feet above sea level (350 to 580 



LINN COUlSrTY. 



451 



feet below the surface) the drill would pass through dry shales 
(Maquoketa) which should be cased. Water would probably be 
found in small quantities in the Devonian and SUurian limestones, 
which overlie these shales, and in the Galena and Platteville lime- 
stones which underlie them. Probably sufficient water could be 
found in the St. Peter for the present needs of the town, but if not, 
the well should be carried to about 1,400 feet below the surface to tap 
the large stores of the Prairie du Chien group and the Jordan sand- 
stone. 

The water will not flow at the surface, as the head in the St. Peter 
sandstone can hardly be higher than 100 feet below the surface. The 
upper limestone waters will probably rise higher. 

Minor supplies. — Details of water supplies of minor towns and 
villages are given in the following table: 

Village supplies in Linn County. 



Town. 



Nature of supply. 



Depth. 



Depth to 
water- 
bed. 



Head 
below 
curb. 



Alburnett. . . 

Bertram 

Center Pomt 

Ely 

Fairfax 

Norway 

Paralta 

Prairieburg. 

Palo 

Viola 



Drilled wells 

Drilled and driven wells 

Drilled wells 

Open, drilled, and driven wells. 

No report 

Drilled wells 

Wells and cisterns 

Drilled wells 

Driven wells 

Drilled wells and cisterns 



Feet. 
55-100 
23-124 
15-175 

17- 48 



Feet. 



15-130 
20 



150-400 
25- 50 
13-140 
18- 24 
30- 85 



100 
"26' 



Feet. 



12- 75 
30- 50 
10+ 



10- 95 
3-100 



WELL DATA. 



The following table gives data, largely gathered by the late Dr. 
M. J. lorns, of the Department of Agriculture, of typical wells in 
Linn County: 

Wells in Linn County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 

above 

or 

below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 86 N., R. 5 W. 
(Bowlder). 

T.Cushman 

L. Gehringer 

A. McDonald 


SE. I SE. i 

sec. 1. 
SW. Jsec. 2 


Feet. 
160 


Feet. 
160 

270 
160 
159 

20 
150 

160 


Feet. 
155 


Sand on 
rock. 


Feet. 




SE.isec.4 

SE. 1 NW. 1 

SE.JSE.isec.S 
NE. i NE. 1 
sec. 9. 

SE. JSE. isec. 
10. 


160 
160 

45 
170 

160 










L. McEvoy. 




Limestone 


-60 


All yellow and blue 


E.G. Bebb 


clay; no sand. 


D.Carr 




Limestone 




All clav; 10 feet of 


D. Hennessy 


red sticky clay 
(geest) on rock. 













452 



UNDEEGEOUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 
Wells in Linn County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 
to 

water 
supply. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 86 N., R. 5 W. 
(Bowlder)— Con. 

S. McAleer 


SW.ISW. Isec. 

12. 
NW. 1 sec. 11... 


Feet. 
160 


Feet. 

308 

130 

160 
160 
160 

160 

40 

95 

140 

130 

70 

145 

100 

180 

180 
313 
240 

125 

150 
80 


Feet. 
125 


Sandstone 


Feet. 




D. Hennessy 




Creamery. 
W. McAleer 


NE.JNE.Jsec. 

13. 
NW. Isec. 14.... 
SW. isec. 14.... 
SE.|NW.|sec. 

15. 
NW.JSE.Isec. 

15. 
NW.|NE.|sec. 

17. 
SE.|SW. Isec. 

17. 
NE.|NE.|sec. 

19. 
SE.|NW.|sec. 

20. 
SW.INE.isec. 

20. 
NW. 1 NE. i 

sec. 20. 
SW. 1 SW. i 

sec. 21. 
SE.|SE. Isec. 

22. 
NW. i sec. 23 . . . 

SE.|NE.|sec. 

23. 
SE. ISE.Jsec. 

23. 
SW.ISW. Isec. 

23. 

NW. 1 NW. 1 

sec. 24. 
SW. isec. 24.... 
NE.iNE.isec. 

25. 
NE.iSE.isec. 

25. 
SW.|SW.|sec. 

25. 
NE.|NE.|sec. 

26. 
NW. 1 NW. 1 

sec. 26. 

SW.|NE.|sec. 

27. 
SW. i NW. 1 

sec. 27. 
SW.|SW.isec. 

27. 
NW. i NW. 1 

sec. 28. 

SE. Isec. 28 

NE.|SW.isec. 

29. 
Nw'. isec. 24. 


130 

160 
160 
160 

160 

60 

95 

303 

180 
313 
240 

150 
80 

35 

195 

165 

50 
50 
120 
50 










C. LeClaire 










J. Franklin 










W, r}. ZlmTTifirTnan 










P. Pillard 










W. McEvoy 

J. W. Braselton 

C. Jensen 




Limestone 
Sand 


- 40 

- 15 


Trace of red geest 

on rock. 
Quicksand 35 feet 

deep to rock. 


Kimball estate 










J. Whitney 










P. McMurtin 










E . Berlingham 




Gravel 




All gravel to rock. 


J.Sibil 








G. Cowan 


276 


Sand 

On rock. 


-103 


3-foot sand bed, at 


P.H.Ryan 

M. A. Leonard...... 


depth of 25 feet; 
considerable 
water from 276 to 
303. Sand and 
gravel with 
water. 








0. Rundall 








From 220 to 230. 


J. I. Henderson 








"soluble" blue 
clay. 


J. I. Henderson 




On rock.. . 






T. Shaffer 


n rock . 






J. H. Holub 


Sand 




Dug well. 


J. Plower 


185 
190 


195 


Limestone 






W. Johanek 




A.Kula 




Sand and 
gravel. 




Yellow and blue 


F. J.Kula 


128 
50 
20 

120 
50 




clays, 150; sand 
gravel, 15. 


F. Valanta 




On rock.. . 






J.Kula 


Limestone 

On lime- 
stone. 
On rock. 






Prairieburg 


All blue clay. 


J. Walker 




W.Hill 








J. Whitney 














F. L. Williams 


NW. i NW. i 

sec. 30. 
SW.iNE.Isec. 

30. 
SW.|SE.|sec. 

30. 


120 
120 


100 
120 
120 










A. Burnside 








Yellow and blue 


G. Borsky 








clays to rock. 













LINN COUNTY. 
Wells in Linn County — Continued. 



453 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 86 N., R. 5 W. 
(Bowlder)— Con. 

A. E. Butler 



M. C. Walker. 
A. Lawrence.. 
W. Johanek.. 
J. B.Holub... 



M. Holub. 
F. Stack.. 



T. 86 N., R. 6 W. 
(Jackson). 



Lawton estate 

W. H. Sherman... 

T.L.Mam 

J. H. Ashby 

L.H.Webb 

S.N. Joslyn 

F.M. Phillips 



D. L. Castle. 
C.Ellis 



L.Dix 

S. M. Dennis. 



C. Boone 

R. W. Trumble. 



H. P. Hanna.. 
H. Henderson. 



G. Joslyn. 



W. McTavish.. 

H. Henderson. 

W.J.Woods.. 
C. Medary 



A. S. Green 

C. B. Chesmore. 



O.Woods.. 
W.Woods. 



C. Forest. 
T.Long.. 



NW. i SW. i 
sec. 34. 



SW. i NW. i 

sec. 34. 
SE.JNE.isec. 

35. 
SE. JSE. Jsec. 

35. 
NE.JNE.isec. 

36. 

SE.JSE. Jsec. 

36. 
S W.J sec. 36... 



NW. i NW. J 
NW.' i NW. i 

ne.'Tnw. i 

sec. 3. 

NW. 1 NE. i 

sec. 3. 
NW. i NE. i 

sec. 5. 
SW. JSE.Isec. 

5. 
NW. i NW. 1 

sec. 5. 

SW. Jsec. 6 

NE.JSE.isec. 

6. 
SW. iSE. Jsec. 

6. 
NW. i NW. i 

sec. 7. 

NW. isec. 7.... 
SE. J NW. i 

sec. 8. 
NW. i NW. i 

sec. 9. 
SE.iNE.isec. 



NE.JSW.isec. 



SW.JSW.isec. 
9. 

SE. isec. 10... 



SW.JSE.Isec. 

10. 
SE. JSE. Isec. 

14. 
SW. Isec. 14... 
NW: I NE. J 

sec. 15. 
NE. J sec. 15... 
NW.iSE.Jsec. 

sec. 15. 
NE.JSE.Jsec. 

16. 
SE. JSE. isec. 

17. 



Feet. 

188 



92 



180 
180 
160 
125 
52 



140 
100 

242 

75 

100 



232 



240 



180 
202 



140 
142 



Feet. 
88 



40 
198 
213 
149 

185 
185 

40 
40 



270 

180 

40 
100 

242 

50 

40 

190 



230 

240 
171 
116 



Feet. 
188 



Feet. 



195 
180 



Limestone 



75 



100 
200+ 



180 



Gravel . 



On rock. 



Limestone 



Spongy 
1 i m e - 
stone. 



On rock. 



Sand. 



Sand. 
Rock. 



130 
140 



On rock. 



"Shell- 
rock." 



- 25 

- 10 



50 



50 



-102 



Loess, 45; blue 

clay, 15; sand, 10; 

blue clay, 18; 

limestone, 100. 
All gravel above 

rock. 



Yellow clay, 30; 
solid blue clay, 
119. 



Yellow clay, 15; 
blue clay to rock. 



Yellow clay, 20; 

sand and gravel, 

20; blue clay to 

limestone rock. 
Yellow clay, 20; 

blue clay, 160; 

clear sand, 50; 

limestone, 2. 
Yellow and blue 

clay with layers 

of quicksand. 
Yellow and blue 

clay, 166 feet; 

sand, 5 feet. 
All yellow and blue 

clay. 



Sandbeds. 

Blue clay to rock. 
Blue clay to rock. 



454 



UNDERGROUnSTD WATEE KESOUECES OP IOWA. 

Wells in Linn County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

to 

water 

supply. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 86 N., R. 6 W. 
(Jackson)— Con. 

C. J. Avis 


NW. J NE. i 

sec. 18. 
NE.iNE.isec. 

20. 
SE.iNE.Jsec. 

21. 

SW. iSE.Jsec. 

23. 
NW. 1 NW. 1 

sec. 23. 
SW.JNE.isec. 

25. 

NW. ISE.isec. 

26. 
SW. i NW. i 

sec. 26. 
SW.iSW.Jsec. 

29. 
SW. ISE.isec. 

30. 
NW.isec.32.... 
SW.iSW.isec. 

32 
SW.'iSW. Jsec. 

32. 

SW.iSW.isec. 

35. 
NW. i SW. i 

sec. 33. 
NE.iNE.isec. 

36. 
NE. ISE.isec. 

29. 

SE.iSE.isec.3. 
SE.iNE.isec. 

8. 
NW. i NE. 1 

sec. 13. 
NW. i SE. i 

sec. 23. 
SW.iNE.Jsec. 

20. 

NE.iNE.isec. 
22. 

SE. iSE. isec. 

22. 
NE.iNE.isec. 

25. 

NW. i SW. i 

sec. 25. 
SE.iNE.isec. 

26. 
NE.iSE.isee. 

26. 
NE.iNE.isec. 

27. 


Feet. 
185 

80 

35 

126 


Feet. 
35 


Feet. 
185 




Feet. 




C. Waterliouse 








P. I. Henderson 










At 32 feet old soil, 


J. Cutlers 


124 
195 
145 

126 
60 








8 more layers 3 
feet thick. 


C. B. Chesmore 










J. Slife 








Yellow clay with 


S. N. Krutzer 




On rock.. . 




streaks of gravel; 
blue clay to rock. 


H. R. Shakespear. . . 








R. Moles 










B.T.HaU 


70 
140 

140 

70 

100 
47 

200 
180 

185 

40 

252 

140 

109 
140 

140 


40 

120 
70 


70 
140 








J. D. Moles 


Limestone 






B.W.Long 


At cemetery. 


B.W.Long 








Yellow clay, 25; 


J. Blodgett 


70 

190 

SO 

9 

20 








blue clay with 
sandy layers, 75 
yellow sand 
Chang i ng to 
gravel, 6. 


D.J. Powell 








Rock bluffs to rock 


J. R. Stone 


100 


Limestone 




on rivers. 


O. Gilchrist 


Yellow clay, lime- 


T. 86 N., R. 7 W. 
(Spring Grove). 

J. Peyton 






-25 


stone, blue sand- 
stone, and shale, 
45; a little coal. 


James McKnight. . . 






Rock from near 


G. C. Gardner 


35 








surface. 


S.B.MiUs 




Gravel 






E.C.Cook 


62 

20 

20 
120 

245 
70 
65 








Yellow clay, blue 


W. D. Bucklon 








clay to rock, 
small vein. 
Dark shale (Inde- 


F. A. Wilson 








pendence) at bot- 
tom. 


W. Forest 


138 






Yellow clay, 20; 


E.D. Powers 






blue clay with 
bo wider 8,100; 
very hard blue 
limestone, 18; 
yellow limestone 
2. 


So R.Mills 










J. F. Robinson. 










F.W. Bleakley 














1 







LINN^ COUNTY". 

Weils in Linn County — Continued. 



455 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

to 

water 

supply. 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T.86 N., R. 7 W. 
(Spring Grove)— 
Continued. 

C. Robinson 

A. G. McBurney... 
Sisler estate 

A. Simon 

P. W.Mix 

T. 86 N., R. 8 W. 
(Grant). 

J. Wachal 

M. Darrow 

W. H. Newland... 

J. Heverly 

M. Hazeltine 

C.Cox 

C. H.Nietert 

M. L. Kerly 

M.A.Hamlin 



T. 85 N., R. 5 W. 
(Buffalo; part 
OF Maine). 

J. Plower 

r. Fousek 

J. Bouchtela 

M. Holub 

W. Lawrence 

W. Johanek (2 

welis) . 
J.Peet 

J. McNamera 

Story estate 

H.Story 

J. Peet 

Matsell Bros 

T.Neilly 



SE. JSE.Jsec. 
32. 

NE. J sec. 34... 
NE. 4 sec. 36... 



SE.Jsec. 19.... 

SE.JNE.isec. 
22. 



NE. JNW. sec. 
21. 



NE.JSE.isec. 

21. 
NE.JSW.Jsec. 

28. 
SE.iSW. isec. 

31. 
NE. J sec. 32... 



NW. 1 NE. i 
sec. 34. 



NW.iSE.Jsec. 

25. 
N W. 1 sec. 21 . . 



SE. JSW.isec. 
33. 



NW.JNE.isec. 

1. 
NW. i NW. 1 

SW.iNE.isec. 

NE.JSW.isec. 
1. 

NE.JNE.isec. 

2. 
SW.JNW.Jsec. 

2. 
NE.JSW.Jsec. 

NE'.JSE.Jsec. 

3. 
NW.JSW.Jsec. 

3. 
SE.JNE.Jsec. 

4. 
SE.JSE.}sec.3. 
NE.-JSW.isec. 

8. 
NE.JSE.^sec. 



Feet. 
54 



150 
105 



Feet. 
54 



Feet. 



137 



117 
203 



128 
240 
140 
120 



213 
108 



125 
140 



150 



30 
130 



128 
240 
140 
120 



213 

30 



125 
150 



140 



On rock.. 



137 



■Sand- 
stone." 



Gravel . 



■ Sand- 
stone." 



"Sand- 
stone." 



On rock. 
..do.... 



Feet. 

-20 



-20 



On rock... 
Gravel 



Gravel. 



Gravel. 



Yellow clay, 16; 

blue clay, 38, to 

rock. 
Rock, very porous. 
Yellow clay, 20; 

blue clay, 60; 

black shale, 25. 

At 140 feet thin 
layer of dark 
shale (Independ- 
ence). 



Dug well. Loam, 
5; yellow clay, 
stony, 5; blue 
clay, 20; rock, 3. 



Yellow clay, 15; 
solid blue clay, 
25. 

Yellow Clay; blue 
clay; sand, blue 
clay at 130 feet; 
gravel. 

Yellow and blue 
clay to rock. 

Drift, 130; lime- 
stone, 40; blue 
"marble," 16; 
"sandstone," 17. 

Yellow clay; blue 
clay with layers 
of sand; "sand- 
stone,' ' water- 
bearing, at 100 
feet. 



Yellow clay, 25; 

blue clay to rock. 

Northern blue clay. 

Northern blue clay, 
some sand and 
gravel. 



All gravel. 

Do. 

All gravel and sand. 

All gravel to rock. 
Mostly blue clay. 



456 



UNDEEGKOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Wells in Linn County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet. ) 



T. 85 N., R. 5 W. 
(Buffalo; part 
OF Maine)— Con. 

W. Jackson 

M. Green 

J. Anderson 

W. Ross 

G. Minehart 

J. M. Parsons 

J. G. Denny 

J. C. Kennedy 

F. Richards 

D.C. Peet 

J.Birk 

S. L. Bowdish 

R. Bennett 

W. Hartsell 

S.F. Bowdish 

T. Wilkinson 

A . Shanklin 

T 85N., R.6 W. 
(PAET OF Maine). 

H.Smith 

I. Floss 

A. M. Jayne 

Harms Bros 

L.B.Stark 

G. Nightingale 

C.J. Church 

J. H. Summers 

G. M. Rogers 

Creamery 

Martha Taylor 



SE. iSE.Jsec. 

13. 
SE.JSW. Jsec. 

13. 
SE.iNE.isec. 

14. 
SE.iSW. Jsec. 

15. 
SE. iSE. isec. 

15. 



NW. isec.l7... 
NW. 1 NW. 1 

sec. 19. 
NW. isec. 20... 



SE.iNW.Jsec. 
23. 

NE.JNE.Jsec. 

25. 
SE. JSE. Jsec. 

25. 
NE.iSW.Jsec. 

29 
SW.'iNW.Jsec. 

29. 
NW.iNW.isec. 

29. 
NW.iNW.isec. 

32. 



NW.iNW.isec. 
31. 



NW.|NE.isec. 
33. 



SE.iNE.isec. 
2. 

SE.JSE.isec.4. 
SE. JNE.isec. 

4. 
NW.iNE.isec. 

4. 
NE.iSE.isec. 

4. 
SW. Jsec. 5 



NE.JSE.isec. 

6. 
NE.-JSW. isec. 

6. 

NE.iNE.isec. 
7. 



NE.iNE.isec. 

7. 
SE.iNE.isec.7. 



Feci. 
30 



100 
140 



105 
60 



120 



100 
+240 



Feet. 
30 

50 

100 

140 

156 



130 
30 



185 
135 
185 
240 



160 

80 
100 
185 
162 
120 
292 

289 
120 



240 
160 

93 

100 
172 
135 



232 



245 
233 



Feet. 



Gravel 

Limestone 
Gravel 



Feet. 



Show i n g 
water in 
crevice. 

On rock... 



180 



Shelly 
Umestone. 



75 



On rock.. 



-95 



Creek bottom; all 

gi'avel. 
Mostly yellow clay. 

Mostly sand and 

gravel. 
Yellow clay, 30; 

blue clay to rock. 
Ridge. Yellow 

clay, 30; blue clay 

to rock. 



Ridge. Yellow 
clay, 30; blue clay 
to rock. 



Mostly blue clay. 



Yellow clay, 30; 
sand with some 
water at 40; blue 
clay with streaks 
from 60 and to 
rock. 

Yellow clay, 35; 
blue clay, 100; 
white sand, 20; 
blue clay, 134; 
shell rock, 8. 

First 40 feet dug; 
blue clay from 40 
feet to bottom. 



Pockets of very 
sticky, waxy, yel- 
low clay. 



Yellow and blue 
clay to rock. 

Do. 
clay to rock. 



Yellow clay, 30; 

blue clay, 170; 

shell rock and 

gravel 32; rock, 

8. 
No sand; nearly all 

blue clay. 
Yellow clay 30; 

blue clay, 200; 

sand, 3. 



LIFN COUNTY. 

Wells in Linn County — Continued. 



457 



Owner. 



Lacation. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 
to 

water 
supply 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 85 N., R. 6 W 
(part of Maine)- 
CJontinued. 

W. Butters 

M. A. Benton 

Fair Ground 

Goldsberry & Has- 
kell. , 
J. Benest 

C.Jordan 

E. Finsen 

L. J. Reed 

J. McLead 

L.Smith 

A.T.Crosby 

C. Nightingale 

E. Brewer 

B.C.Scott 

M. Stickney 

Susan Rowley 

F. Stickney 

A. M. Noah 

J. A. Wagor 

G. L. Jordan 

A. M. Kennedy.... 

A. Maag 

N. Jordan 

D. Hedges 

L. C. Clarup 

I.Miller 

F. K. Balderson... 
E.J. Craft 



SE.iSE.isec.7 
NE.ASW.isec. 



NW. JNE.isec. 

10. 
NW.JSW. isec. 

10. 
SE.JNW.isec. 

13. 
SE. JSE. isec. 

14. 
NW.JSW.isec. 

15. 
NE.iSE.isec. 

15. 
SE.iNW. isec. 

15. 
NW.JNW.isec. 

15. 
NW.JSE.isec. 

16. 
SW. iSW.Jsec. 

17. 

NE.i-NE.isec. 

19. 
NE.JNW.Jsec. 

21. 

SE. |SE. Jsec. 
21. 



NE.iNW.isec. 

22. 
SE.JSW. isec. 

22 
SW.'jNW.isec. 

23 
NW'.iSE.Jsec. 

24. 
SW.iNW.isec. 

25. 

NE.iSE.isec. 
25. 



NE.iSE.isec. 

26. 
NE.iNE.Jsec. 

26 



NE.iNW.isec. 

26. 
NW. JSW. isec. 

27. 

SE. isec. 28 



NE.iSW.isec. 

29 
NE."iNE.isec. 

33. 



Feet. 
230 



90 
100 



160 
230 



146 
203 



Feet. 
190 
180 



75 
30 
112 



50 
100 

30 
100 
118 

100 
137 



70 
150 



200 
229 

270 



170 



70 
109 



Feet. 



Feet. 



Sand and 
gravel. 



Sand and 
gravel. 



Sand 

On rock. 



Gravel . 



-63 



Blue clay from 25 
to 160; yellow 
clay, 25, over- 
lying rock. 



All sand and gravel. 



Do. 



Yellow clay, 30; 
blue clay, 75; yel- 
low clay, 13. 



Yellow clay, 30; 
bowldery blue 
clay to rock. 

Yellow clay, 40; 
blue clay, 80; yel- 
low clay, very 
stony, 30; yellow 
rotten limestone, 
10. 



Mostly sandy blue 
clay. 

Quicksand; no wa- 
ter. 



Yellow clay, 70; 

blue clay to sand 

on rock. 
Yellow clay, 30; 

blue clay, 90; 

sticky blue clay, 

5; blue clay to 

thin sand layer 

on rock. 
Driftwood on rock. 

Yellow clay, 20; 

blue clay, 1 5 ; 

sand and gravel, 

15; blue clay, 50; 

quicksand, 20. 
Very sandy clay. 

Drift, 73; gravel, 15; 
blueclay,79;sand 
and gravel, 36. 

Thin sand streak 
between yellow 
and blue clay. 

Yellow and blue 
clay to rock. 

Thin sand layer 
with a little wa- 
ter between yel- 
low and blue clay. 



458 UNDERGEOUND WATEE EESOtfRCES OF IOWA. 

Wells in Linn County — Continued. 



T. 85 N., R. 6 W. 
(partofMaine)- 
Continued. 

G. W. Anderson... 



W. McTanst 

T. 85 N., R. 7 W. 
(Otter Creek). 

B. Norris 

E. Stragsburg 

C. Lyman 

P. Bowman 

G. Dolderer 

E.E. Fleming 

E. M. Lanning 

J. B. Fishel 

J. Maier 

M. Karch 

T.85N.,R.8 W. 

(Washington; PART 

OF Fayette). 

J. R.ElUott 

H.H. Martin 

"W. H. Stewart 

J. Roger 

Cemetery 

D. W. Esget 

M. Wilson 

H. D.Newland 

J. Pifer 

P. McGufE 

Thompson S. Yakle. 



Location. 



NW.iNW.Jsec. 
36. 

NE.iNW.Jsec. 
36. 



SE. JSE. J sec. 
1. 



SE.isec.2 

SE. JNE. Jsec. 

5. 
SE. JNE.i-sec. 

12. 
SW.iSW. Jsec. 

14. 



SW. iNW. Jsec 

24. 
NW.JSW. Jsec. 

28 
NW'.iNE.isec. 

32. 
NW. iNE.Jsec. 

33. 



NE. Jsec. 1.... 

SW. JSW.isec. 
2. 



NE.JSW. isec. 

4. 
NE.JNW. Jsec, 

5. 

Center Point . . . 



NE.iSE.Jsec. 
10. 

SW.iSW. Jsec. 

14. 
SW. Jsec. 17.... 

SW.JNE.Jsec. 
15. 

SW.JNW. Jsec 

13. 
SE. JNE. Jsec. 

21. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
135 



75 
160 
82 



24 

248 



95 

76 

160 

110 

130 
60 
133 

80 
120 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Feet. 



165 



150 



110 

64 



100 
71 



128 



95 



110 
130 



60 
120 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 



Feet. 



Source of 
supply. 



Gravel. 



'Sand- 
stone." 



"Sand- 
stone. " 
..do 



In upper 
layers of 
rock. 



On rock.. 



Gravel and 

rock. 
Sand and 

gravel. 
Vein in 

clay. 

Limestone 
On rock... 



Head 
above 



below 
curve. 



Feet. 



-66 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



Sand and gravel 
from 100 feet 
down. 

Sand and gravel 
throughout; rot- 
ten wood at 150 
feet. 



Solid blue clay, 90; 
soft blue clay; 
solid blue clay to 
rock. 



Sandy yellow clay, 
20; blue clay, 40; 
sand giving off 
strong currents of 
gas, 5; gray clay, 
5; yellow "sand- 
stone" to 82. 



Soil, 3; limestone, 
71; soapstone (In- 
dependence). 15; 
"sandstone," 3. 
Yellow clay, free 
from stones, 18; 
tough blue clay, 
50. 



Much wood at 20 
feet. 

Yellow pebbly clay, 
20; blue clay with 
bowlders, 111. At 
220 shell rock and 
mud seams; poor 
supply of water. 

Yellow clay, 30; 
blue clay, 65. 

Clay and sand, 35; 
black muck, 3; 
sand and gravel. 

Limestone; streaks 
of shale, thickest 
being 10 feet. 

Yellow stony clay, 
20; blue clay, 90; 
soft limestone. 



Blue clay, 133; 
strong water 
vein; blue clay. 



Yellow clay, 20; 
blue clay, 90; 
hardpan of ce- 
mented pebbles, 
10. 



LINN COUNTY. 

Wells in Linn County — Continued. 



459 



Owner. 



T. 85 N.,R. 8 W. 
(Washington; part 
OF Fayette)— Con. 

F. P. Kratzer 

M.B.Thomas 

J. Ashlock 

T. Newman 

M. Schmiekle 

F. Mobey 

E. T. Pickerel 

T. 84 N., R. 8 W. 
(PAKTS OF Fay- 
ette AND MON- 
KOE). 

S. McClintock 

A. Elsen 

J. C. Adair 

S. B.Mather 

F. Shurtliff 

J. Railsboek 

L. D. Lewis 

A. McManus 

W. H. Rahde 

J. H. Ray 

L. F. Wright 

C. Beatty 

C. Rake 



P. E. Wilse.... 
C. Rabe 

Robert J. HofE 
D.Roy 



Location. 



NW. isec.21. 



SE. J sec. 22 

SW.Jsec. 26.. 
SW.JNW.isec. 
27. 



NE. isee24. 



NE. Jsec. 4.. 
SE. i SE. 
sec. 31. 



SW.iSW.isec4. 



NE.JSE.isecS 
NE. i SE. i 

sec. 5. 
SE. i SW. i 

sec. 5. 
NE. i SE. i 

sec. 6. 
NE.isee. V.-.- 
SE. Jsec. 7.... 

NE.isec.5.... 

SE. I NE. 1 

sec. 8. 
SE.isec. 8 

SW. 1 NE. i 

see. 9. 
NE.isec. 19... 
Sec. 29. 

NW. 1 SW. i 
9.. sec. 2 



NE. i SW. 

sec. 33. 
SE. i SW. 

sec. 30. 



SW. i SE. i 
sec. 12. 

SW. i NE. J 
sec. 12. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
128 



75 
178 



238 
213 

100 

200 

164 



262 

138 
53 
97 



32 
174 



135 

47 



140 

48 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Feet. 



180 
190 



75 
130 



140 

138 
30 

70 

20 
32 
50 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 



Feet. 



Source of 
supply. 



Limestone 
Gravel 



Sand. 



Limestone 



Crevice in 
Inde- 
pend- 
ence 
shale 
member. 



In ere nee 
in rock. 



"S a n d - 
stone." 



Head 
above 



below 
curve. 



Feet. 



-40 

-io±' 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



Soapstone, 3 or 4 
feet thick at 120 
feet. 

Gravel to reek. 

Yellow clay with- 
out pebbles, 15; 
light blue clay to 
gravel, 30. 

Drift, 18; limestone 
and shale, 8; 
dirty coal, 6 to 8. 

Some shale near 
bottom. 



Yellow clay, 15; 
solid blue clay, 
180; sand, 30. 

No sand. 

Mostly clay and 
rock. 



Yellow clay, 10; 
blue clay to rock; 
rock sandstone; 
no limestone. 

Peat and black 
clays, 20; quick- 
sand to rock, on 
an old lake bed. 

Yellow clay, 40; 
blue clay, 100; 
rock. 

Almost entirely 
sand to rock. 

A little quicksand 
on rock. 



On high elevation. 

Soil, 10; sand, 23; 
thin bed of yel- 
low clay; blue 
clay, 30; lime- 
stone, 20; shale, 
15; rock; coal 
layer; hard pyri- 
tiferous stone; 
sulphur - bearing 
rockat 165; water 
sulphurous. 



A little yellow clay 
mixed with soil; 
blue clay to rock; 
on coal or shale. 

On hillside, tapped 
with pipe and 
flowing. 

Yellow clay with- 
out pebbles, 16; 
sand, 4; blue 
clay, 20; "sand- 
stone," 8. 



460 UNDEEGEOTJND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Wells in Linn County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 82 N., R. 7 W. 
(College). 

M. Buresh 



J. Buresh 

T. 82 N., R. 6 W. 
(Putnam; part 
OF Beeteam). 

J. Cack 

F. Havlicek 

F. Bohak 

J. Bartosh 

J. Rousar 

M. Pisarek 

T. 84 N., R. 6 W. 
(paetofMaeion). 

D. J. Simpson 

E. R. Mason 

T. 84 N., R. 7 W. 
(parts of Marion 
AND Monroe). 

J. Pahms 

F. Walser 

T. C. Marton.... 



W. Howe. 



J. Stockey. 



M. J. Certain. . 
R. Stinson 

G. Leidigh.... 
R. Hagerman. 

D. MiUer 

C. A. Coleman 



SE. i NE. 
sec. 23. 



SE. i NE. 
sec. 35. 



SW. J NW. i 

sec. 14. 
SE. i SE. i 

sec. 16. 
NW. i SE. J 

sec. 22. 
SW. i NE. i 

sec. 26. 
NE. i NE. i 

sec. 31. 
SE. i NE. i 

sec. 32. 



NE. 1 NW. 

sec. 3. 
NE. J NW. 

sec. 4. 



SW. i 
sec. 1. 



NW. i 



SE. i SE. i 

sec. 15. 
SW. i SW. i 

sec. 23. 



SE. J NE. i 
sec. 24. 



SE. i NE. 
sec. 27. 



NW. -i SW. 

sec. 26. 
NW. i NW. 

sec. 35. 

SE. i SW. 

sec. 9. 
NW. i NE. 

sec. 14. 
SW. i SW. 

sec. 16. 
NW. i SW. 

sec. 33. 



Feet. 
116 



Feet. 



Feet. 



Sand. 



Feet. 



.do. 



100 
170 
196 
182 
50 
125 



60 
75 
30 
100 



Limestone 



Sand. 



123 



160 



170 



50 



59 
168 



62 



Sand and 
gravel. 



'Sand- 
stone." 



160± 



'Sand' 
stone." 



(?) 



Fissure in 
1 i m e - 
stone. 



120 

87 

165 
+200 

67 



17 
15 

20 
170 
15 
20 



Limestone 



"S an d- 
stone." 

Shelly 
rock. 

In crevice. 

Crevice in 
rock. 



+ 4 



-108 



60 



Reddish clay; 

blue clay, 55; 

black soil, 2; layer 

of light gray soU; 

sand to bottom. 
All sand. 



Rock bedded at 
this point. 



Yellow clay, 15; 
sand, 35. 



Dark sand, 100; 
clean sand grow- 
ing coarser to bot- 
tom, 70. 



Yellow c 1 a y, 15; 
blue clay, 20; 
sand and 
"rock" layers to 
rock. 



YeUow clay, 40; 
hard gray fossil- 
i f e r o u s flinty 
limestone, 80; 
soapstone (Inde- 
pendence) to 
near bottom; 
"sandstone." 

Sand, 2; very por- 
ous rock and 
abundant water 
with little head. 
Loess, 15; blue 
clay; red rock, 10 
feet thick at 50; 
limestone,40;very 
hard limestone, 
17; limestone full 
of seams and 
crevices. 



Yellow and white 
limestone from 
15 to 87. 



Yellow clay, 6; 
blue clay to rock. 



Sand, 20, to rock. 



LINN COUNTY. 

Wells in Linn County — Continued. 



461 



Owner. 



T. 84 N., R. 7 W. 
(PARTS OF Marion 
AND Monroe)— 
Continued. 



W. McCreary 

E. Quass 

A. Senger 



T. 83 N., R. 5 W. 

(Linn). 



J. Drips . . . 
F. Martin.. 
S. Johnson. 



J. Napier 

J. Beechley. 
W. Walm... 



J. Bovey 

F. W. Frederick. . . 
R. Smith 



T 82 N., R. 8 W. 
(Fairfax). 

M. Kilberger 



F.Bys. 



Location. 



SE. isec. 4. 
Sec. 31 



H. Mordorst . 



T. M. Hunter. 
A. Delancy... 
E. P. Taylor.. 
C. C. Dye 



NW. i SW. 
sec. 28. 



NW. 1 NW. 

sec. 2. 
SW. i SW. 

sec. 2. 
NW. i SW. 

sec. 14. 

NE. i NE. 

sec. 19. 
SE. 1 SE. 

sec. 26. 
SW. i NE. 

sec. 31. 



NW. i NE. 

sec. 36. 
SW. i SW. 

sec. 36. 
NW. i sec. 8G . 



NW. I NE. 
sec. 34. 



SE. i SW. 
sec. 27. 



C. FarrelL. NW. | NW. i 

sec. 6 
E. J. Farrell 



SE. 1 NW. i 

sec. G. 
NW. i SW. 1 

sec. 5. 



NE. 1 SE. 

sec. 6. 
NE. 1 SW. 

sec. 16. 
SW. i NE. 

sec. 21. 
NW. i SE. 

sec. 20. 



NW. 1 SE. 
sec. 30. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
60 

168 

106 

113 
100 
100 

80 
50 

200 
80 
65 



130 

30 

70 
117 



117 
ISO 
32 
91 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Feet. 
20 



140 
20 



100 
180 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 



Feet. 



130 



Source of 
supply. 



' S a n d - 
stone." 

Crevice in 
rock. 

-.do 



Gravel . 



Limestone 
Gravel 



Sand. 



Limestone 



...do. 



Sand. . . 
Gravel . 



Sand on 
rock. 



'S an d • 
stone." 



Head 

above 



below 
curb. 



Feet. 



a ±120 



90 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



Sand, 20; lime- 
stone, 30; "sand- 
stone," 10. 

Blue, gray, and 
white limestone. 



Log in gravel bed 
at 100 under- 
neath blue clay. 

Yellow and blue 
clay to rock. 



Mostly blue clay to 
40; log and black 
soil in gravel bed 
at 40. 



Sand 3 feet thick 
on rock. 

Ridge; yellow clay, 
15; yellow sand, 
49; black sand, 
coarse, with 
much wood, 1. 



Yellow clay, 20; 
blue clay, 80; 
blue, hard lime- 
stone, 6. 

Yellow clay, 20; 
blue clay, 105; 
limestone, 5; no 
gravel beds. 

Driven well. 

All sand and 
gravel. 

Yellow clay; blue 
clay; quicksand, 
10 feet thick, 50; 
blue clay; thin 
yellow clay on 
rock; rock, 17; be- 
low it bed of sand 
full of water. 



Stony yellow 
clay, 15; blue 
clay full of bowl- 
ders to thin sand 
layer on rock. 



a Approximate. 



462 



UNDEEGKOUFD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Wells in Linn County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



T. 83 N., R. 8 \V. 
(Clinton). 

L. Lafter 

P. Lang 

A. Sisam 

G. H. Phelps 

E. L. Lang 

J. E. Rawson 

J. Young 



T. 83 N., R. 6 W. 
(Bertram; part 
OF Marion). 



W. C. Litts. 
S. Harmon.. 



J. R. White... 

J. Hunter 

F. M. Elrod.. 

A. P. Knapp . 

V. Zoback.... 
S.H. Berry... 

R. Berry 



J. Moore 

J. Bowsh 

F. Bidderman. 
J. W. Smythe. 

G. Smythe 

R. Calhoun 



J. R. Grove 

S. Stambaugh. 
J. Paul 



NW. 1 SE. I 
sec. 2. 



NE. J SW. i 

NW.' i NW. i 
sec. 9. 



SE. k NW. 
sec. 9. 



SW. J NE. 

sec. 15. 
SE. J SE. 

sec. 15. 
N W. J sec. 9 . 



SW. I SE. 1 

sec. 1. 
NW. \ SE. i 

sec. 2. 



B. F. Parker. 



SE. I 

NE. 1 
NW. I 
SE. i 



NE. i 

sec. 2. 
NE. i 

sec. 3. 
NW. i 

sec. 4. 
SE. i 

sec. 3. 
SE. 1. sec. 10. 
SE. i NW. 

sec. 11. 
SW. i NW. 

sec. 11. 

SE. J NE. 

sec. 11. 
SE. i SE. 

sec. 12. 
SW. J SW. 

sec. 12. 
SE. 1 SW. 

sec. 12. 
NE. J NE. 

sec. 12. 
NW. J SE. 

sec. 24. 

SW. 1 SE. 

sec. 21. 
SE. 1 NW. 

sec. 21. 
NE. 1 NW. 

sec. 22. 

NW. i SE. 
sec. 22. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
180 



238 
213 



277 



73 
102 



175 
206 

150 

125 

42 

61 

45 
142 



168 
210 
110 
100 
203 
52 



204 
85 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Feet. 
60 



213 



277 



100 
90 
42 
61 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply, 



Source of 
supply. 



33 

168 
(?) 
20 
40 

203 
27 

134 
40 



Feet. 



Limestone 



Sand. 



Gravel . 



Gravel . . . 



Limestone 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



Feet. 
- 25 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



Limestone 



Limestone 



Limestone 
Gravel 

...do 



26 



-104 
- 65 



Near Cedar 
River. Sand, 2; 
blue clay with 
some bowlders, 

58. 



30 feet of quick- 
sand; quick- 
sand rare in vi- 
cinity. 

Mostly blue clay 
with layers of 
sand; sandy 
from 192 to 242; 
blue clay, 33; 
sand with water, 
2. 

Clay full of bowl- 
ders. 



Drift clays; gravel, 
2 feet at bottom 
resting on clay; 
clay above 
gravel very full 
of bowlders. 



Streaks of sand and 
gravel at 13 and 
165; bed of gravel 
at 206. 



Mostly blue clay to 
rock, no gravel. 

All quicksand and 
gravel. 



Blue clay 

throughout. 
Mostly sand, 
gravel, and small 
bovFlders. 



Sand and gravel to 

rock. 
Mostly blue clay. 

Thin vein of shale 
(Independence?) 
in limestone. 



Blue clay to rock. 

Few feet yellow 
clay; blue clay to 
gravel at bottom. 



MUSCATINE COUNTY. 
in Linn County — Continued. 



463 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks, 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 83 N., R. 6 W. 
(Bertram; part 
OF Marion)— Con. 

J Berry 


SE. J NW. 1 
sec. 23. 

Sec. 24 


Feet. 
49 

124 
45 
86 
137 
129 
98 

135 

60 
145 

170 
150 
196 

181 


Feet. 
19 

90 

7 
75 
130 
129 
45 

135 

40 
80 

170 
80 
177 

181 


Feet. 




Feet. 

- 30 

- 64 


Drift, 19; hard 


r.M. Ham 






stone, 5; shale, 20; 
hard stone, 5. 
Blue clay from soil 


J. S. Caraway 

M. Brown 


NW. 1 SE. 1 

sec. 25. 
SW. J NE. i 

sec. 27. 
NW. 1 NW. i 

sec. 27. 
NW. J NW. 1 

sec. 28. 
NE. i NW. i 

sec. 30. 

SW. i NW. 1 
sec. 6. 

SE. 1 SE. 1 

sec 7. 
Sec. 16 






to rock. 


86 


Limestone 




Dry gravel at 40 


0. Berry 


feet. 
Blueclay, 10tol37 


R. Berry . . . 










W. L. Weller 

T. 82 N., R. .5 W. 
(Frankun) 

Lester R. Cook 


100 


In crevices 
Sand 




Sand and yeUow 
clay to rock. 

Water at 35; 


T>. M. West 


Limestone 
....do 


- 30 
-100 


"river" sand be- 
low; yellow and 
a little blue clay. 


Dr Kate Mason . . 


All blue clay ex- 
cept a little yel- 
low clay at sur- 
face. 

Water on rock in a 


Elmer Neal. 


NE. i NW. J 

sec. 17. 
NE. 1 NE. 1 

sec. 17. 
NE. i SE. I 

sec. 20. 

SE.isec.l8 




Sand 


Charles Platner 

Ely West. 


Limestone 
....do 


- 70 

- 46 


little sand. 

Yellow clay, 25; 
sand, 15; blue 
clay to rock. 

Yellow cl a y , 30; 
blue clay to rock. 


James MilhaUen. 




do. 











MUSCATINE COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The larger topographic features of Muscatine County are two up- 
lands and two river plains. Of the plains the more extensive is that 
of Cedar River, a flat fluviatile or lacustrine floor, aggraded largely 
in Pleistocene time to its present level, extending across the county 
from northeast to southwest with a width of 6 or 7 miles. The towns 
of Wilton, Moscow, and Nichols are situated upon it. This strip of 
lowland separates the small triangular upland of Kansan drift which 
occupies the northwest corner of the county from an extensive upland 
of Illinoian drift which covers the eastern and larger portion of 
the area. 

The second lowland is that of the Mississippi flood plain. Up val- 
ley from Muscatine the river approaches the Iowa bluffs, leaving to 
this county an inconsiderable flood plain hardly more than one-fourth 



464 UNDEKGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

mile wide. South of Muscatine the valley widens. The great river 
turns sharply southward from its westward course, leaving the cres- 
cent of its ancient river-cut bluffs far to the west and separated from 
the channel by alluvial plains 5 to 6 miles wide. Both lowlands are 
poorly drained and in both ground water stands near the surface. 
The uplands, while well dissected near their margins, preserve in their 
central portions flat initial surfaces but slightly etched with erosion 
channels. 

GEOLOGY. 

Over most of the county bedrock is deeply buried by deposits laid 
down by successive ice sheets and their outflowing drainage. The 
two lowest of these deposits, the Nebraskan and the Kansan drift 
sheets, are both dark-bluish stony clays, hardly to be distinguished 
in wells except when parted by the deposits of the Aftonian inter- 
glacial stage. The Aftonian deposits consist of peaty beds and old 
soils and of beds of sand and gravel, which occur still more exten- 
sively in some townships. 

The Kansan drift where weathered is oxidized and reddened, and 
can then scarcely be distinguished by the driller from the yellow 
stony clay of the overlying Illinoian drift, the uppermost of the drift 
sheets of the area. The Illinoian and Kansan drifts are not uncom- 
monly separated by ancient soil or peat beds or by seams of sand and 
gravel. The upper surface of the Illinoian is in many places leached 
and bleached by long weathering and the reducing action of ancient 
soils, and is separated from the overlying loess by peaty soils or thin 
layers of yellow sand. 

Outside of small areas negligible in connection with ground-water 
supplies, the rocks of Muscatine County belong to two geologic sys- 
tems. (See PL XV, p. 670.) The lower, the Devonian, consists in 
part of hard gray limestones of numerous types, some fine grained and 
brittle, made up of angular fragments (Lower Davenport beds of 
Iowa State survey), some gray and tough (Upper Davenport beds of 
Iowa State survey), some of shelly limestone, more or less clayey 
(Cedar Valley limestone) ; and in small part of green-gray or dark- 
drab shale (Sweetland Creek shale). The upper and later series 
belongs to the Carboniferous system (the Pennsylvanian series or coal 
measures), and is variable both horizontally and vertically, consisting 
of abruptly changing beds of limestone, sandstone, pebblestone, shale, 
and coal. It is found only in the southern townships of the eastern 
half of the county (except in scattered patches) and is evidently an 
outlier cut ofi^ by the trench of the Mississippi from the northern mar- 
gin of the Illinoian coal field. 



MUSCATINE COUNTY. 465 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

Because of the large areas underlain, by river deposits the waters in 
the alluvial sands and gravels are of exceptional importance in Musca- 
tine County. Muscatine Island and extensive portions of the Missis- 
sippi bottoms bounded on the west by Muscatine Slough are supplied 
by driven wells from 20 to 30 feet in depth. The supply is copious, 
easily raised to the surface by steam pumps for irrigation, and the 
water is so slightly mineralized that it is not injurious to crops. 
The area is thus rendered independent of rainfall in dry seasons, 
and this fact, together with the warmth of its light soil, has made 
Muscatine Island and Fruitland Township one of the garden areas 
of the State and of the upper Mississippi Valley. 

The wide plain adjacent to Cedar River draws its ground-water 
supply from driven and dug wells 20 to 40 feet deep, the water bed 
being a sand underlying the surface loess. Wells deeper than 30 or 40 
feet reach horizons wliere the water is apt to be pretty highly min- 
eralized with iron salts. On some low tracts temporary flowing 
wells have been obtained by boring through the impervious cover of 
hardpan. A few deep borings show that the rock floor of the plain 
Ues more than 250 feet below the surface, but the records are not 
definite enough to show the character of the materials with which 
this ancient and wide valley has been so deeply filled. From the 
records of a single well in sec. 26, Pike Township, it may be inferred 
that beneath the water-bearing sand, which here extends to 30 feet 
from the surface, is a clay 10 feet thick, beneath which occurs a water- 
bearing gravel. It is not known whether this gravel is a sheet 
deposit formed along a delta front encroaching on a lake, or was 
deposited by a stream the width of the present plain, or was laid 
down in long narrow strips in the channels of an aggrading stream 
perhaps no larger than the Cedar of to-day. At and near Wilton 
drillers report 90 feet of sand succeeded by 100 feet of blue clay 
underlain by 1 feet of sand and gravel, the rock floor liere not exceed- 
ing 470 feet above sea level. 

On the eastern upland of the county water occurs in sands covered 
with a cap of loess, forming certain low long ridges directed generally 
at right angles to the western margin of the upland. Wells on such 
ridges may obtain adequate supphes at very moderate depths though 
weUs on the lower ground adjacent would need to go down more than 
100 feet before finding water. 

On both the eastern and the western upland the Aftonian gravel is 
the chief aquifer. In Lake Township these sands and gravels are 

36581°— wsp 293—12 30 




466 UNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OE IOWA. 

tapped at about 100 feet below the surface. A general section in tlie 
southwestern part of this township is as follows: 

Section of Pleistocene deposits in Lake Township. 

Depth. 

Feet. 

Loess and sand 20 20 

Clav, blue (lUinoian and Kansan) 100 120 

Water sand (Aftonian) 10 130 

Clay, blue (Nebraskan) 120 250 

The Aftonian is particularl}'^ valuable because of the great depth 
at wliich bedrock and rock aquifers lie over much of the eastern 
upland. Here the great bedrock trough which underlies the Cedar 
River lowland extends for 4 or 5 miles east of the river and the deepest 
wells go down 250 and even 400 feet without striking rock. For- 
tunately water is usually found in the Aftonian or, much less comr 
ijionly, in glacial sands interbedded with or underlying stony clays 
of the Nebraskan. 

The Devonian and Silurian (A'iagara) limestones are important 
aquifers in the northeastern townships and on the western upland, 
on which latter bedrock is not reported at less than 200 feet below 
the surface. Most wells find water in glacial gravels, but a few have 
been drilled into the country rock. In one well a white limestone is 
reported to extend from 220 to 350 feet, below which lies 17 feet of 
brown porous rock, which may be assigned to the Niagara. 

In the four eastern townships drift seldom exceeds 100 feet and 
numerous wells draw water from the country rock. Where the bed- 
rock is Devonian hmestone, water is usually found at a moderate 
depth from the surface, the deepest wells being those in which the 
drift is underlain by heavy Carboniferous shales. In Sweetland 
Township two wells found the coal measures to be 97 and 120 feet 
thick, and after piercing these were compelled to go 100 and 185 feet 
into the subjacent limestones before obtaining adequate supplies. 

SPRINGS. 

The important springs of the county rise from the Aftonian gravel 
and the Devonian limestone. 

The outcrop of the Aftonian gives rise to numerous and often 
copious springs. These are well marked near the base of the bluffs 
bordering Mississippi River south and west of Muscatine in Fruitland 
and Seventysix townships. Below the bluffs east of Cedar -River, in 
Moscow Township, many springs flow from the drift. Several of these, 
with a July temperature of 55° F., lie south and west of Muscatine, 
on farmsteads located along the road under the foot of the bluffs, 



MUSCATINE COUNTY. 467 

and their excellent water is therefore available for house and dairy 
and all farm purposes. Almost every farm is thus supplied. In 
some places, where the spring issues from 20 feet or less above the 
base of the bluffs, sufficient power is developed to run a milk and cream 
separator. The spring of Edwin Wills is estimated to have 1^- horse- 
power. Its temperature at outflow is 5 1 ° F. Two large springs emerge 
near Atalissa — one on the farm of David McClure and one on that of 
Mrs. C. E. Kephart. The latter was leased for several years by the 
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway for the supply of its locomo- 
tives before the artesian well was drilled at West Liberty. 

\ CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Muscatine. — The city of Muscatine (population, 16,178) has had a 
public supply since 1875, the plant being long owned by the Muscatine 
Waterworks Co. For about 20 years the raw water of Mississippi 
River was used, being pumped through a conduit extending 700 feet 
out into the river. This extremely unsatisfactory supply has 
recently been completely changed, new works begun in 1904 having 
been completed and put in use in 1906. The pumping station and 
wells are situated on the flood plain of the Mississippi, at the south 
line of the corporation area, three-quarters of a mile from the settled 
portions of the town. The new supply is drawn from a gang of 13 
driven 6-inch wells about 50 feet deep and 150 feet apart, located on 
a line parallel with the bank of Mississippi River and 500 feet dis- 
tant from it. These wells are pumped through a 20-inch horizontal 
suction pipe connecting with vertical pipes, extending in each well 
practically to the bottom. The capacity of the wells is 2,000,000 
gallons a day, twice the amount of the present consumption. The 
pumps are installed in a building 48 feet square, built of reenforced 
concrete. The cost of the new installation was $100,000, including 
$40,000 spent for the extension of mains in the southern parts of the 
city. The water is pumped to a reservoir with a capacity of 2,000,000 
gallons, situated on West Hill, the bottom of the reservoir being 185 
feet above low-water level in the Mississippi. Domestic gravity pres- 
sure ranges in different parts of the town from 20 to 90 pounds. 
Fire direct pressure is from 100 to 150 pounds. There are 16 miles of 
mains, 185 hydrants, and 1,500 taps. 

This very satisfactory supply was chosen at the recommendation of 
Mr. W. Kiersted, of Kansas City, after an exceptionally thorough 
investigation of local conditions. Some of the results as given in Mr. 
Kiersted's report to the council, November, 1903, are of such general 
interest and wide application that they may be given here in some 
detail. 



468 



UN^DERGROUISTD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The two sources under consideration were (1) Mississippi River, with 
proper equipment for setthng and filtration, and (2) the ground water 
in gravels underlying Muscatine Island. The preference naturally 
lay with the latter, provided that the supply should be found of 
suitable quality and quantity. The physical conditions of this large 
area of flood plain pointed to an abundant and excellent supply. The 
land is nearly level and lies but slightly above the maximum high- 
water Ime of the river. The soil is sandy, light, and porous. These 
conditions make the run-off of storm water slight and dispose of a 
very large percentage of the rainfall by absorption and underflow as 
ground water. The permanent ground-water surface, determined by 
the level of low water in the river, lies within 15 or 20 feet of the sur- 
face of the ground. Moreover, since the surface of the island lies 
somewhat above the ground-water level, the porous soil permits rapid 
alternate circulation of ah* and water and hence affords an efficient 
natural filtration. 

These indications were fully confirmed by a series of tests. Nme 
wells about 65 feet deep were sunk upon the island along a line 3,000 
feet in length at right angles to the river and beginning .300 feet from 
the river bank. The following succession of deposits was found, the 
thickness of the strata given being that found in the well nearest the 



river ; 



Section near Muscatine. 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Fed. 


Feet. 


3 


3 


5 


8 


10 


18 


10 


28 


15 


43 


6 


49 


2 


51 


5 


5ti 


3 


59 


6 


65 



Soil, sandy, black 

Clay, red, tough, hard: not unil'ormly distributed or continuous on island 

Sand, red, and fine gravel " 

Gravel, coarse 

Sand, coarse, and gravel 

Sand, gravelly 

Sand and coarse gravel 

Blue clay; when dry nearly white; without sand 

Shaly clay or soapstone, hard, laminated, light pink : . . 

Sandstone 



The geologic conditions were thus found to be extremely favorable 
for a large yield of ground water. A bed of porous sand and gravel 
50 feet in depth, resting on an impervious floor and water-logged to a 
depth of 30 feet, was found to underlie the area. 

The question still remained as to the permeability of the gravels 
and whether they could deliver a supply adequate to emergencies as 
well as to the ordinary demands of city consumption. To aid in 
solving this problem a series of observations extending from Sep- 
tember 6 to October 26, 1903, were made on the static level of the 
water in the test wells and in the river, in order to obtain data as to 
the ground-water slope and the effect of fluctuations of the water 
level in the river on the ground-water surface of Muscatine Island . 



MUSCATINE COUNTY. 469 

Up to September 13 the river fluctuations of level were small and 
the ground-water surface was comparatively stable for a distance of 
3,300 feet west of the riA^er. The pronounced slope of the ground- 
water surface toward the river (0.8 foot in 1,000 feet) demonstrated 
the underflow of the absorbed rainfall toward the Mississippi. 
Between September 13 and 21 the river rose a little more than 2 feet, 
causing a rise of 2.1 feet in well No. 1, 300 feet distant from the river, 
and a rise in the other wells, decreasing in amount with increasing 
distance from the river, until at well No. 9 the increase was but 0.3 
foot. The slope of the ground- water surface toward the river was 
still well defined. Obviously the rise of the river dammed the under- 
flow in its riverward movement. From these data it was computed 
that the water in the saturated gravels to a depth of about 43.5 feet 
flowed toward the river at a rate of at least 2^ feet a day. 

About September 23 the river rose a little more than 4 feet. The 
slope of the ground-water surface was now reversed, and with con- 
tinued high water so remained until October 9. The average slope 
inland of tlie ground-water surface was 0.84 foot in 1,000 feet, and 
from this was computed an average movement of river water inland 
of 2.3 feet a day. Using the velocity per day and the inclination of 
the ground-water surface, the average factor of porosity of the 
medium was obtained by Dupuit's formula. This factor was found 
to be 5,000 a foot, indicating a very porous subsoil formation com- 
pared with similar experiments and observations made elsewhere. 
Continuous pumping tests were made of well No. 1 for 125.5 hours, 
and simultaneous observations of the water level in the other test 
wells, in order to procure information as to the porosity and con- 
tinuity of the gravel deposits. The dehvery of the pump was com- 
puted at 1,500,000 gallons a day. Durmg the test the water in the 
river rose over 3 feet, and notwithstanding the large amount of water 
pumped from the ground, the water of all the wells showed a corre- 
sponding rise. The zone affected by the pumping extended 700 feet. 

The data secured by these tests settled most satisfactorily the 
questions as to the capacity of the supply and there only remained 
the question of the purity of the water. The geologic conditions 
pointed to a rapid and effective natural filtration of surface water, 
with a consequent destruction of pathogenic bacteria. A series of 
tests of the water of the test wells with sanitary and bacteriological 
-analyses fully confirmed this inference. Although the chemical 
analyses showed a high per cent of fully decomposed organic com- 
pounds, and of chlorine and nitrates, in all the samples, owing to the 
fact that much fertilizer is used on the cultivated fields of the area, 
the percentage of undecomposed or partly decomposed organic com- 
pounds — ammonia, albuminoid ammonia, and the nitrates — was small, 
showing an effective purification of the surface waters by the natural 



470 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

filtration of the sandy soil. The bacterial analyses confirmed the 
chemical, showing but few bacteria and these of harmless varieties. 

The question was also considered of the effect which the depression 
of the ground-water surface by a continuous draft in the area of 
supply would have upon the underflow of the contaminated ground 
water of South Muscatine. It was found that even in years of 
minimum rainfall the natural movement of the ground water of 
South Muscatine to the river could not be so diverted down valley 
as to reach the intake area of the city wells. 

The recent installation of the shallow wells described makes arte- 
sian forecasts unnecessary so far as the municipality is concerned. 
But in a city as large as Muscatine and with extending industries, 
it may be taken for granted that sooner or later information as to 
artesian possibilities will be useful to manufacturers and other large 
consumers who for various reasons ma}^ have under advisement an 
individual water supply. 

At Muscatine (elevation, 552 feet) the drill will penetrate first the 
Devonian and Silurian (Niagara) limestones, reaching the Maquoketa 
shale (Ordovician) at about 500 feet and may fuid small flows in 
either limestone terrane. These flows will be under low head and 
should be cased out so as to prevent the lateral escape of the deeper 
waters through their channels. The Maquoketa strata, which are 
weak and caving, should be cased. Good flows under moderate 
pressure should occur in the Galena and Platteville limestones which 
immediately underlie the Maquoketa, from about 725 to 1,025 feet 
from the surface, and it is possible that the yield will be sufficient 
for some industrial plants. To carry these waters a bore of 4 or at 
most of 5 inches will be ample. For larger drafts the St. Peter sand- 
stone and the loose-textured sandstones and creviced and vesicular 
limestones which underlie it must be utilized, and in these an inex- 
haustible supply of water of fine quality should be found. To tap 
them the well should be sunk to 1,500 or 1,600 feet. To tap the 
underlying Cambrian beds drilling should continue about 400 feet 
deeper still, but it is not apprehended that this will be needed. The 
pressure should considerably exceed 20 pounds. 

West Liberty. — The town of West Liberty (population, 1,666) has 
drawn its water supply from artesian wells since 1888. (See PI. XV, 
p. 670.) Water is pumped directly through the mains, and also to 
an elevated tank holding 60,000 gallons, giving a domestic pressure 
of 40 pounds and a fire pressure of 100 pounds. . There are 7 miles of 
mains, 27 fire hydrants, and 472 taps. The consumption is 45,000 
gaUons daily, and the water is said to be used by 90 per cent of the 
population. 

The extension of the waterworks in 1899, involving the sinking of 
a new artesian well, was financed in an ingenious way, worthy of 



MUSCATINE COUNTY. 471 

record. Owing to the change m the State assessment laws which 
went into effect in 1897, the valuation of property in the town was 
reduced many thousands of dollars. The municipal indebtedness, 
which had been increased by the building of the waterworks and an 
electric lighting system, was thus brought to near the legal limit 
and another bond issue for the extension of the waterworks was thus 
out of the question. In this emergency thirty public-spirited citizens 
advanced the money for the extension and were paid out of the 
revenues of the waterworks. The city councU entered into contract 
for an artesian well to be drilled upon the city's lot, the well to remain 
the property of the driller and contractor until the annual rentals 
received by him equaled the cost of the well, when its ownership was 
to be transferred to the city. The annual rental was fixed at $600 
and 6 per cent interest on the cost of the well. Wlien the well was 
tested and accepted, the driller's lease was purchased by the thirty 
citizens. The total cost of the well, $3,600, was raised by six promis- 
sory notes, drawing 6 per cent interest and due in six years, each note 
being signed, by five persons drawn by lot from among the thirty. All 
payments, rentals and interest were indorsed pro rata on each note 
thus keeping them equal in amount until their final liquidation. 
With the extension of the water system the revenues increased, all 
payments were promptly met, and at the end of six years the notes 
had all been paid and, under the terms of the lease, the well passed 
into the full ownership of the municipality. 

City well No. 1 has a depth of 1,768 feet and a diameter of 6 to 4y\ 
inches; casing to 128 feet. The curb is 696 feet above sea level. The 
head was originally 9 feet above curb; in 1896, at curb or below. The 
original discharge was 120 gallons a minute. Temperature, 65° F. 
Date of completion, 1888. Driller, A. K. Wallen. 

During the drUling the water stood at 40 feet below the curb for 
more than 1,000 feet. At 1,040 feet, the horizon of the St. Peter, it 
rose 20 feet. Rising a little higher each day, it overflowed when the 
drill reached a depth of 1,354 feet and the flow increased as the drill 
went still deeper. A tube sunk to 1,100 feet and packed at base 
decreased the flow and was taken out. In 1900 the head had fallen 
to 12 feet below the surface and the pumping capacity to 75 gallons 
a minute. 

Record of strata in well No. 1, at West Liberty (PI. X V, p. 670). 

Silurian : Depth of 

Niagara dolomite — fnTe^t 

Dolomite, light bluish gray 400 

Ordovician : 

St. Peter sandstone — 

Sandstone, very fine white particles, angular 1, 000 

Sandstone, coai-ser, larger grains rounded, "from 1,040 to 

1,080". * 1,050 



472 UNDER(iROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Ordovician — Continued . 

Prairie du Chien group — 
Shakopee dolomite — 

Sandstone, moderately coarse, white; unusually 

sharp to the touch; under microscope many grains Depth of 
are seen to be faceted with secondary crystalline in feet. 

enlargements 1, 160 

Dolomite, gray; considerable arenaceous admixture 

in drillings 1, 250 

"Flint; " 12 inches thick; no sample 1, 260 

Dolomite, v/hite; considerable admixture of finest 

particles of quartz 1, 290 

New Richmond sandstone — 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous 1, 310 

Oneota dolomite — 

Dolomite, white, porous 1, 380 

Sandstone, larger grains rounded; mostly angular 

particles with some dolomite 1, 400 

Sandstone; matrix calciferous 1, 450 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone — 

Sandstone, in fine powder of particles of quartz and a 

little dolomite 1, 500 

Sandstone, saccharoidal, rather coarse, white giuins 

usually rounded, some faceted 1, 600 

St. I.,awrence formation- — 

Dolomite, hard, pinkish 1, 765 

City well No. 2 has a depth of 1,594 feet and a diameter of 12 inches 
to 202 feet, 8 inches to 1,016 feet, and 6 inches to bottom; casing 96 
feet to rock. The curb is 671 feet above sea level; the head was not 
tested. The original discharge was 225 gallons a minute. Tempera- 
ture, 66° F. The well was completed in 1900 by W. H. Gray & Bro., 
of Chicago. 

Water stood 20 feet below the curb until the St. Peter sandstone 
was reached at 1,015 feet, with a thickness of 40 feet, when it over- 
flowed with a discharge of 20 gallons a minute. At 1,411 feet a 
pumping test developed a capacity of 240 gallons a minute, with the 
cylinder at 100 feet below curb, and 300 gallons with the cylinder at 
135 feet, the natural flow being estimated at 75 gallons. At 1,435 
feet the flow had increased to 100 gallons a minute. No perceptible 
increase occurred during the next 100 feet, but at 1,583 feet, in sand- 
stone, a sudden increase was noted. At 1,584 feet a crevice was 
encountered and the flow suddenly rose to 225 gallons a minute at 
the base of the sandstone. Since 1902 or 1903 a gradual decrease in 
the head and flow of the well has been observed, the water now barely 
overflowing. Under continued pumping, the suction pipe extending 
to 26 feet below the curb, the water is lowered to 20 feet below the 
surface. 



MUSCATINE COUNTt. 



473 



The only record extant is that of three water-bearing sandstones; 
the first, from 1,015 to 1,055 feet (344 to 384 feet below sea level), the 
St. Peter; the second, from 1,300 to 1,435 feet (628 to 764 feet below 
sea level); the third, from 1,535 to 1,584 feet (864 to 913 feet below 
sea level), occupying the horizon of the Jordan. 

The Iowa Condensed Milk Co. well has a depth of 1,721 feet and a 
diameter of 12 inches to 150 feet, 7 inches to 1,000 feet, and 6 inches 
to bottom; cased to 120 feet; bedrock at 90 feet. The curb is 669 feet 
above sea level and the head, above curb. The tested capacity is 
300 gallons at 1,600 feet. The first flow was at about 1,000 or 1,025 
feet and increased to the bottom. The well was completed in 1904 
by Gray Bros., of Chicago. 

Wilton. — At Wilton (population 1,157) the public water supply is 
pumped from a deep well to a tank whose capacity is 50,000 gallons. 
Domestic pressure from the full tank is 54 pounds and the direct 
pressure for fires is 110 pounds. The daily consumption ranges be- 
tween 15,000 and 25,000 gallons daily. There are 2 miles of mains, 23 
fire hydrants, and 180 taps. 

The well (PI. XV, p. 670) has a depth of 1,360 feet and a diameter 
of 8 to 6 inches; casing to 900 feet. The curb is 683 feet above sea 
level. The original head, as reported, was 18 inches above the curb; 
the present head is 20 feet below. The original discharge was 300 
gallons a minute; the present pumping capacity is 120 gallons a 
minute. The first flow was at 900 feet. Date of completion, 1891. 
The well w^as reamed to an unreported depth in 1900 without effect 

on supplv. 

Driller's log of city well at Wilton {PI. XV, p. 670). 



Drift 

Limestone (Niagara) 

Shale (Maquoketa) 

Limestone (Galena and Platteville) 
Sandstone (St. Peter) 




Depth. 



Feet. 

220 
500 
680 
980 
1.100 



Minor supplies. — Water supplies at minor villages are set forth in 

the following table: 

Village wells in Muscatine County. 





Nature of supply. 


Depth. 


Depth to 
water- 
bed. 


Head below curb. 


Depth to 
rock. 


Town. 


Shallow 
wells. 


Deep 
wells. 


Atalissa 


Bored and drilled wells 


Feet. 
30-180 
10-20 
120-125 
12-217 
12-30 
20-50 
40-180 
16-300 
16-20 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Conesville 






10 






Cranston 


do .. . 


120 
12 


166 
30 




Fairport 




9 

8 

20 


25 


Fruitland 


Dri ven wells ... ... 




Moscow 


do 


32 






Stockton 


Drilled and dug wells 






Sweetland 


Wells 




10 


60 




Nichols 


Driven wells 












i 1 



474 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA, 



WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of t3^ical wells in Muscatine County. 

Wells of Muscatine County. 



Owner. 




T. 78 N., R. 3 W. 
(Goshen; part 
OF Wapsinonoc). 

I.ouis Watson 



Frank Barnes. . 

W. A. Howell.. 

John Venatta... 
Georsie Venatta 



Isaac Dickenson 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



Yellow clay imder- 
lain by dry sand 
60; blue clay, 42; 
gray sand with a 
little water, G; 
blue clay to rock. 
Well weak, 
closed. Another 
30 feet away 
found plenty of 
water m yellow 
sand 8 feet thick 
at 95, under blue 
clay. 

Loess, 6; yellow 
clay, 20; sand, 2; 
blue clay, 160; 
sand, 28; cream 
colored rock at 
220. 

Mostly drift. 

White limestone 
from 220 to 350; 
below this a por- 
ous brownish 
rock. 

Unknown, 40; blue 
clay, 60; sand, 6; 
yellow clay, 25; 
blue clay with 
muck, wood, and 
sand, 107; sand, 
8. 

Rock; hard and 
white above; red- 
dish and porous 
below. 



Loess, 15; blue clay 
50; yellow bowl- 
der clay, 30; soft 
brown limestone, 
43. 

Drift,50; coal meas- 
ures, 100; lime- 
stone, G. 

Yellow clay, 15; 
blue clay, 35; 
sand, 8. 

Drift, 100; lime- 
stone, 145. 

Yellow stony clay, 
20; blue clay, 60; 
brown stony 
c 1 ay, 15; blue 
limestone, 80; 
soft brown ma^ 
terial, 8; hard 
1 i m e s 1 n e, 29; 
soft limestone, 8: 

Yellow clay, 15 
blue clay, 25 
sand, 4;hardpan, 
20; soft yellow 
sandstone. 14. 



MUSCATINE COUNTY. 

Wells of Muscatine County — Continued . 



475 



T. 78 N., R. 3 W. 
(Goshen; part 
OF Wapsino- 
Noc)— Contd. 

Overman 



Mrs. Morris. 



T. 78 N., R. 1 "W. 
(Wilton; PART OF 

SWEETI.AND). 

E. Keimers 



William Boot 

Hans Kai 

W. Felthorn. 

C.W.Collins 



Smith. 



Location. 



-Vtalissa. 



3 miles east and 
2 miles north 
of West Lib- 
erty. 



Near north line 

see. 2. 
Sec. 26 



Sec. 2. 



Sec. 9. 

Sec. 10 
Sec. 13 

Sec. 1-1 



Depth. 



Feet. 
136 



226 



312 



101 
100 



Sec. 1.5. 



M.A.Roy I Sec. 27. 

I 



S. Wintermirte ! Sec. 36. 



T. 78 N., R. 1 E. 
(Fulton). 

J.H. Broders 

B. Alton 

H. Stoltenburg 

c'.woifeV.'.V.V. ".'.'.; 



Sec. 3. 



135 
135 



Sec. 7.. 
Sec. 12. 



Sec. 23. 
Sec. 31. 
Sec. 33. 



10.5 
105 

75 
121 
144 



Diam- 
eter. 



Incites. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Feet. 
80 



90 
198 



100 
134 



Depth 
to 

water 
supply. 



Feet. 



Source of 
supply. 



Remarks 
(logs given In feet). 



Yellow clay and 
sand, 42; blue 
clay, 44; blue 
limestone (De- 
V n i a n), 44; 
brown porous 
limestone, 6. 

Yellow clay, 40; 
dry sand, 2; blue 
clay, 50; sand 
with water, 2; 
blue limestone, 
110; shale, 8: 
white porous 
rock with water, 
14. 



Sand. 



Sand and 

gravel. 



Gravel . 



Sand. 



98 
70 

70 ± 
116 
115 



Yellow clay, sand 
and gravel, 60 
blue dirt, 80 
quicksand, 60 
blue clay, 90 
coarse sand, 22. 

Sand, 90; blue clay, 
100; sand aiid 
gravel, 10. 

Yellow and blue 
dirt, 14; brown 
sana,7;blueclay, 
68; sand, 10. 

Yellowclay,8; blue 
clay, 32; black 
"hardpan" 
(till?), 68; gravel, 
5. 

Sand, 10; blue clav, 
20; sand, 30; blue 
clay, 40; rock, 35. 

Yellow clay and 
sand, 20; blue 
clay, 108; sand, 6; 
rock, 1. 

Clay, 48; gravel, 4; 
blue and yellow 
pebbly clay, 10; 
ashen clay, 5; 
sand. 



Yellow and blue 
clay, 70; sand, 8; 
limestone, 28. 

Drift, 70; soft white 
limestone, 35. 

Drift, 116; rock, 5 
Yellow clay, 30: 
blue clay, 40 
quicksand, 7 
blue dirt (proba- 
bly in part shale) 
38; rock, 29. 



476 



UNDEBGEOUND WATEE RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Wells of Muscatine County — Continued. 



T. 77 N., R. 1 E. 

(MONTPELIER). 

C. Howard 



T. 77 N., R. 1 W. 
(Sweeti.and). 

Prank Nettlebush . . 



Daniel Roberts. 
J. Newman 



Location. 



Sec. 9. 



Sec. 27. 



Sec. 18. 
Sec. 4.. 



P. Brosart Sec. 20 



J. Monsen ! Sec. 20. 



T. 77 N., R. 2 W. 
(Bloomington; 
PART OF Lake). 

J. Greiner j Sec. 3 . 

G. Parks ! Sec. 5. 

County I'ann I Sec. .33 



T. 77 N., R. 3 W. 
(PARTS OF Lake 
AND Pike). 



r. P. Wood j Sec. 27. 

C . Humphries \ Sec. 13 . 

I. Sager i Sec. 25. 



T. 77 N., R. 2 W. 
(PART OF Pike). 



G.N. Aylesworth. . 

T. 76 N., R. 4 W. 
(Orona and Ce- 
dar). 

William Verink 



Nichols . 



J. Fanning.. 
A. Cone 

C. Carjjenter 



T. 76 N., R. 3 W 
(Seventy-six ; 

PART of PrUIT- 

land). 



Sec. 20. 



Sec. 14. 



J. Venatta. 



Sec. 15 
Sec. 24 

Sec. 33 



Sec. 2. . 
See. 10. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
101 



200 
304 



200 
115 



208 



205 
100 
150 



2.50 



80 



130+ 
200+ 



126 



150 
115 



Diam- 
eter. 



Inches. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Feet. 
20 



130 
90 



180 



Depth 

to 
water 
supply 



Feet. 



Source pf 
supply. 



Remarks, 
(logs given in feet). 



Limestone 



Sand. 



.do. 



Limestone 



Sand. 



Sand. 
..do. 
..do. 



Gravel . . 



.do.. 



Sand. 



Sand. 



.do... 



Drift, 20; sandrock 
80; limestone, 1 . 



Drift, 40; soft sand- 
stone, 40; soap- 
stone, 57; lime- 
stone, 185. 

Yellow clay, 3; 
sand and clay, 77. 

Yellow clay, 5; 
blue pebbly clay, 
25; forest bed, 10; 
ashen clay chang- 
ing to sand, 20. 

Drift, 130; sand- 
stone and shale, 
65; limestone, 5. 

Drift,90; coal meas- 
ures, 120; lime- 
stone, 94. 



Loess and blue 
clay, 105; sand, 
10. 

Clay, 100; sand, 20; 
clay, GO; lime- 
stone, 28. 



No rock; all clay, 

sand, and gravel; 

well tubed 250 

feet. 
Sand, 30; clay, 10; 

gravel, 19. 



Loess, 15; yellow 
sand, 40 ; blue 
clay without 
p e" b b 1 e s, 10; 
white sand with 
gas, 15. 

Soft till, 130; hard 

blue till, 60. 
Loess and yellow 

sand, blue clay, 

sand below. 



Bluff. Loess, 12; 
old soil, 3; mainly 
blue till, 100. 



POWESHIEK COUNTY. 
Wells of Muscatine County — Continued. 



477 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Diam- 
eter. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

to 
water 
supply. 


Source of 
supply. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 70 N., R. 3 W. 

(Seventy-six; 

PART OF FKUIT- 
LAND)— Contd. 


Sec. 10 


Feet. 
170 

80 
175 


Inches. 


Feet. 


Feet. 




Ridge. Loess, 12; 




Sec. 11 . 






. 


Gravel 


yellow till, 38; 
gravelly sand, 25; 
blue till, 25; yel- 
1 w cemented 
gravel, 10; hard 
blue till, 60. 
Sand, blue clav. 


Patrick O'Brien 

H. J. Jeffries.. 


Sec. 17 






and gravel. Base 
of bluff. 
Sand 


Sec. 22 


94 




! 




Yellow clay above; 
red sand, 60; 
white sand and 
gravel. 

Base of bluff. 


T. 76 N., R. 2 W. 

(PART OF FRUIT- 

l.\nd). 
C. S. Miller 




110 
44 
160 










Dershey Creamery . . 


Sec. 4 










Sec. 5 




160 













POWESHIEK COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Poweshiek County is situated slightlj^ southeast of the central por- 
tion of Iowa. As it has scarcely a stream large enough to bear the 
name of river, save perhaps the North Skunk, which crosses the 
southwest corner, its drift plain is a broad rolling prairie of decided 
upland type. The county is, however, divisible into two distinct 
topographic areas, coincident in a general way with the surface areas 
occupied by two drift sheets, the lowan and the Kansan. 

lowan drift covers about 75 square miles in the northwestern part of 
the county, its eastern edge being not far east of Sheridan and West- 
field. Here the plain is gently undulating, broken only by a few 
swells and by slight sags, in which grassy sloughs may be found 
The stream channels are neither numerous nor well defined, and, in 
fact, this area bears all the characteristics of topographic youth; it 
remains very much as it was molded by the overriding ice. 

The much larger portion of the county to the south and east belongs 
to the Kansan drift area and presents evidences of early maturity. 
The stream valleys are comparatively deep and broad, and the 
uplands, though still broad, are almost completely drained through a 
multitude of small V-shaped valleys. 

The drainage is southeastward through characteristic prauie creeks 
tributary to Iowa, English, and Skunk rivers. The largest streams, 



478 UNDEEGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

especially the North Skunk, have well-developed flood plams. Only 
in the northwest corner is the imperfection of drainage shown by 
small sloughs and ponds, remnants of old and larger glacial lakes 
occupying depressions in the drift. Even these are almost extinct, 
for man is aiding nature in the work of drainage, both by open ditches 
and by tile. 

GEOLOGY. 

The country rock of Powesliiek County (Pis. VIII, XV) belongs to 
the Carboniferous system, the Osage group and "St. Louis limestone" 
of the Mississippian series and the Des Moines group of the Pennsyl- 
vanian series being represented. The Mississippian rocks consist of 
limestones and some shales, so similar as not to be distinguished in 
ordinary well borings. They form the country rock over about 
three-fourths of the county, lying north and east of a line passing 
near Newburg, Grinnell, Jacobs, Montezuma, and Tilton. The Des 
Moines group (Pennsylvanian) consists cliiefly of shales, together with 
some sandstones and limestones, and is the productive coal division. 
It unconformably overlies the Mississippian west and south of the 
line mentioned above, except where North Skunk River has cut 
through and the alluvium rests directly upon the ''St. Louis 
limestone." 

The older Kansan drift rests upon the country rock and is overlain 
in the northeast corner by the younger lowan drift and elsewhere by 
a thin veneer of loess. In places there seem to be traces of a drift 
older than the Kansan, but these have not yet been well made out. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

In Poweshiek County water is obtained from the alluvium (includ- 
ing some outwash gravel), the drift, the Des Moines group, the Mis- 
sissippian limestones, and deeper strata. Only the drift and the 
Mississippian limestones are of importance. 

The alluvium in the stream valleys is comparatively unimportant, 
owing not only to its small areas, but to its slight depth. However, 
in the valleys of North Skunk River and of a few of the larger creeks 
sufficient gravel, probably of Buchanan age, underlies the silt in such 
a way as to permit a strong underflow, which is utilized in shallow 
driven and open wells, chiefly in pasture wells for stock. 

The water beds of the drift are several but are not generally 
differentiated. In the loess-Kansan area shallow wells obtain a 
meager, variable, and insufficient supply in the sandy phase at the 
base of the loess. In the lowan area a gravel corresponding to the 
Buchanan gravel is not uncommon between the lowan and the Kan- 
san drifts, but is not easily distinguished on t-he uplands and is vari- 



POWESHIEK COUNTY. 479 

able and uncertain as a source of supply. In the valleys it is more 
important, but it can not there be distinguished from the alluvial 
sands and has therefore been classed with them. 

The persistence and abundance of their waters make the extensive 
gravel deposits, which lie deep below the surface of the Kansan drift, 
the most valuable of all the Pleistocene sources. In many places 
these gravels are double, one bed occurring well up within the drift 
and another at the base. The former is probably of Aftonian age 
and the latter is probably residual rock material or rubble from the 
surface of the bedrock. Whatever their origin, they form excellent 
waterways and reservoirs. In Poweshiek County these gravels are 
all deeply buried, lying at depths of 50 to 200 or even 400 feet. 

Small veins and seeps are found at intervals throughout the drift, 
and from these by far the greater number of the wells in Poweshiek 
County draw a somewhat variable supply of good, wholesome water. 
Only when larger supplies for town or stock-farm use are desired is it 
necessary to resort to rock wells. 

The Des Moines group consists chiefly of shales, too impervious and 
too strongly impregnated with mineral matter to be of value as a 
water bearer. A few local sandstone beds furnish good water, but 
these are not common in the thin margin of the formation found in 
Poweshiek County. 

The Mississippian limestones have sufficient sandy and porous 
layers to form a good water bed, wliich is persistent tlu-oughout 
Poweshiek County. Though deeply buried by drift, tliis bed may 
well be sought where a moderately large and constant supply is 
desired. Though hard, it is generally free from obnoxious minerals 
and is an almost ideal water for stock. Wells of 180 to 200 feet are 
most common, but some of 400 and 500 feet are reported. 

Deeper sources are reached by the city wells at Grinnell (p. 481) 
and by a well on the ' ' Farwell ranch, ' ' near Montezuma ; this last is 
reported to be about 2,500 feet in depth, but no record of it is 
obtainable. 

BELLE PLAINE BASIN. 

About 4 square miles of the extreme northeast corner of Poweshiek 
County is included witliin the Belle Plaine artesian basin (see pp. 356- 
358). Within this area wells ranging from 200 to 250 feet in depth 
yield a strong flow. In other near-by wells the water rises close 
to the curb but does not flow. 

SPRINGS, 

A number of strong springs are found in Poweshiek County, espe- 
cially in the southern and eastern parts. The spring near Montezuma 
(p. 484) and one on the farm of W. H. Taylor, south of the town, are 
among the more important. 



480 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

BrooTdyn. — The public supply of Brooklyn (population, 1,233) is 
from a 208-foot well, the water bed being a sand and gravel layer, 
probably Aftonian, overlying blue clay near the bottom of the well. 
A higher water bed was found at 80 feet, but the flow was insufficient. 
This is the fourth well put down to this water bed, the others being 
abandoned chiefly on account of difficulty with sand. The present 
well was sunk in 1903, is used without a screen, and no trouble is 
experienced. 

The water is pumped by a gasoline engine into an elevated tank; 
capacity 16,920 gallons. The gravity pressure is 76 pounds in the 
business district, and in case of fire may be raised to 220 pounds 
by direct pressure. A large reservoir, having a capacity of 1,000 
barrels, is used to supplement the tank and hold the reserve; 2^ miles 
of mains supply 22 hydrants and 180 taps. Only about 500 or 600 
barrels are used daily. 

An excellent water suppl}' is that of John F. Scott, on Jackson 
Street, whose well probably reaches at 230 feet the same gravel bed 
that supplies the city v/ell. The water is pumped by windmill to an 
elevated tank and supplies some of the neighboring houses. The 
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rafiway uses the water of a small 
creek in preference to a shallow well. 

In the vicinity of Brooklyn drift wells are ordmarily dug to about 
40 feet, though they range from 15 to 65, and some on the higher 
lands reach 90 feet. An abundance of good water is ordinarily 
obtained at this depth in gravel probably of Aftonian age. For 
larger supplies the gravels and sands at the base of the drift, in places 
at depths of 200 to 230 feet, are sought. The great depth of the 
drift and the abundance of w^ter in its lower gravel beds is such that 
rock is rarely reached. The depth of the limestone is variously 
reported from 150 feet to the very unusual depth of 400 feet. Water 
from limestone is hard but very constant in supply. 

The elevation at Brooklyn is 848 feet above sea level. The drill 
will probably leave the Kinderhook about 500 feet above sea level, 
will find the Silurian limestones from 275 above to 75 feet below sea 
level, the Maquoketa shale to 300 feet below, and the Galena and 
Platteville limestones to 600 feet below sea level, at which depth the 
water bed of the St. Peter sandstone should be discovered. Drilling 
should be carried at least 300 feet deeper, or to 900 feet below sea 
level (1,750 feet from the surface), in order to secure the flows from 
the creviced limestones and the sandstones underlying the St. Peter. 
Water will probably be found in the Galena and surely in an adequate 
amount in the St. Peter and adjacent terranes. The Silurian is 
probably here somewhat gypseous, and absolutely water-tight casing 



POWESHIEK COUNTY. 481 

should be carried down to the Galena and securely bedded there with 
the best of packing. 

Dee]) River. — The village of Deep River (population, 467) owns a 
waterworks system in which a deep well is pumped by gasoline, com- 
pressed air being used to force the water from the storage tank 
through a mile of mains to 11 fire hydrants and several private taps 
under a normal pressure of 25 pounds, which is increased in case of 
fire to 65 pounds. 

Most wells are in drift and are 30 to 40 feet in depth. Heavy beds 
of sand are reached at about 135 to 175 feet, and of limestone between 
200 and 250 feet. All ground water is hard, but the limestone water 
is harder than the drift water. 

Grinnell. — The public water supply of Grinnell (population, 5,036) 
is obtained from deep wells (Pis. VIII, XV) by an air lift and is 
emptied into a covered reservoir (capacity, 188,000 gallons) at a 
rate of 7,500 gallons per hour. From this reservoir the water is 
forced into the main standpipe by a direct-pressure pump having a 
capacity of 1,000 gallons a minute. A pressure of 50 pounds is ordi- 
narily maintained, but this may be increased to 125 pounds in case 
of fire after cutting off the standpipe. A battery of two boilers of 
50 horsepower each furnishes the steam for the station plant. From 
the standpipe 5| miles of mains distribute the water to 55 fire hydrants 
and many private taps. 

A second supply suitable for boiler purposes is obtained from 
Crescent Lake, formed by impounding the waters of a small branch 
of Sugar Creek. From this it is pumped into an elevated tank, 
located at the city station, which has a capacity of 40,000 gallons. 
Two miles of mains distribute about 40,000 gallons daily, under 25 
pounds pressure, to the city waterworks and the electric Hght plant, 
and to practically all the manufacturing plants of the town using 
steam power. It makes a very satisfactory boiler supply. The 
amount available is limited only by the capacity of the pump, 
approximately 10,000 gallons an hour. 

City well No. 1 has a depth of 2,003 feet and a diameter of 10 
inches to 208 feet, 6 inches to 408 feet, 5 inches to 1,185 feet, and 
4 inches to 2,003 feet; lO-inch casing is used to 208 feet, 5-inch from 
408 to 958 feet, and 4-inch from 1,145 to 1,185 feet. The curb is 
1,028 feet above sea level and the head 230 feet below the curb. 
The tested capacity is 105 gallons a minute. Strongly mineral 
water, almost yellow in color, rises from a depth of 212 feet to 90 
feet below the curb; water also occurs at 1,530 feet, at 1,700 feet, 
and lower. The well was completed in 1893 by J, P. Miller & Co., of 
Chicago. 

36581°— wsp 293—12 31 



482 



UNDEEGKOUND WATER EESOXJECES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in city well No. 1 at Grinnell. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Quaternary: 

Soil, loess, and drift 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

"St. Louis limestone" and Osage group — 

Limestone, rather soft, buff; in chips mixed with sand and small pebbles of 

northern drift 

Shale, dark gray, fissile; fragments of impure chert; in light-drab argUlo-calca- 

reous powder 

Limestone, cherty, arenaceous, argillaceous; after washing is seen to contain 

man J' mmute crystals of selenite 

Limestone, gray; as fine sand in argiUo-calcareous powder 

Limestone, cherty, and shale; as chips in argillo-calcareous powder 

Shale and limestone; soft, fissile, dark drab; in powder; with a few minute 

fragments of limestone and considerable chert 

Kinderhook group- 
Shale, blue, calcareous; in powder, concreted into readily friable masses con- 
taining microscopic particles of quartz 

Shale, hard, green-gray; with compact, light yellow, calcareous, siliceous; 
angular grains of transparent quartz; the largest 0.09 millimeter in diameter. 

Shale, fine grained, calcareous, greenish 

Shale, brownish drab 

Shale, light blue-gray, somewhat calcareous; 2 samples 

Shale, brownish drab 

Devonian: 

Limestone, fine grained 

Shale, light blue-gray, seleniferous, calcareous; a few particles of limestone 

Shale, light drab and bluish, somewhat calcareous; a little finely divided quartz- 

ose residue after washing; 5 samples 

SUurian: 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, granidar, subcrystaUine; brisk effervescence; much 

shale 

Shale and limestone; in light blue-gray argillaceous powder containing a few frag- 
ments of limestone 

Shale, light blue and green gray; somewhat calcareous; 7 samples, last at 900 

Limestone, magnesian, medium dark gray, earthy, argillaceous 

Limestone, magnesian or dolomite; considerable hard, finely arenaceous, greenish 

shale 

Shale, light gray, argillo-calcareous 

Limestone, highly cherty 

Limestone, white, soft 

Limestone, highly cherty; 2 samples 

Limestone, cherty ! 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, light buff; in fine sand 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale — 

Shale, light drab, calcareous 

Shale, light brown, pyritiferous; 2 samples, last at 1,280 

Magnesian limestone" or dolomite, buff; residue cherty and microscopically 

arenaceous ". . 

Shale, brown 

Galena dolomite — 

Magnesian limestone or dolomite, ferruginous; in dark buff powder; residuary 

quartzose particles 0.018 to 0. 18 millimeter in diameter; 4 samples 

No samples 

Limestone, magnesian, cherty, light yellow; in powder 

Limestone, light gray, fossUiferous; in flaky chips 

Decorah shale- 
Shale, green, noncalcareous, "fossiliferous" 

PlattevUle limestone- 
Limestone, magnesian; in buff powder 

St. Peter sandstone— 
• Sandstone, calciferous; quartzose particles from 0.018 to 0.18 millimeter in 
diameter; particles of white dolomite mingled with the quartz in the drUling. 
Sandstone, white; grains rounded and smooth; usual size about 0.55 milli- 
meter, largest 0.92 millimeter in diameter 

Sandstone, light reddish buff; fine grains, mostly broken; many stained with 

film of ferric oxide; largest 0.28 millimeter in diameter 

Prairie du Chien group — 

Shakopee dolomite and New Richmond sandstone — 

No samples 

Sandstone, highly calciferous, or limestone, arenaceous; sand grains angular, 
some rounded; largest 1 millimeter in diameter, matrix of dolomite, 
white, at 



Feet. 
212 



20 



20 

5 

10 

100 

20 



30 
200 



15 
115 



75 
135 
20 
10 



262 



POWESHIEK COUNTY. 483 

RecoTd of strain in city well No. 2 at Grinnell {PI. VIII, p. 352; PI. XV, p. 670). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene (209 feet thick; top, 1,028 feet above sea level): 

No sample 

Tm, greenish yellow 

Till, blue 

Till, blue; darker than above 

Till, blue; lighter 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

"St. Louis limestone" and Osage group (191 feet thick; top, 819 feet above sea level) — 
Limestone, bufl, dense, hard; brisk effervescence; in small cuttings and con- 
creted powder 

Sandstone, highly calcareous; grains of clear quartz, coarse, diverse in size, 

imperfectly rounded 

No record .' 

Limestone, light blue-gray; dull luster; slow effervescence; some cuttings of 

sandstone, dark blue, fine grained 

No record 

Limestone, blue, highly cherty, argillaceous, pyritiferous; effervescence slow; 

also shale 

Limestone, light gray, fossiliferous, encrinital; brisk effervescence 

Chert; in large chips; some limestone 

Limestone, blue-gray and whitish; cherty and with microscopic angular par- 
ticles of quartz; brisk effervescence 

Limestone, light gray, cherty, arenaceous; rapid effervescence 

Shale, light blue-gray; in powder; chert, blue; and limestone, gray 

Kinderhook group (167 feet thick; top, 628 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, blue gray; in friable concreted powder; largely composed of microscopic 

angular particles of quartz 

Shale, green-gray; in hard concreted masses, quartzose 

No record 

Shale, blue-gray and olive-gray, calcareous; in tough concreted masses; 7 

samples 

Devonian (216 feet thick; top, 461 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, gray; rapid effervescence; crystalline; some chips pyritiferous; much 

shale from above 

Shale, light blue, calcareous; in tough concreted masses 

Limestone, blue-gray; rapid effervescence; also shale, blue 

Shale; in tough, blue, concreted masses; 2 samples 

Limestone, drab, hard; rapid effervescence; and shale, blue, in concreted masses.. 
Limestone, light yeUow-gray, argillaceous, or shale, highly calcareous; in concreted 

powder 

Lmiestone, light yellow-gray, lithographic; brisk effervescence. 

Shale, blue, somewhat calcareous 

Silurian (414 feet thick; top, 245 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, brown, crystalline; rapid effervescence; in angular sand; also gypsum, 

in white cuttings 

Limestone, light gray, hard, compact, subcrystalline 

No record 

Limestone, hght yellow-gray and dark drab; moderately rapid effervescence; 

much white gypsum 

Shale, calcareous, hght blue; chert, white; and light-gray limestone of slow effer- 
vescence . . .• 

Dolomite, light gray, crystalline; slow effervescence 

Dolomite, light brown, macrocrystalline; in large chips; a little white gypsum 

Dolomite, light gray, crystaUine; in small chips 

Gypsum, white, with shale, hard, dark green, calcareous, and highly arenaceous; 

fairly large rounded grains and minute angular particles 

Gypsum and shale; in whitish concreted powder 

Chert, white, gray, yellow, and black; with limestone, light gray, of rapid effer- 
vescence 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, macrocrystalline; rapid effervescence; chert, white; 

and hard, green, arenaceous shale; cuttings chiefly chert 

Limestone, hght gray, earthy; rapid effervescence; much white chert 

Limestone, whitish and light yellow; rapid effervescence; shale, reddish and green; 

calcareous in molded masses; flint, brown and gray 

Limestone, whitish, pink, and yellow, with much gray flint; shale, dark green and 

a little dark reddish; all concreted in greenish argillaceous powder 

Limestone, whitish and yellow; rapid effervescence; much chert 

Limestone, magnesian or dolomite, crystalline, light yellow 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (211 feet thick; top, 169 feet below sea level)— 

Shale, green, shghtly calcareous 

Shale, green and brown 

No samples ■. 

Shale, dark brown, bituminous, burning freely, and rather hard, blue shale, 

pyritiferous 

Shale, brown; in calcareous concreted masses 

Shale, blue, in concreted powder, and limestone, dolomitic, in crystalUne sand; 

some dark-brown siliceous cuttings 

Shale, blue 

Shale, light brown, calcareous; 3 samples 

Shale, drab 



Feet. 
41 
49 
85 
5 
29 



142 



Feet. 



41 

90 

175 

ISO 

209 



214 



26 
6 


240 
246 


2 

8 


248 
256 


12 
32 
25 


268 
300 
325 


25 
25 
25 


350 
375 
400 


15 
5 
5 


415 
420 
425 



567 



25 
8 
33 
67 
23 


592 
600 
633 
700 
723 


27 
26 

7 


750 

776 
783 


77 
10 
5 


860 
870 

875 


14 


889 


26 
35 
40 
10 


915 

950 

990 

1,000 


25 
5 


1,025 
1,030 


10 


1,040 


40 
30 


1,080 
1,110 


10 


1,120 


30 
20 
27 


1,150 
1,170 
1,197 


23 
3 
40 


1,220 
1,223 
1,263 


2 
19 


1,265 
1,284 


6 
50 
35 
33 


1,290 
1,340 
1,375 
1,408 



484 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE KESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in city well No. 2 at Grinnell. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Ordovician — Continued . 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone (291 feet thick; top, 380 feet below sea 
level)— 

Dolomite, light buff and brown, crystalline, porous; in chips 

Dolomite; as above; cherty; in sand 

Dolomite; as above; with greenish, argillaceous and microscopically arenaceous 

powder; 3 samples 

Limestone, gray; brisk effervescence; in sand 

Dolomite, buff and brown; in crystalline sand; 2 samples 

Limestone, dark drab and Ught gray; rapid effervescence 

Shale, green, hard, laminated, shghtly calcareous 

Limestone, yellow-gray, crystalluie; rapid effervescence; some rounded grains 

of quartz sand • 

Shale, green, laminated, hard; practically noncalcareous 

St. Peter sandstone (32 feet thick; top, 671 feet below sea levels- 
Sandstone, white; grains rounded; largest 0.8 miUimeters in diameter 

Prairie du Chien group — 

Shakopee dolomite (169 feet thick; top, 703 feet below sea level) : 

Dolomite, dark brown and gray, hard; much quartz sand in drillings; 

dolomite cuttings very sparmgly arenaceous 

Dolomite, buff, arenaceous; with grains seen to be embedded; in sand and 

large chips of vesicular dolomite 

Sandstone and dolomite; in buff sand; quartz sand in excess 

Dolomite; m buff sand, cherty, oolitic, arenaceous, as inferred from quartz 

sand in drillings 

Dolomite, gray, vesicular, crystalline; in large chips 

Sandstone, white; largest grains 1 millimeter in diameter, showing some 
secondary enlargements; with chips of finer-grained sandstone, with 

calcareous cement 

Dolomite, gray; in large chips 

New Richmond sandstone (79 feet thick; top, 872 feet below sea level): 

Sandstone and dolomite; in buff, fine sand; quartz sand in excess; grains 

of quartz sand and cuttings of dolomite of about same size 

Sandstone, white, rather coarse; grains with secondary enlargements; some 

chips showing calcareous cement 

Sandstone^ buff; finer than above; in chips showing calcareous matrix 

Oneota dolomite (8 feet penetrated; top, 951 feet below sea level): 

Dolomite, white; in chips 

Dolomite, cherty, bright buff; in sand 

Dolomite, buff; "in sand. 



Feet. 
42 
25 

75 
10 
65 
25 
4 

37 



32 



39 



Feet. 
1,450 
1,475 

1,550 
1,560 
1,625 
1,650 
1,654 

1,691 
1,699 

1,731 



1,770 



34 
9 


1,804 
1,813 


27 
20 


1,840 
1,860 


6 
34 


1,866 
1,900 


33 


1,933 


17 
29 


1,950 
1,979 


4 
4 


1,983 
1,987 



Mdlcom. — The town of Malcom (population, 377) is provided with 
a water supply from two wells. An elevated tank furnishes 65 
pounds pressure for a niile of mains, supplying nine hydrants and a 
few private consumers. 

Montezuma. — The public supply of Montezuma (population 1,172) 
is from a 300-foot well. The water is pumped by gasoline engines 
into a 20 by 24 foot tank, elevated on a 100-foot steel tower. Dis- 
tribution is entirely by gravity, through 2 miles of mains to 17 fire 
hydrants and 35 taps. Only about 200 barrels are used per day 
in summer. A pressure of about 45 pounds is maintained throughout 
the town. The water is hard and deposits a red precipitate on the 
pipes, showuig that, though some of it may be drawn from the lime- 
stone, a larg"^ part of it comes from the overlying Pleistocene gravels, 
which in many places carry much iron. 

Two miles northeast of Montezuma is a spring which is said to flow 
in a 2-inch stream from a sand bed into a 12 by 12 foot brick reser- 
voir, from which arrangement is made for pumping by a gasoline 
engine. This spring is being considered as a source of public supply. 



POWESHIEK COUNTY. 485 

In the vicinity of Montezuma plenty of water may usually be 
found in drift sand at depths of 50 to 60 feet or perhaps 80 feet on the 
uplands. Fine sand has caused some difficulty in pumping and on 
that account a few wells have been abandoned or extended to lime- 
stone at depths of 200 to 300 feet. The limestone water is hard and 
stands about 100 feet below the surface; the supply, however, is 
certain and very constant. 

Montezuma is 948 feet above sea level, but an accurate estimate 
of the depths of the different water beds is difficult because of a 
hypothetical east-west sag bounded on the south by the up warp of 
the lower Paleozoic formations of southeastern Iowa. If the dip of 
the strata from Belle Plaine to Pella is uniform the St. Peter should 
be found at Montezuma about 640 feet below sea level, a depth nearly 
coincident with that given on a section from Grinnell to Sigourney. 
But the sag may carry the St. Peter down to 675 or 700 feet below 
sea level or at most 1,650 feet below the surface. A deep well should 
.be drilled at least 300 or 400 feet below the St. Peter into the subja- 
cent limestones and sandstones, where an abundant supply of water 
will probably be obtained. The well should be sunk to a depth of 
1,950 to 2,050 feet. 

The upper waters from the Mississippian and probably also any 
water found in the Silurian will be heavily mineralized and should 
be shut out. The quality of the lower and main waters is a matter 
of prime importance which regrettably can not be definitely pre- 
dicted. In general, it is believed that these waters are of a fair 
quality, but there are some indications to the contrary for this locality. 
The experience of Sigourney, where casing carried to the Galena, as 
reported, still left an unpotable water, is distinctly discouraging, 
although the probabilities are that at the latter place either the casing 
leaked or the Galena water was heavily mineralized. On this last 
supposition a water-tight casmg bedded a short distance above the 
shales of the lower Platteville should have remedied the difficulty. At 
Pella the upper waters were found unpotable, but when cased out, 
the lower or Ordovician waters were insufficient in quantity. The 
Pella well, however, reaches only to the St. Peter; had it been sunk 
a few hundred feet deeper fair waters of good yield would have 
probably been secured. The experience of the second city well at 
Grinnell, which succeeded in casing out the injurious sulphated 
waters of the first well and still had an abundant supply, would 
probably be duplicated at Montezuma with due care in the construc- 
tion of the well. The water will probably head at about 175 feet 
from the surface. 



486 



U]SrDEKGKOUN"D WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Poweshiek County: 

Typical ivells of Poiveshiek County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 78 N., R. 14 W. 
(part of Jackson). 

W. H. Taylor 


SW. i sec. 34- . . - 


Feet. 
217 

300 ± 


Feet. 
177 

200 ± 


Limestone . 
do 


Feet. 
90 

65 


Yield, 10 gallons per min- 
ute; pumped by gas and 
wind engines. "Iron 
and sulphxir " taste. 
First water bed at ISO. 

Pumped by lO-horsepower 
gas engine. Hard. Iron 
taste. L'sed but little. 


T. 80 N., R. 16 W. 
(Grinnell). 




J. W. Fowler 


Grinnell 


434 


200 


Limeston e 
and shale. 


130 


Pure. Water beds at 216 






and 300. Pumps 9 gal- 
lons a minute without 
lowering. 
Plenty of soft water. 




do 


183 


(a) 


Fine sand. . 


83 


T. 80 N., R. 14 W. 
(Bear Creek). 












Talbot and Thomp- 
son. 

City of Brooklyn . . 


Sec. 12 


605 
208 


325 


Red sand- 
stone. 

Sand and 


125 


Pumps 12 gallons a min- 




ute. Black soil, 3; red 
clay, 75; blue clay, 246; 
sand (dry), 1; blue and 
gray shale, 225; white 
clay, 7; limestone, 46; 
red sandstone, 2. 


John F. Scott 


Brooklyn 

SE. }sec. 2 

SE. i-sec. 4 

S. J sec. 15 


233 

575 

201 
170 




fexavel. 
c^o 


100 

SO 

65 
50 


Abundant soft water. Soil 


James Calderwood . 

Luther Triplet 

Jos. F. Coulter 


400 ± 

(a) 
169 


Limestone . 

Gravel 

Limes tone(?) 


and yellow clay, 30; blue 
clay, 200; fine sand and 
gravel, 3. 
Very constant. Red clay, 
50; blue clay, 350; lime- 
stone, 175. 

Fine well; probably from 
gravel. 

Probably from gravel. 

Strong weU. Soil and yel- 
low clay, 60; blue clay, 
262; gravel and sand 
(dry), 3; shale (?) slaty 
color, 247; limestone, 
hard, gray, 6. Hard and 
strongly mineral. 
Pumped by gasoline en- 
gine to tanks of farm; 
also of neighbor. 


S. E. Brush . 


do 


172 

578 


170 

325 


Limestone . 
do 


60 
75 


J. N. Newkirk 

T. 81 N., R. 14 W. 

(Madison). 


NE. Jsec. 16..-. 


John W. Jones 


W.J sec. 20 


400 


(a) 


Sand 


65 




T. 78 N., R. 13 W. 
(Deep River). 














W. L. Buxton 


NE. isee. 5 






Limestone . 
do 


75 
94 


Can not pump down. 

First water at 165 feet in 
sand and clay; yield 8 
gallons a minute. Hard. 


John Doonan 

T. 79 N., R. 14 W. 
(Scott). 


1| miles north of 
Deep River. 


194 


180 


R. F. Hutchinson. . 


SE. J sec. 28 


202 


152 


do 


100 


First water bed at 50. Sand 
andgi'avel. Hard. Drift, 
152; slate, 16; coal and 
fire clay, 2; shale; lime- 
stone, water bearing. 



a No rock. 



SCOTT COUNTY. 

Typical wells of Poweshiek County — Continued. 



487 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source 
supply 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 79N., R. 14 W. 
(Scott)— Contd. 

John Hutchinson . . 

Wm. T. Hutchin- 
son. 
John R. Johnson... 

\ 
Do .... 


SW. i sec. 27. . . . 

NE. Jsec. 34.... 
NE. Jsec. 35 

NE. isec. 22.... 
NW. Jsec. 6.... 

SE. J sec. 3 


181 

184 
412 

118 
324 

180 


171 

181 
131 

(a) 

(a) 


Limestone . 

do 

do 

Gravel 

Sandstone . 

Gravel 


68 

100 

35 
40 

100 


Strong well. Drift, 168; 

sand, partly cemented, 3; 

limestone, 9; limestone, 

very hard, 1. White and 

milky after storm; hard. 
Black water at first, bad 

odor; later cleared. 
Red clay, 75; blue clay, 50; 

sand (scant water), 6; 

limestone, hard gray, 281. 

Pumped 8 gallons per 

minute at test without 

lowering. 
Strong well. 
Very strong well. 

Never pumps lower. 


Maggie R. Johnson. 

T. 79 N., R. 13 W. 
(Lincoln). 

J. A. Dougherty 



a No rock. 

SCOTT COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Scott County is an area of faint relief. The larger part is an upland 
of well-nigh level Illinoian drift, sharply dissected along its margins, 
but elsewhere drained by shallow though broad waterways. The 
extreme northwestern part is occupied by a maturely dissected area 
of Kansan drift. Along the right bank of the Wapsipinicon Valley 
in Butler and Princeton townships rises a narrow and high ridge 
composed largely of loess and sand. The recently cut channel of the 
Mississippi from Princeton south gives room for a narrow alluvial 
lowland south of Valley City and one somewhat wider below Daven- 
port. That part of the wide flood plain of Wapsipinicon Kiver which 
hes south of the channel, an area of about 35 squares miles, falls 
to Scott County. Across the western part of the county stretches a 
broad marshy sag once occupied as a temporary channel by the 
Mississippi and now held by an insignificant stream called Mud Creek. 

GEOLOGY. 

Buff and bluish dolomitic limestone quarried at Le Claire and 
belonging to the Niagara underlies the northern part of the county; 
higher and younger limestones of Devonian age, of which the Daven- 
port quarries furnish examples, underlie the drift in Davenport and 
Blue Grass townships; and shales and sandstones belonging to the 
Pennsylvanian series occupy the extreme southern part of the county. 
(See PI. XV, p. 670.) 



488 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
PROVINCES. 

Wapsipinicon flood plain. — Wapsipinicon River, which forms the 
northern boundary of the county, flows over a flood plain whose 



p.vye/' 




10 Males 



Figure 5.— Map of western Scott County, showing the ancient channel now occupied by Mud Creek (shown 
by shading) and the buried Cleona channel (bounded by broken lines). Figures at deep wells ( •) indicate 
the elevation of the rock surface above sea level. Figiires prefixed by minus sign (— ) indicate depths 
of wells that did not reach rock. 

width on the right bank of the stream ranges from half a mile near 
Dixon to 3 miles at McCausland. On tliis plain alluvial sands and 
gravels supply abundant water to shallow dug and driven wells. 



SCOTT COUNTY. 489 

Mud Creek channel. — The little stream of Mud Creek drains the 
northern portion of an ancient channel held by several geologists to 
have been cut in glacial time by the diverted waters of Mississippi 
River. The channel floor is about a mile wide, increasing in width 
at the mouths of the valleys of tributary creeks. Ground water 
stands high. Much of the area is ill drained and ponds and marshes 
occur, especially at the col which crosses the flat valley floor at the 
head of Mud Creek, separating it from the headwaters of another 
creek, Elkhorn, whose course is in the opposite direction. Along 
this channel ground water is easily reached by shallow wells. 

Cleona huried channel. — In the western part of the county a distinct 
ground-water province exists in the ancient and deeply buried river 
valley called Cleona channel, from a township tlirough wliich it passes. 
The depth and width, which considerably exceed that of the present 
Mississippi Channel contiguous to the county, lead to the inference 
that it was cut in rock by a stream of large size. Apparently the 
rock-cut valley is wide floored and bounded by steep bluffs now buried 
deep from sight. In the village of Plainview wells a few rods apart 
show sharp descents of the rock surface of about 150 feet, and in 
Cleona Township the rock surface declines more than 260 feet within 
a mile. 

The Cleona channel joins the valley of the Wapsipinicon north of 
Allen Grove and Donahue, and probably continues down that valley 
to join the deep preglacial channel of the Mississippi north of Prince- 
ton. From Allen Grove southwest to Plainview it coincides in part 
with the broad flat-floored valley of Mud Creek, but from Plainview 
to Durant it lies mostly on the east side of Mud Creek Valley. 

In sec. 19, Cleona Township, northeast of Durant, the channel has 
a depth of more than 300 feet below the surface of the ground. The 
rock floor is not reached here at an elevation of 399 feet above sea level. 
This elevation is but 20 feet above extreme low water in the Mis- 
sissippi at St. Louis, and the fall thence to the Gulf of Mexico is but 3 
inches to the mile. The rock floor here is more than 160 feet lower 
than the present bed of the Mississippi at Le Claire. 

In this province water occurs in river or giacial-outwash sands with 
which the channel has been heavily aggraded, and which have been 
deeply buried beneath stony clays deposited by ancient ice sheets. 
The formations to be met with by the driller vary considerably, as the 
following well logs show: 

Log of well of H. Goettsch, NW. \ sec. 9, Cleona Township. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow and blue, Kansan 

Clay, black, iil-smelling, Aftonian. 

Clay, blue, hard, Nebraskan 

Quicksand, mostly fine 



Feet. 

102 
45 
50 

134 



Feet. 
102 
147 
197 
331 



490 UNDEKGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Log of well of Henry Roh, NE. \ sec. 26, Allen Grove Township. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow and blue 

Quicksand 

Clay, blue, stony, underlain by 70 feet of river sand resting on blue till 
Gravel 



Feet. 
100 

25 
150 

25 



Feet. 



100 
125 
275 
300 



Log of well of J. Rathjen, SW. I sec. 12, Cleona Township. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow 
Clay, blue... 
Sand 



Feet. 

35 

205 

2 



Feet. 



35 
240 
242 



Log of well of Lena Mumm, NE. J sec. 21, Cleona Township. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Sand and gravel 



Feet. 

12 

236 

30 



Feet. 



12 

248 
278 



These and other wells show that in places beds of sand covered with 
stony clays occur at a depth from the surface of about 100 feet. 
These sands are apt to be too fuie to be available for wells with the 
methods now in use in well construction. At depths of 200 to 275 
feet a body of sand is encountered, which probably rests on bedrock, 
although, as it has not been drilled through, tliis is not altogether 
certain. The thickness of tliis bed may reach 130 feet. Because of 
the fineness of grain over much of this depth, it may be expected to 
give much trouble to the driller, but there are coarser layers and 
gravel beds in which a good supply can be obtained. 

Niagara province. — The Niagara province embraces the two northern 
tiers of townsliips, where most of the wells are compelled to pass 
through the drift and find water either in the Niagara dolomite within 
a short distance from its surface or in overlying gravels. 

In Liberty Township rock outcrops in the northern sections, as about 
Big Rock and Dixon, but the southern half is covered with 50 to 140 
feet of drift. The depth to water varies widely in wells but a short 
distance apart; throughout the township water is found in rock 
within 50 to 150 feet of the surface. 

In Hickory Grove Township, except along the buried channels of 
Cleona River and of another preglacial stream which passes through 
the eastern tier of sections, rock occurs within 30 and 50 feet between 



SCOTT COUNTY. 491 

Plainview and Maysville and within 80 and 150 feet elsewhere, water 
being commonly found within a few feet below the rock surface. 

In Winfield, Butler, and Princeton townships, outside of the Wap- 
sipinicon Valley, water is found but a short distance below the rock 
surface, which lies within 60 to 170 feet of the surface of the ground 
on the upland back of the bluffs of ISIississippi River, at whose base 
rock outcrops. Northwestern Winfield Townsliip, however, lies in 
Cleona channel, and a series of wells from 190 to 225 feet deep to 
rock in sees. 15, 26, and 35 indicate a buried channel somewhat less 
deep and wide than the Cleona, with an approximately south-north 
course. 

In Sheridan and Lincoln townships and the western parts of Le 
Claire and Pleasant Valley townships rock is generally found at 60 
and 70 to 150 feet, some wells reaching it, however, at 170 feet or 
even more. In the eastern sections of Le Claire and Pleasant Valley 
townships rock occurs at or near the svu-face, and wells passing 
through 30 to 60 feet of drift find water within 75 to 150 feet of the 
surface of the ground. 

Devonian 'province. — In Davenport Township rock is generally 
entered at 80 to 170 feet, and water is found 10 to 50 feet below rock 
surface. Along the Mississippi rock outcrops in the side of the bluffs, 
but is covered with heavy drift and loess. A buried deep channel is 
suggested by wells in sec. 12 which strike rock at 212 to 230 feet, 
and by a well in Davenport, on Gains Street, said to be 200 feet to 
rock. These wells are ahgned with the channel traced near Leroy 
Grove, in Winfield Township, but there are no well reports from the 
eastern sections of Sheridan Township, through which the channel 
connecting the two "deep countries" would run. 

In Blue Grass Township, Devonian hmestones he 40 to 50 feet 
below the surface about Walcott, and from 80 to 100 feet below else- 
where. In sees. 1 and 12, however, two wells, one 230 feet to rock, 
and the other 275 feet deep, ending in sand, probably mark the 
southward extension of the buried channel which stretches across the 
eastern tier of sections of Hickory Grove Township. No data are at 
hand to trace the channel south of sec. 12. 

Carboniferous province, — ^The Carboniferous province includes the 
larger part of Buffalo Township and parts of Rockingham, together 
with outHers in Le Claire and Sheridan townships. Here beneath 
the drift the drill strikes the shales and sandstones of the Pennsyl- 
vanian series or coal measures. As the water contained in these beds 
is meager in quantity and is, as a rule, highly minerahzed, wells are 
generally drilled to the underlying hmestones, where water of excel- 
lent quahty is found in ample amounts and with a head which lifts 
it high in the weU. 



492 



TJNDEEGEOUND WATEK EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



Outside of Buffalo Township the outHers of the Pennsylvanian are 
small in area, but as they occupy very ancient channels cut in Niag- 
ara dolomite may reach 200 feet in depth. The following are typical 
wells in the Pennsylvanian province: 

Log of well in Buffalo Township, 8E. J SE. \ sec. 16. 



Clay, yellow 

Soapstone 

Slate 

Coal 

Fireclay 

Shale 

Coal 

Fireclay 

Limestone (Devonian) 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 

20 

25 

2J 

i 

2 

2 
20 

2\ 

1 

66^ 



Depth. 



Feet. 



20 
45 
47i 
48 
60 
70 
72J 
731 
140 



Log of well of Le Claire Brick & Tile Co., Island City. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Shale, dark 

Sandstone, white 

Shale, blue 

Sandstone 

Shale, blue 

Limestone (Niagara) with water vein beneath the shale; water heads 4 feet from surface, 



Feet. 
90 

6 
70 

9 

25 
26 



Feet. 



90 
96 
166 
175 
200 
226 



The White Sulphur Springs well is located in the NW. | sec. 24, 



Buffalo Township, 
sulphureted water. 



Its depth is 800 feet. It has a flow of strongly 
The well was completed prior to 1870. 



CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Bettendorf. — At Bettendorf (population, 909) the well of the Betten- 
dorf Improvement Co. has a depth of 1,650 feet and a diameter of 12 
inches at top and 9 inches at bottom; casing, 80 feet of 12 inch at 
top. The principal water bed is from 500 to 650 feet; flow, about 
1,000 gallons a minute. Temperature, 65° F. Driller, John D, Shaw, 
of Davenport. 

The Bettendorf Metal Wheel Co. well No. 1 has a depth of 400 
feet and a diameter of 8 inches; cased to rock, 20 feet. The curb is 
585 feet above sea level and the head 15 feet below the curb. Tested 
capacity, about 30 gallons a minute; water somewhat sulphureted. 

The Bettendorf Metal Wheel Co. well No. 2 has a depth of 1,539 
feet and a diameter of 10 inches to 60 feet, 8 inches to bottom; cased 
to 60 feet. The curb is 585 feet above sea level; head not reported. 
The flow is 200 gallons a minute. The well was completed in 1909 
at a cost of $2,300 by J. D. Shaw, of Sioux City. 



SCOTT COUNTY. 493 

Davenport. — Davenport (population 39,797) is supplied with water 
drawn from Mississippi River and filtered. It is distributed by 
gravity pressure, 65 pounds, and direct pressure, 125 pounds. There 
are 72 miles of mains and 650 hydrants. The works are owned by 
the Davenport Water Co. 

The 30-inch cast-iron intake pipe opens 1,000 feet off shore, the 
joints being all thoroughly calked with lead. The water flows from 
the intake pipe into a forebay, w^hich is screened to prevent fish or 
floating debris from entering, and thence into the well, from which 
the suction is taken. Well and forebay are cleaned from 20 to 40 
times a year. The water is then pumped into a settling basin with 
a capacity of 5,000,000 gallons, where it remains for 24 hours. This 
basin is cleaned once a yeap, the sediment collected during this time 
amounting to about 3 feet at the end of the basin at which the water 
is dehvered, and 1 foot at the end where it is taken out. 

From the settling basin the water flows through a flume over a 
weir into the coagulating basin with a capacity of 300,000 gallons, 
at whose entrance it is met by the coagulant solution. From 2 to 5 
grains of sulphate of alumina to the gaUon is used, the amount 
depending on the condition of the raw water. The alkalinity is 
tested daily. The filter alum is dissolved in tanks into which air 
is blown under pressure through pipes at bottom. The solution flows 
by gravity to a lead-lined centrifugal pump, by which it is lifted to an 
upper tank, which overflows into the bottom tanks, from which it is 
fed by gravity into the water in the coagulating basin. This method 
is beheved to keep the solution at uniform strength and insure a 
uniform head. The water in the coagulating basin is given three 
hours for the completion of the process, and is then pumped under 
pressure through the filters into the main distribution. Each of the 
10 horizontal filter sheUs is 32 feet long and 1^ feet in diameter. 
Each sheU is divided into two compartments, in each of which are 
5 feet of sand. The filter shells are capable of sustaining a pressure 
of 200 pounds to the square inch. 

The bacterial efficiency is reported to range from 96 to 99.06, the 
percentage increasing with the number of bacteria in the raw water. 

An upper and lower distributmg service is employed. The lower 
service is supplied from the river station, which is designated station 
No. 1, and serves, under direct pressure, the business section of the 
town and that along the. flood plain of the river. At station No. 2 
the fUtered water is pumped into a reservoir and the mains are so 
arranged that the pumps can be brought into commission at time 
of fire on the lower service to aid the pumps of station No. 1. When 
fire occurs on the upper service the pumps of station No. 2 supply 
direct pressure. 



494 UISTDEKGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The Davenport waterworks supply the Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' 
Home, whose daily consumption is about 15,000 gallons, at a cost of 
10 cents for 1,000 gallons. The supply had previously been drawn 
from a well on the grounds of the institution, but the capacity proved 
insufficient. 

The sequence of formations at Davenport has been fully treated by 
Udden ^ and by the writer,^ and the correlations specified in the 
papers cited have been confirmed, on the whole, by the records of 
wehs drilled since their publication.^ (See Pis. XII, XV.) 

The surface rock at Davenport is the Wapsipinicon limestone 
of the Devonian system, the type outcrops of the Upper and Lower 
Davenport limestones of the Iowa State Survey being within the city 
limits near the water level of Mississippi River. The Devonian 
includes shales (as shown by the Kimball House samples, and by the 
record of "caving material" of the Malt & Grain Co. well No. 2) 
which may be assigned to the Independence shale member of the 
Wapsipinicon. The base of the Devonian may be placed at 475 
feet above sea level. 

The samples from the Kimball House well, confirmed by other 
well records, define the lower limit of the Niagara and summit of 
the Maquoketa at about 130 feet above and the base of the Maquoketa 
at about 100 feet below sea level. 

The Galena dolomite extends at least to 250 and perhaps to 300 
feet below sea level. The undolomitized limestones and accompany- 
ing shales of the Platteville limestone meet the St. Peter sandstone 
at about 448 feet below sea level, according to Udden. The records 
as to the summit of the St. Peter are singularly conflicting, however, 
varying from 376 to 511 feet below sea level. The base of the 
St. Peter sandstone is also variously reported, and Udden's estimate 
of 524 feet below sea level may be accepted as an approximation 
to its average place. 

The Prairie du Chien group, on which the St. Peter rests, consists 
in its upper beds of shales and interbedded dolomites which reach a 
thickness of more than 100 feet. In several wells red marl is reported 
from this horizon. 

The Jordan sandstone, which succeeds the Prairie du Chien at about 
800 feet below sea level, is at least 150 feet thick and is continued 
downward into sandy limestones and limy sandstones of the St. 
Lawrence formation, from which its parting is ill defined in the 
driller's logs. The shale from 1,268 to 1,308 feet below sea level may 
be taken as the basal portion of the St. Lawrence, the latter depth 
marking the summit of the Dresbach sandstone. The deepest wehs 

1 Water resources of Illinois: Seventeenth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, pt. 2, 1896, pp. 829-S49. 

2 Artesian wells of Iowa: Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 6, 1897, pp. 272-280. 

3 Many of the data as to the newer wells were collected by Udden. 



SCOTT COUNTY. 495 

show that the Dresbach is underlain by heavy shales, succeeded below 
by another sandstone. 

The first water obtamed at Davenport comes from the Devonian at 
440 to 480 feet above sea level. It may represent the natural springs 
which rise from the Independence shale member of the Wapsipinicon 
limestone along its outcrops. The water is insignificant in quantity, 
but is noteworthy because of its corrosive quahties, which eat the 
casing from the outside, where the drill hole passes through water 
channels. 

A second flow is obtained in the Galena dolomite at depths of 108 
to 242 feet below sea level. This is the so-called ''upper water" and 
is noticeably impregnated with sulphureted hydrogen. Aeration and 
relief from pressure insure a rapid and complete escape of the gas. 
The water is frequently separated from lower flows. The yield has 
been generous, amounting in the Witts well to 300 gallons a minute. 

A third flow comes from the St. Peter sandstone, which has so far 
furnished the larger part of the discharge of the Davenport basm and 
is the main water bed supplying wells from 1,050 to 1,200 feet in depth. 

The analogy of other localities, where observations as to discharge 
seem to have been more carefuUy made, suggests that the Prairie du 
Chien group, especially its middle and lower portions, will also con- 
tribute largely to the flow of weUs, 

The Jordan sandstone at 745 to 945 feet below sea level may be 
depended on to yield generously with a head at present more than 20 
feet higher than that of the St. Peter. 

The St.La-vsrrence may be expected to yield little, if any, water, but 
the underlying Cambrian strata contain a well-fllled reservoir 1,300 to 
1,500 feet below sea level. 

As is commonly the case when numerous artesian weUs are drilled 
in a small area, the Davenport artesian field has shown from the 
beginning a progressive loss of pressure, lowering of static level, and 
diminution of discharge. This has been specially marked in weUs 
1 ,200 feet and less in depth, in which the main supply comes from the 
St. Peter. The initial head of these weUs seems to have reached 651 
feet above sea level, as shown by the woolen mills weU driUed in 1890. 
In 1891 an initial head of 612 feet was reported, in 1892 initial heads 
of 606 and 631 feet, in 1893 of 610 feet, and in 1905 the initial head (at 
the Malt & Grain Co. well) of the St. Peter was less than 592 feet 
above sea level; aU these heads are those of new wells and are 
therefore affected by no causes other than overdraft. 

The head of the Jordan and lower waters remains higher than that 
of the St. Peter. Thus the head of the Park weU, drifled in 1888, 
was initially 682 feet above sea level and in 1895 had declined to 
670 feet. It should be noted, however, that this weU is situated on 
high ground and is nonflowing. The initial head of the Malt & Grain 
Co/s well for the Jordan, drilled in 1905, was 612 feet and that of the 



496 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

well of the Bettendorf Metal Wheel Co., drilled m 1909, is 606 feet 
above sea level. 

In recent years the static level has been lowered by the use of com- 
pressed air in pumping a number of the wells, and though the dis- 
charge of the wells pumped has been increased to even more than 
the initial flows the head of other wells has been so reduced that they 
no longer flow. Thus the initial flow of the four wells of the Corn 
Products Kefining Co. is reported at 1,413 gallons a minute. In 
1908 the natural flow had declined to 842 gaUons, but with compressed 
air a discharge is obtained of 1,635 gallons a minute. The weU at 
the woolen mills yields at present but 25 gallons a minute under its 
natural pressure, but with compressed air gives 225 gaUons. The 
two weUs of the Independent Malting Co., which yielded in 1905 but 
350 gaUons, now pump 800 gaUons. The well of the Crystal Ice Co., 
wliich flowed 250 gallons, pumps 240 gallons a minute. 

The flow from the deeper aquifers still remains fair in new wells. 
Thus the new well of the Malt & Grain Co. flows 150 gaUons, that of 
the Davenport Malting Co. and that of the Bettendorf Metal Wheel 
Co. each 200 gallons a minute. 

As the static level of the St. Peter waters is now below the surface 
and the supply overtaxed, it is advised that new weUs be sunk to 
the Jordan sandstone and to the sandstones underlying the St. Law- 
rence formation from 1,550 to 2,100 feet from the surface, although 
weUs of 1,000 and 1,200 feet in depth wiU stUl yield largely under the 
pump. 

The glucose factory has four weUs. WeU No. 1 has a depth of 
1,500 feet and a diameter of 5 inches. The curb is 562 feet above sea 
level, and the head in 1896 was 58 feet above curb. The flow in 
1896 was 230 gallons a minute; in 1908 it was 60 gaUons a minute; 
tested capacity, under compressed air, in 1908, 160 gallons a minute. 
The temperature of the water is 61° F. Date of completion, 1876. 

Well No. 2 has a depth of 2,101 feet and a diameter of 6 inches. 
The curb is 562 feet above sea level. The head in 1896 was 81 feet 
above curb; in 1905 it was 24 feet above curb. The original flow 
was 380 gaUons a minute; the present flow is 228 gallons a minute; 
tested capacity, under compressed air, 380 gallons a minute. Tem- 
perature, 64° F. The weU was completed in 1889 by J. P. MiUer & 
Co., of Chicago. 

WeU No. 3 has a depth of 2,105 feet and a diameter of 6 inches. 
The curb is 562 feet above sea level. The original flow was 400 gal- 
lons a minute; present flow, 264 gaUons a minute; tested capacity, 
under compressed air, 530 gallons a minute. Temperature, 64° F. 
The weU was completed in 1892 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

Well No. 4 has a depth of 2,107 feet and a diameter of 8 inches. 
The curb is 562 feet above sea level. The original flow was 400 gal- 
lons a minute; present flow, 290 gaUons a minute; tested capacity, 



SCOTT COUNTY. 



497 



under compressed air, 565 gallons a minute. The temperature of 
the water is 64° F. The well was completed in 1892 by J. P. Miller 
& Co., of Chicago. 

Repairs have been made only on well No. 4, new casing to 650 feet 
having been inserted in 1906, slightly increasing the flow. In 1905 
these four wells discharged into the basin from which the water is 
pumped. The wells are situated not more than 240 feet apart, but 
no interference has been noticed. 

Driller's log of glucose factory wells. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Surface material 

Limestone, bluish, at. . 

Shale, at 

Limestone, at 

Shale 

Sandstone (St. Peter). 

Limestone, sandy 

No record 

Shale 

Limestone, sandy 

Sandy rock 

Shale 



Feet. 
52 



30 
42 
530 
258 
40 
20 
160 
50 



Feet. 

52 

410 

635 

970 

1,000 

1,042 

1,572 

1,830 

1,870 

1,890 

2,050 

2,100 



The Park well has a depth of 1,797 feet. The curb is 704 feet 
above sea level. The original head was 22 feet below curb; head in 
1896, 34 feet below curb. The tested capacity is 125 gallons a 
minute. The well was completed in 1888 by J. P. Miller & Co., of 

Chicago. 

Record of strata in Park well at Davenport."' 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



"Loess; " no sample 

"Bowlder clay;" no sample 

Shale; dark; no sample 

Limestone; pure, hard, gray, compact, fine textured, nonmagnesian 

Dolomite; hard, highly vesicular, light pinkish-bufi, with casts of crinoid stems and 

easts of apex of Platystoma niagarense Hall 

Dolomite; subcrystalline, cream-colored, highly vesicular, with obscure cast of bryo- 



Dolomite; hard, bluish gray, subcrystalline 

Shale; lead colored, argillaceous, very slightly caleareomagneslan, fossiliferous; black- 
ens in closed tube before the blowpipe; turns white 

Dolomite; white, arenaceous 

Dolomite; hard, gray, subcrystalline 

Dolomite; hard, rough, brownish, white; some fine gray shale 

Dolomite; lighter in color, with obscure casts of fossils referred to Zygospira 

Dolomite; light brownish 

Dolomite; as above, with white chert 

Dolomite; magnesian limestone, white 

Limestone; light bluish gray, nonmagnesian, argillaceous; in thin, flaky chips 

Shale; green, pyritiferous 

Sandstone; grains rather coarse, rounded, white and pinkish 

Shale; indurated, slightly arenaceous, fine grained, gray, green, and purplish 

Dolomite; light gray, arenaceous 

Dolomite; light buff, arenaceous 

Dolomite; buff, arenaceous 

No record . 



'Sandstone" 

" Limestone " 

Dolomite; in minute fragments, with large admixture of siliceous sand. 



Feet. 
40 
60 
30 
220 

30 



50 
75 
SO 

125 
50 
75 
^0 
10 
75 
30 
60 
50 

100 
25 
10 

100 



Feet. 



40 
100 
130 
350 

380 

400 
490 

520 

600 

650 

725 

775 

900 

950 

1,025 

1,075 

1,085 

1,160 

1,190 

1,260 

1,300 

1,400 

1,425 

1,435 

1,535 

1,797 



36581°- 



o From drillings preserved by A. S. Tiffany, Davenport, Iowa, 
-wsp 293—12 32 



498 



UNDEEGEOUISrD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The Kimball House well has a depth of 1,560 feet and a diameter 
of 8 inches to 710 feet and 4 inches to bottom. The curb is 579 feet 
above sea level. The original head (of lower water) was 58 feet 
above curb; in 1896, 20 feet above curb; in 1908, below curb a flow 
of sulphur water, 120 gallons a minute from a depth of about 700 
feet, was cased out. The well was completed in 1890 (?) by A. K. 
Wallen. Between 1896 and 1905 the casing became corroded and 
the upper and lower waters mingled. 

Record of strata in Kimball House well.'^ 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



'• Modified drift" 

Limestone, magnesian, compact, fine textured, hard, light, and dark gray 

Limestone, softer, Hghter colored; similar in composition and texture to that above 

Dolomite, hard, pin-e, subcrystalliae, vesicular, light greenish gray; casts and molds 
of fossUs . 



Dolomite; as above, biit darker 

Dolomite; as at 128 to 175 feet 

Dolomite, light bluish gray; with white chert 

Shale, black, pyritiferous,"noncarbonaceous 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, blue, argillaceous, fossiliferous 

Dolomite, hard, rough, subcrystalliae, medium dark buff 

Sand, fine, buff, largely dolomitic, with rounded grains of quartz; also many grains of 

pyrite in minute, agglomerated crystals; water bearing 

" Limestone, soft, yellow, magnesian; " no sample 

" Limestone, hard," buff, nonmagnesian;" no sample 

" Limestone, argillaceous, ferruginous; " no sample 



Feet. 
13 
67 

48 

47 
130 
120 
23 
27 
90 
125 
40 

45 

75 
50 
90 



Feet. 



13 

80 
128 

175 
305 
425 
448 
475 
565 
,690 
730 

775 
850 
900 
990 



a From samples supplied by A. S. Tiffany. 

The woolen mills well has a depth of 1,053 feet and a diameter of 
S^ inches. The curb is 564 feet above sea level. The original head 
was 87 feet above the curb; head in 1905, at curb. The water at 85 
or 120 feet, at 700 feet, and near bottom, was corrosive, cutting the 
casing from the outside. The original flow is unknown; flow in 1908, 
25 gallons a minute; tested capacity in 1908, 225 gallons a minute. 
The well was completed in 1890 by A. K. Wallen. New casing was 
inserted in 1895, in 1901, and in 1906, to 200 and to 280 feet below 
the curb and each time a higher pressure was obtained. 

The Witts Bottling Works well has a depth of 780 feet and a 
diameter of 6 and 3 inches. The curb is 575 feet above sea level. 
The original head was 82 feet above curb; head in 1896, 59 feet above 
the curb. The original and present flow is 300 gallons a minute, but is 
said to diminish when the well of Crystal Ice Co. is used. Date of 
completion, 1891. Drillers, J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

The gasworks wells Nos. 1 and 2 have depths of 1,200 feet and a 
diameter of 5 to 4 inches; 5-inch casing nearly to bottom. The curb 
is 564 feet above sea level. The head of lower water, original, was 
48 feet above the curb; head in 1896, 48 feet above the curb; head 
in 1905, 4 feet above the curb. Temperature, 65° F. The wells 
were completed in 1891 by A. K. Wallen. 



SCOTT COUNTY. 



499 



The Schmidt building well has a depth of 1,200 feet and a diameter 
of 4 inches. The curb is 576 feet above sea level and the original 
head was about 30 feet above the curb. Head in 1905, less than the 
original. The original flow was about 45 gallons a minute. Date of 
completion, 1892; driller, A. K. Wallen. 

The Malt & Grain Co. well No. 1 has a depth of 1,076 feet and a 
diameter of 5 inches. The curb is 592 feet above sea level. The 
original head was 39 feet above the curb; the head in 1896, 15 feet 
above the curb; in 1909, 14 feet below curb. The water comes from 
depths of 700 feet and 1,055 to 1,076 feet. Temperature, 62° F. 
The well was completed in 1892 by A. K. Wallen. 

The Malt & Grain Co. well No. 2 has a depth of 1,653 feet and a 
diameter of 12 to 5 inches; cased from 100 to 120 feet, to shut out 
caving material, and from 1,100 to 1,135 feet. The curb is 592 feet 
above sea level and the flow 150 gallons a minute, the water rising 
20 feet above the curb. The first flow was from Jordan sandstone at 
depths of 1,385 to 1,535 feet. Temperature, 64° F. The well was 
completed in 1905 by L. Wilson, of Chicago. During the drilling of 
the second well the flow of the first was permanently increased. The 
two wells are 100 feet apart. 

Driller's log of Davenport Malt & Grain Co. well No. 2. 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


35 


35 


31 


66 


15 


81 


10 


91 


1^ 


92J 


6J 


99 


3 


102 


9 


111 


11 


122 


161 


283 


15 


298 


123 


421 


11 


432 


74 


306 


90 


596 


40 


636 


25 


661 


100 


761 


168 


929 


2 


931 


65 


996 


7 


1,003 


22 


1,025 


62 


1,087 


30 


1,117 


39 


1,156 


6 


1,162 


22 


1,184 


17 


1,201 


49 


1,250 


40 


1,290 


60 


1,350 


100 


1,450 


125 


1,575 


78 


1,653 



Sand 

Hardpan and gravel 

Shale, sandy 

Gravel 

Loose limestone 

Limestone 

Caving sand and gravel 

Limestone, sandy 

Shale 

Limestone, white 

Shale, sandy 

Limestone, "sandy . . .,. 

Limestone, brown . .'. 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Limestone and blue shale . . . 

Shale, sandy 

Shale, gray 

Limestone 

Limestone, flinty 

Limestone, brown 

Limestone, caving 

Shale, blue and gray 

Sandstone 

Shale and casing rock 

Limestone 

Limestone and blue shale . . . 
Limestone and shale, caving 

Limestone and shale 

Marl, red, and limestone 

Limestone, sandy 

Sandstone 

Limestone, gray 

Limestone, brown 

Limestone, sandy 



500 UFDEEGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

The Crystal Ice Co. well has a depth of 1,067 feet and a diameter 
of 6 to 4 uiches; cased to 1,067 feet. The curb is 590 feet above sea 
level and the original head 15 feet above the curb. The original flow 
was 250 gallons a minute; tested capacity in 1908, 240 gallons a 
minute. The first flow was at about 600 feet. Temperature, 60° F. 
The well was completed in 1893 by A. K. Wallen. 

The Tri-City Packing & Provision Co. well has a depth of 1,100 
feet and a diameter of 8 to 5 inches; cased to 800 feet. The curb 
is 564 feet above sea level. The original head was 46 feet above 
the curb; head in 1896, 46 feet above the curb; head in 1905, 7 feet 
above the curb. The original flow was 250 gallons a minute. The 
water comes from 800 and 1,100 feet. Date of completion, 1893. 
Driller, J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

The Independent Malting Co. well No. 1 has a depth of 1,285 feet 
and a diameter of 4 inches. The curb is 573 feet above sea level 
(aneroid). The original head is unknown; the head in 1905 was 20 
feet above the curb; in 1909, 9 feet above the curb. The flow in 
1905 was 150 gallons a minute; tested capacity in 1909, 400 gallons a 
minute. Sulphureted water comes from a depth of a little more 
than 700 feet; other water from a sandstone near the bottom; waters 
separated. Date of completion, 1896. 

The Independent Malting Co. well No. 2 has a depth of 1,285 
feet and diameter of 6 inches. It is 175 feet distant from well No. 1. 
The head in 1905 was 12 feet above the curb and the flow 200 gallons 
a minute. The tested capacity in 1909 was 400 gallons a minute. 
Date of completion, 1904. 

The well of the Martin Woods Co. has a depth of 415 feet and a 
diameter of 12 and 8 inches; casing, 12 inches for 48 feet, 8 inches for 
98 feet; space between casings filled with concrete. The curb is 559 
feet above sea level and the head is 1 foot above the curb. The 
pumping capacity is 33 gallons a minute; temperature, 53° F. The 
principal water bed is at 415 feet. Date of completion, 1910; driller, 
J. E. Shaw. On completing the well the head was found to be 4 feet 
below the curb, but in a few days the water had risen within a few 
inches of the surface. The use of a centrifugal pump has increased 
the natural flow. 

The Davenport Maltmg Co. well has a depth of 1,998 feet (also 
reported as 1,880 feet) and a diameter of 8 inches. The curb is 560 
feet above sea level (aneroid) and the head 45 feet above curb. The 
original flow was 200 gallons a minute; present flow, 150 gallons a 
minute. The first flow was of sulphureted water at 800 feet; second 
flow at 1,750 feet. Temperature, 62° F. The well was completed 
in 1900 by Wilson & Co., of Chicago. 

The Independent Baking Co. well has a depth of 900 feet and a 
diameter of 10 inches. Water from depth of 100 feet rises within 



SCOTT COUNTY. 



501 



20 feet of surface ; the flow comes from a depth of 873 feet. Temper- 
ature, 56° F. Driller, J. D. Shaw. 

To better define the place of the chief water beds there may be 
added the lower portions of the logs of two wells across Mississippi 
River from Davenport. 

Log of lower- fart of Moline Paper Co.'s well at Moline, III. 
[Curb, 564 feet above sea level.] 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Sandstone (St. Peter) . . . 
Marl, red, and limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone 



Feet. 

65 

16 

101 

50 



Feet. 
1,141 
1,457 
1,578 
1,628 



Log of lower part of Mitchell & Lynde Building well at Rock Island, III. 
[Curb, 558 feet above sea level.] 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Sandstone (St. Peter) 

Limestone 

Sandstone, compact 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone, shaly, and shale 
Sandstone 



Feet. 
145 
811 
30 
35 
130 
75 
97 



Feet. 
1,104 
1,915 
1,945 
1,980 
2,110 
2, 185 
2,282 



Donahue. — ^At Donahue (population, 62) a small water-suppl}^ sys- 
tem is owned by two citizens. Water from wells is pupaped to a tank 
with a capacity of 600 barrels. The number of taps is reported as 
50. Drilled wells 100 to 300 feet deep find rock from 10 to 300 feet 
below the surface. Water from 150 feet has a head of 20 feet below 
the curb. 

Eldridge. — The waterworks owned by the town of Eldridge (popu- 
lation, 217) consist of a well 180 feet deep, a tank, about a mile of 
mains, 16 fire hydrants, and 50 taps. The consumption is 800 gal- 
lons daily. The domestic and fire pressure is 45 pounds. Eldridge 
also uses cisterns and dug and drilled wells. The wells are from 
103 to 201 feet deep, averaging 130 feet. They find rock at 100 feet. 
The water heads 90 feet below the curb. 

Le Claire. — Le Claire (population, 690) draws its supplies from cis- 
terns, drilled wells, and Mississippi River. The wells are from 30 to 
150 feet deep with an average of 60 feet. They tap Niagara dolo- 
mite at about 60 feet, and are in rock from 20 feet down. There 
are some small springs in the neighborhood. 

Le Claire is 580 feet above sea level. An artesian well was recom- 
mended in 1899 for it by W. H. Norton.^ On account of the steeply 



Report on the geology of Scott County: Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 9, 1899, p. 505. 



502 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



inclined layers of the country rock, which apparently afford open 
waterways, the surface water may reach the common wells now in 
use in the town. A deep well will find the St. Peter 900 to 950 
feet from the surface and this together with the supplies found in 
the Galena and Platteville should be adequate. 

Walcott. — The waterworks in Walcott (population, 416) are owned 
by the town. They include a well 85 feet deep, from which water 
is pumped to a tank with a capacity of 2,000 barrels, affording a 
pressure of 42 pounds. There are a mile of mains, 16 fire hydrants, 
and 128 taps. House wells in the village range in depth from 20 
to 42 feet. The shallower wells find water in gravel and the deeper 
in limestone, which is entered at 55 feet. 

Minor supplies. — ^The following table gives data concerning the 
supplies of minor villages. 

Village supplies in Scott County. 





Nature of supply. 


Depth. 


M 

03 

t 
O 

p- 
© 
ft 


Source of 
supply. 


£ 

o 

ft 
Q 


Head above 

or below 

curb. 




Town. 


1 

S 1 
2 i 


d 
o 

S 
S 

o 

O 




ft 

1 


Springs. 


Big Rock 


Dugand drilled wells. 


Ft. Ft. 
14 130 
35 90 
16 270 

50 160 
135 180 

16 60 


Feet. 
30 
50 
24 

75 


Feet. 
60 


Limestone . 


Ft. 
8-14 


Feet. 
-14 
-25 
-16 

-30 

-40 

-10 
-25 
f-20 
\ to 
1-50 


Feet. 

"-ho 
'-io' 

to 
-40 




Bufialo 


Open and drilled 
wells. 

Wells and cisterns 

Drilled wells and cis- 
terns. 

Wells 




Limestone . 


4-10 


Medium 


Long Grove... 


135-170 


Limestone . 


120 


Small. 


Noel 


do 


30 
90-125 








Small. 


New Liberty. . 


do 


80 165 


100 


Sand 












1 



WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Scott County: 

Typical wells in Scott County. 



Owner. 


Locality. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

in 
rock. 


Rock 
surface 
above 
sea 
level. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 80N., R. 1 E. 

(LlBEKTY). 

L. Riefe 


SE. JSE.Jsec.2 . 


Feet. 


Feet. 
100 
93 

60 
150 

60 


Feet. 


Feet. 




Z. Parker 


NE.J NW.J sec. 7.. 
SE. J see. 7 


113 
90 






Yellow clay, 18; blue clay, 

75. 


J. Stoltenberg 


30 




J. L. Andre 


NE. J NE. Jsec. 8. 


Yellow clay, 35; 7ellow 
sand; blue and yellow 
clay to bottom. 


-Klahn 


NW.Jsec.S 


118 


58 





SCOTT COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Scott County — Continued. 



503 



Owner. 


Locality. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 
in 

rock. 


Rock 
surface 
above 

sea 
level. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 80 N., R. 1 E. 
(Liberty)— Con. 

G. Parker 


SE.JSE.Jsec.8.... 
NE. JNW.Jsec. 10.. 


Feet. 
143 


Feet. 
143 

112 
23 

60 

60 
60 
60 
81 
18 
90 

108 

50 
100 

90 

60 
50 

105 
110 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Yellow clay, 40; sand; re- 








mainder blue clay. 


Dixon City Hotel . . . 
J.Holt 


SE.iSE.isec.l2.... 

SE. JSE. Jsec. 13... 

NW.Jsec.lS 

SW. J sec. 16 


73 
108 
135 


50 


657 


Nearly all fine blue silty 

quicksand. 
Yellow clay, 25; black 

muck, 35. 


J. Flinker 


75 




J. Killian 




P. Mohr.. 


NE. iNW.isec.l7. - 






740 




Do 


SE. iSE.Jsec. 18... 








NW. JNE. Jsec.9 






782 




Town of New Lib- 


SW. J sec. 20 






'X 


SW. J sec. 20 






692 


Yellow clay, 16; yellow 
sand, 3; blue clay, 89. 


Do 


SW. i sec. 20 




A. Weise 


NW.|NE.isec.20-. 








Yellow clay, 16; quick- 
sand, 10; blue clay, 74. 

Yellow clay, 20; sand, 3; 
blue clay, 67. 

Little blue clay. 


W. N. Lensch 


SE. JSW.isec.20. 








Do 


SE.J SW. i sec. 20.. 
SW.JSE.isec.22... 

SW.JNW. 1 sec. 24. 
SE. J sec. 24 


90 
115 

165 


30 

65 




H. Schmidt 


Yellow clay, 25: red clay. 


M. Smallfield . 


25; bowlders on rock. 


J. Flinker 








H. Quistorf 


SE. JSW.Jsec.25... 








Hard blue clay, from 12 to 
40; stopped in sand. 


H. Meinert 


Sec. 26 


48 
72 

150 
150 

64 
125 

74 


36 
60 






E. Moeller 


SW.iSW.Jsec.32.. 

SW.JSW.Jsec.33.. 
NE.JNW.Jsec.35.. 
SE. JSE.Jsec.16... 
Sec. 16 






Yellow clay, 20; sand, 2; 


H. Arp 






blue clay, 38. 


T. Ketelson 


128 

8 

120 

70 


22 


672 




T. Killian. 




J. Killian 








J. Ketelson 


SE. JNE. J sec. 26... 
NE. JNE.Jsec.l... 






Thick yellow clay through- 
out. 


T.79N., R. IE. 

(Cleona). 

D. Boll 






Wheeler 


Sec. 2 




110 

42 
162 
121 
80 
45 






Wood like decayed walnut, 
65 to 75. 


C. Ginn 


NW.JNE.isec.4... 
SW. Jsec. 4 


72 
163 






W, Rheims 








Do 


NW.JNW.Jsec.7.. 








J. Schroder 


SW.iSE.Jsec.7.... 
SW.JSW.Jsec.O... 
SW.JSE.Jsec.lO... 


108 
113 








H. Kroeger 




595 


All yellow clay. 


H. Hein 




F. Kardel 


NE.tSW.Jsec.il... 












J. Rathjen 


SW. J SW. J sec. 12 










Yellow clay, 35; blue clay, 

205; sand, 2. 
Yellow clay, 10; blue clay. 


H, Speth 


NW. Jsec. 13 










A. Franz 


SE. JNE. J sec. 13.. 




193 






116; quicksand, 150; ends 
in gravel. 
All slushy blue mud to 
rock, below a little yel- 
low clay. 


H. Hein... 


NW.JSE.Jsec.l4... 








G. Paustian 


NE. JNE. Jsec.l4. .. 










Yellow clay, 10; blue clay, 
268; sand and gravel, 2. 


Juergen Mumm 


NE.JSW.Jsec.l4.. 










M. Hoersch. . 


SE. J S W.J sec. 15 . 














SW. Jsec. 15 










Yellow clay, 15; blue clay, 
stony, 171; gravel, 2. 


P. Paulson 


NE.JNW.Jsec.16.. 
N W.J SW. J sec. 16. . 
NW.J NE. J sec. 19.. 
NE. JNE. J sec. 21. 


122 
137 
331 


58 
111 






Do 








H. Goettsch 








Lena Mumm 








Yellow clay, 12; blue clay, 
236; sand and gravel, 30. 


H. Mumm 


NW. J SE. J see. 22. . 










J. Theil 


NE. J NE. J sec. 22 










Yellow clay, 15; blue clay, 
129; sand and gravel, 2. 

Yellow clay, 20; sand, 10; 
blue clay, 100; gravel, 3. 


H. Wessel 


NW.J SE. Jsec. 23. . 























504 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells in Scott County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Locality. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

in 
rock. 


Rock 
surface 
above 
sea 
level. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T.79N.,R.l E. 
(Cleona— Contd). 


S W. I SW. i sec. 30. . 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 




W. Rheims . 


SW. J sec. 4 


161 


146 








J. Tesrow 


N W. i sec. 24 






Yellow clay, 7; red sand, 7; 

sand, 21; gravel, 25. 
Yellow clay, 25; sand, 5; 


Durant 
























blue clay, 109. 
To rock, 100 to 150 feet. 


creek. 

T. 80N.,R. 2E. 
(Allens Grove). 

C. Rohwer 


Sec. 13 










Ends in 25 feet of sand. 


D.Yale 


NW.iSW.isec.29.. 
NW.i SE.i sec. 20.. 


111 


99 
155 






Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 
stony, 70; hard pan, 9. 


E.Gallegher 

M.King 






SE.iNW.isec.20... 

SE.i SE.I sec. 20... 
NW. Jsec. 24 


75 
118 






Yellow clay, 20; blue clay. 


E. Richardson 


100 






50; hardpan, dry, 5. No 
water. 
Blueclay, 70; sand,30. 


Do 






0. H. Walton 


Sec. 24 










Yellow clay; blue sticky 


Wm. Blythe 

H. Rohwer 


SE.iNW,Jsec.25... 




246 






clay; quicksand; stopped 
in 50 feet of river sand. 


NE. iNE.isec.26 .. 








Stopped in gravel. 




SE.i SE.I sec. 27... 




228 




472 


J. Hasenniiller 


NW.J SE.I sec. 28-. 




Stops in sand. 


E. O'Neil 


SE.iNE.isec.28... 
SW.iSE. Jsec.28 .. 


323 


312 




448 


Yellow clay, 50; sand, 50; 


J. Carter 


mostly blue clay; coarse 
gravel. 


H. Ketelson 


NE. ISE. |sec.30... 












C. H. Brockmann. . . 


SW.i NW. J sec. 31.. 












H. Schultz . 


SW. JSE. Jsec.33... 




113 

240 
212 






Yellow clay, 16; quicksand; 


H. Stahft 


NE.JSW,Jsec.33... 
NW.i NE. J sec. 33.. 


250 




440 
508 


blue stony clay to 60; 
sand and gravel, 2; blue 
clay, 61. 
Mostly quicksand; 100 feet 
of sand in one bed. 


H. Latrode 


R. C. Curtis 


SE. J SE.isec.34 




Struck rock. 


H. Weise 


NE. isec.35 












Town of Donahue. . . 


NE. J sec. 36 




100 
157 








Do 


NE. isec.36 

NW.4SW.isec.24.. 


160 


3 




Yellow clay; blue clay; 

quicksand, 15. 
Mostly fine sand. 


Chas. Middlemass. . . 


T. 79N., R. 2E. 
(Hickory Geove). 

H. Klindt 


SE.iNW.isec.2.... 
NE.J SW.4sec.4... 
SE.I NW.Jsec.4... 
NW.iNE.4sec.4... 
SE. iSE.Jsec. 5.... 
SW.JSE. Jsec. 5. . 


81 
82 
150 

74 
77 


71 
72 
144 
70 
69 








C. Rock 








F. Rock 


6 






P. Burmeister 












D. Wander 








Joseph Vort 


Sec. 6 




215 








Plain view 


NW.I NW.i sec. 7... 










Do 


NW.i NW.I sec. 7.. 




232 








M. Spelletich 


NW.i SE.i sec. 7... 










Do 


SE.i NW.I sec. 7... 




245 
55 
30 
70 
80 
50 
40 
80 
67 
215 
190 

155 
208 








Do 


SE.i SE.i sec. 7 




47' 

75 
85 
63 
64 
95 


665 




J. Soutter 


NE.iSE.isec.8.... 
NW.i NW.i sec. 9... 


77 




P. Burmeister 




Do 


SW.iNE.i sec. 9. 






H. Arp 


SE. i SW. i sec. 9 






J. Kerker 


SE.i SE.isec. 9. . 






P.Meyer 


NW.i SE.i sec. 10. 






C. Meyer 


SW.iSE.isec.il... 
NE. isec. 12 


81 




B. Painter 




525 
550 




Ira Burch 


S W.J SE.i sec. 12... 

SE.i NW.i sec. 13.. 
SW.i SE.i sec. 13... 


191 

157 
212 


Yellow clay, 40; blue till, 


Hans Joens 


150. 
Water on rock. 


J. Steenbock 




502 





SCOTT COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Scott County — Continued. 



505 



Owner. 



Locality. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

in 
rock. 



Rock 

surface 

above 

sea 

level. 



Remarks (logs given 
in feet). 



T.79N.,R.2E. 
(Hickory Grove)- 
Continued. 

Maysville 

Do 

W. Koberg 

A. Lage 

H. Klindt 

G. Golinghast 

M. Spelletich 

J. Frauen 

J. Paustian 

J. Hamann 

Th. Karbel 

M. Gries 

J. Plambeck 

W.Fry 

Schoolhouse 

E.Smdt 

C. Haller 

P. Riessen 

C. Paustian 

Geo. Dietz. 

Schoolhouse 

A. H. Lamp 

Maysville Creamery 

Geo. Deitz 

J. Plambeck 

J. Soutter 

T. 78 N., R. 2 E. 
(Bluegrass). 

S.R.Miller 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Do 

W. Arp 

G. Muhl 

H. F. Strohbeen... 
Walcott 

T. Giese 

J. Franz 

H. Goering 

Do 

H. Meyer 

Eggert Puck 

A. Le Buhn 

H.Wiese 

H. Schlichting 

Schoolhouse No. 3.. 



T. 77 N., R. 2 E 
(Buffalo). 

E.James 

L. Daurer 

C. Rowan 

Bamwick , 



Sec. 15 

Sec. 15 

NE.iSW.isec. 15.. 
NW.JSW.isec.16.. 
SW.JSW.isec.16.. 

SE. Jsec.l7 

SW.JSE.Jsec. 18... 
NW.iNW.Jsec.19. 
SE.JNE.isec.l9... 



NE.JNW.Jsec.20. 
SE.JNE.Jsec.21.. 



SW.JSW.Jsec.22. 

NE.JSE.isec.23.. 

NE.JSE.Jsec.24.., 



SE.JSE.Jsec.26... 
NW.JNE.Jsec.27.. 



NE.JSE.Jsec.29.. 
NW.JNW.Jsec.29. 
NE.JNW.Jsec.30. 

SW.JSE.Jsec.31.. 



NW.JNW.isec.32. 
NW.JNW.Jsec.33. 

.NW.iSE.Jsec.l5... 

SW.JSE.Jsec.31... 



SE. J sec. 36 . 
NE. J sec. 8 . 



N W. J sec. 1 

SW.JSW.Jsec.l. 



SE.JNE.Jsec. 1.. 
NE.iNW.isec.2.. 
SE.iSW.isec.2.. 
SW.iSW.Jsec.3.. 

SW.Jsec.S 

SW.JSW.Jsec.5.. 
Sec. 6 



SW.JNE.isec.7 
NE.JNW. J sec. 8.. 

NW. J sec. 10 

SW.JSW.Jsec. 10. 
NW.iNE.isec.l2. 
SE.iNE.Jsec.l2.. 
NE.JNE.isec.iO.. 



NW.iSW.Jsec. 19. 
SE.iNE.isec.23.. 
NW. i sec. 19 



SW.Jsec.S 

NW.JNW.Jsec.8.. 

SW.Jsec.lO 

SE.JSE.Jsee. 16.... 



Feet. 



130 



170 



208 
250 



143 



90 



104 
90 



89 
101 
118 
256 
210 



120 
200 



316 
270 



Feet. 

78 
120 
105 

85 



Feet. 



Feet. 



50 
270 



510 
1 



110 

165 



206 
215 



534 
525 



90 



650 



100 
40 
47 
50 

26 
86 
91 
90 
235 
204 



78 
110 

78 



504 
536 



All yellow clay. 
Ends in rock. 



Ends in gravel. 
Yellow clay, 20; sand, 5; 
blue clay, 105; gravel, 7. 

All blue till, except gravel 
at bottom. 

Below 100 feet all quick- 
sand and sticky clay. 

Mostly blue clay. 

Yellow clay, 17; blue clay, 
hard, 60; sand, 129. 

Ends in gravel. 

Yellow clay, 15; blue clay, 
15; quicksand; ends in 
gravel. 



Yellow clay, 20; sand, 5; 
blue clay, 105. 

Yellow clay, 15; quick- 
sand, 5; blue clay, 30; 
gravel, 5. 

Ends in gravel. 

Yellow clay, 20; sand, 6; 
blue clay, 58; gravel, 2. 

Yellow clay, 16; quick- 
sand, 10; greenish clay, 64. 

Yellow clay, 16; sand, 5; 
blue clay with bowlders; 
gravel. 

Quicksand, 60; rock. 

Yellow clay, 40; blue clay 
to rock. 



Yellow clay, 35 ; blue, hard 
clay to bottom. Did not 
cave. 

Ends in gravel. 
Do. 



Soft white limestone. 

Yellow clay, 14; sand, 5; 
blue pebbly clay, 31. 



Yellow clay, 20; sand, 5; 
blue clay, 50; gravel, 5. 



Yellow clay, 20; sand, 10; 
blue clay, 48; white 
limestone, 122. 



Limestone, 160. 



506 UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical ivells in Scott County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Locality. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

in 
rock. 


Rock 

surface 
above 

sea 
level. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 77 N., R. 2 E. 
(BXJFFALO)— Con. 

F. Beh 


NE.Jsec.lS 


Feet. 
261 
305 


Feet. 
100 
35 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Limestone, 161. 


J. Murray 


NW.isec.lO 

SW.}SW.isec.ll .. 






No coal; limestone, 160. 


T. 80 N., R. 3 E. 

(WiNFIELD). 

J. Ennis 






All sand. 


C. Gillian 


SE.J SE.Jsec.7 










Sand, 20; hard, blue, peb- 
bly clay, 120; sand, 5; 
gravel, 5. 


School No. 4 


NW.isec.l4 




125 

64 

190 






St. Ann's Church 

P. Jones 


SE.iSW.isec.l4... 
NW.iNW.Jsec.15.. 


100 


36 


530 


Sand, 15; yellow clay, 10; 
blue clay; a little sand. 


School No. 3 


NW.iNW.isec.16. 




Sand, 70; blue clay, 20; 
gravel, 4. 




SW.iSE. isec.18... 










N. Denklau 


SW.iNW.isec.l9.. 

NW.iSE.isec.26... 


173 


153 
220 
120 












505 




J. Robertson 


NE.iNE.isec.27... 
SE.iSE.isec.30.... 


121 


Yellow clay, 50; hard. 


J. Grill 






blue, stony clay, 70; sand 
and gravel, thin. 


C. Preston 


NE.iSE.isec.31... 




180 
225 








J.Neil. . . . 


SW.iSW.isec.35 .. 






555 




Hotel Long Grove. . . 
A. D. Brownlee 


NW.isec.35 




Ends hx gravel. 

Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 


i mile north of Long 
Grove. 

Southwest of Noel . . . 


256 


220 
190 

122 
114 
100 

200 
140 

120 
140 

166 
127 

180 
72 
90 
100 
170 
270 

105 






P. E. Jones 






140; sand and gravel, 30; 
blue clay, 30. 
Blue clay, 100; much sand 
beneath it to rock. 


T. 79 N., R. 3 E. 
(Sheridan). 

C. Clapp 


SW.iNE.isec.2... 
SE.iSE. isec.2.... 
SW.iSE.isec.4.... 

NE.iSW.isec.5... 
SW.iSW.isec. 5... 

NW.iSE.isec.6 ... 


128 
118 
199 

237 
145 






J. Lensch 








C. Meier 






Yellow clay, 25; old soil, 
10; blue clay, 65; coal, 2; 
shale, 97. 

Shale 37. 


J. Paustian 




560 


J. T. Cooper 


Yellow and blue clay; 


S. Burmeister 






gravel on rock. 


E. Rohwer 


NE.iSW.isec.6... 










L. Husted 


SE.iSW.isec.7.... 










Eldridge 


SW.isec. 11 


135 
201 






Yellow clay less than 20; 


Eldridge Creamery. . 
Chas. Erhsam. . . 


NW.iNE.isec.l4.. 
NW.iNE.isec.20.. 




600 

658 


mostly blue clay; ends 
in limestone. 


J. L. Seaman 


NW.i SW.isec. 27.. 






H. Stoltenberg 


NW.iSE.isec.28.. 










W. Hughes 


NW.iSE.isec.33.. 
SW.iSW.isec. 19.. 

SE.iNE.isec.l.... 


180 
285 








Claus Lamp. . . 




470 


Mostly hard blue clay. 


T. 78 N., R. 4 E. 
(PART OF Daven- 
port). 

Chas. Murray 

W. Untiedt 


NE.iSW.isec.7... 








Ends in gravel. 


School No. 2 


NE.isec.7 










Yellow clay, 30; sand, 10; 


Capt. Stahr 


NW.i NW.i sec. 7.. 




160 
115 
90 






blue clay, 80; gravel, 2. 


J. Carlin 


SW.iSE.isec.lO... 
SW.iNW.isec.il.. 
SW.isec. 12 


140 
106 








G. ConkUn 








E. Daugherty 

R.Clay 








NE-i SW.isec. 12 .. 












M. Boyle 


NW.i SW.isec. 13.. 


94 
245 
130 
240 
200 
167 


85 
202 
100 
160 
155 
160 








J. Armel 








Dr. G. T. Maxwell . 










Schuetzen Park 










J. Hever 


SE.iSE.isec.21.... 
NW.i NW.i sec. 7.. 








Thos.Sindt 









SCOTT COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Scott County — Continued. 



507 



Owner. 


Locality. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

in 
rock. 


Rock 
surface 
above 
sea 
live). 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 78 N., R. 3 E. 
(parts of Daven- 
port AND Pleas- 
ant Valley). 

I. Barr 


SE.iNW.isec.4... 
SW.Jsec.4 


Feet. 
150 
115 
85 
98 
94 
157 
163 
138 


Feet. 

100 

90 

80 

88 

79 

142 

150 

120 

176 

90 

70 

58 

80 

90 

90 

525 
100 
62 

67 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Sandstone at 65. 
Ends in limestone. 

Shale, 210-375; ends 
limestone. 

Limerock, 20. 

Yellow clay, 30; qu 

sand; blue till; shale, 

limestone, 30. 




C Van Evera 








R. Sehaefer 


SW.-iSW.isec.4... 
NW.isec.5 
















H. Wiese 


NE-isec. 6 








I. Barr 


NE.iSW.Jsec.7... 
NW.JSW.isec.9... 
SE.iSW.isec.l7... 
NE.JNW. isec. 18.. 








F.Thomas 
















H Woodford 








A.J. Partridge 


NE.}NE.isec. 18... 

NW.isec. 18 

SE.iNE.isec. 18... 
NE.iSW.isec. 19.. 
SW.Jsec. 20 


106 
90 
65 
93 
160 
105 








I. Barr 








J. Barr 








Wm. C. Sehaefer 








J. L. McCuUough... 
E. S. Kellog 








NW.iSEisec.18... 
Sec. 7 








T. 80N.,R.4E. 
(Butler). 










NE.iSW.isec.22.. 










Do 


NE-iSE.isec. 22... 










J McCausland 


NE.isec. 23 












Sec. 25 


65 
130 








E. Mueller 


NW.iNW.isec.35. 

SW.iNW.isec.2... 
SE.iSE.isec.7 


60 

120 
140 
101 
190 
160 
120 
175 
55 
86 
190 
210 

150 
100 
120 
80 
175 

60 

80 

100 

169 

70 

100 

100 

170 

120 

150 

60 

65 

61 

35 








T. 79 N., R. 4 E. 
(Lincoln and 
part of Le 
Claire). 

D. Arp 








C. Schneckloth 








I. Barr 


NE-i NE.isec. 7.... 
NE. iSW.isec. 22.. 


121 








J. H. Barr 




550 




Thos. Criswell 


NW.iSW.isec.23.. 








SE-isec. 23 


150 
182 
75 
116 








M. Thompson 

H. Schroeder 

M. Barr 


NE.iNE.isec.27... 
SW.iSW.isec.33.. 
SW. iSW.isec. 26.. 
NW.isec. 23 










665 




Benj. Criswell 

G. Learner 








NW.i NE.isec. 25.. 

SE.i NW.isec. 36.. 
NE. iSW.isec. 36.. 
SE-iNE. isec.25... 
SW.i NW.isec. 36.. 
NE.i NE.isec. 25... 

NW.i NE.isec. 30 


381 

246 
121 
15 
100 
305 




530 


in 


J. Stafford 




H. Stafford 








H. Whitson 








G. Hyde 








Porters Comers 






■fk- 


T. 80 N., R. 5 E. 
(part of Prince- 
ton). 

J Carroll 






100; 


T. 79 N., R. 5 E. 
(parts of Prince- 

TON AND Le 

Claire). 
C. Fulmer 


NW.i NE.isec. 4 










C. Like.. 


NE.i SE-isec. 4.. 










0. Peaslee 


SW.i SW.i sec. 9... 






551 
630 




W. Florence 


SW.i SW.i sec. 5... 
SW.i NE.isec. 17 


82 








J. Wilson 


SE.i NW.isec. 21 - 










J C. McGinnls 


SE. i NW. i sec. 30. . 
SE.i NE.isec. 30... 
SW.i NE.isec. 31 - 


250 
150 








W H. McGinnis 








M.Miller.. 








M.Wilson 


NE.isec. 32 


150 

75 








T. Taylor 


NE.isec. 32 








H.Stone 


SW.isec.32 








J. Suiter 


NW.i SE.i sec. 33.. 











508 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells in Scott County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

in 
rock. 


Rock 

surface 
aljove 

sea 
level. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 78 N., R. 5 E. 
(PARTS or Le 
Claire and 
Pleasant Val- 
ley). 

J. McCaffry 


NW. isec.4 


Feet. 


Feet. 
40 
50 

40 
40 
30 


Feet. 


Feet. 




A. Schurr 


NW.Jsec.4 

NW.Jsec. 5 


78 

216 
225 
186 
110 






Yellow clay, 25; blue clay 
to rock; shale. 

Shale, 40 to 206. 


T. 77 N., R. 3 E. 
(Rockingham). 

F. J. Shaeffer 






Walnut Hill School.. 


NE.iNW.isec.S..- 
NW.iNE.isec.5... 
NE.iSE.isec.7.... 






Do. 


J. A. Punt 






Shale to 10 feet of bottom. 


Fairview School 








Shale and blue clay in 
alternate layers. 









TAMA COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller. 
TOPOGBAPHY. 

Tama County may be roughly divided into northern and southern 
provinces of about equal size. In the northern half of the county the 
lowan drift forms the surface and its characteristic topography is 
shown by a gently undulating surface. The hills are low and broad 
and the drainage is fairly good. Wolf Creek, which flows from west 
to east across this region, has cut out a broad, shallow valley, modify- 
ing the generally more level surface. The southern province, includ- 
mg most of southern Tama County, is loess covered and has a much 
more hilly and rugged topography. The hills are higher and the 
region is dissected by numerous small streams, giving a good drainage. 
Iowa River, the largest stream in the county, enters this province at 
the west and leaves it at the southeast; its valley is broad and deep. 

GEOLOGY. 

The drift formations are represented by the sub-Af tonian or Nebras- 
kan, the Kansan, and the lowan. The Kansan drift extends over 
the entire county and is everywhere covered by either lowan or loess. 
In some localities the Kansan is known to be underlain by small areas 
of Nebraskan. The lowan drift is spread over three-fourths of the 
county, everywhere concealing the Kansan, and is, in turn, partly 
covered by loess. From the northern half of the county, which is all 
covered by lowan drift, one tongue of lowan extends southward to 
Toledo, and another southward, on the east side of Salt Creek, to Irving. 
The southwest corner of the county is also covered by lowan. The 
loess covers most of the southern portion of the county and a narrow 



TAMA COUNTY, 509 

strip of the northern portion along Wolf Creek. These drift formations, 
as shown by well sections, range in thickness from 200 to 400 feet. 

Immediately below the drift and extending over all the county 
except the extreme northeast corner are Mississippian (lower Carbon- 
iferous) shales and limestones. (See PI. XI, p. 382.) The northeast 
corner probably shows some Upper Devonian limestone. 

Viewed broadly, the drift deposits may be said to be spread over 
the county in nearly horizontal beds with local thickening or thinning. 
The old rock formations show a slight inclination westward. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

\ SOURCE. 

Water is found in sand and gravel beds in the drift and in limestones 
in the deeper formations. As a rule, an abundant supply is readily 
obtained, especially from the deeper drift and from rock wells. All 
the waters are generally of good quality, but always hard. 

By far the most important aquifer in the drift is the sand or gravel 
at the bottom of the blue Kansan clay. This water-bearing stratum 
is absent in a few places only. Nearly everywhere it underlies a so- 
caUed hardpan, which is merely a tough compact clay which serves 
to confine the water in the porous sands and gravels. This aquifer 
is seldom struck at less than 200 feet or niore than 400 feet below the 
ground surface. Water obtained from this source is very persistent 
and abundant. 

Other aquifers occur as sandy layers higher up in the drift (blue 
clay), but these layers are local in their extent and water supplies 
from them are in many places small and not persistent. In many 
surface weUs in the yellow clays or in the alluvium along the streams 
the supply fluctuates according to season. 

A very important water bed in Tama County lies just below the 
drift in the limestones or shales. Sometimes a good supply is struck 
soon after entering the rock and at other times the drilling must 
proceed a hundred feet or more. Many of the recent farm wells are 
rock weUs with a never-faUing supply of good water. 

PROVINCES. 

All the southeast portion of the county may be looked upon as a 
separate underground-water province. It possesses two types of 
flowing wells — those which originate in the drift and those which 
originate in the underlying rock formations. 

The region of flowing drift wells forms a part of the weU-known 
BeUe Plaine artesian basin, which extends into Benton, Iowa, and 
Poweshiek counties. In Tama County this basin extends northward 



510 UNDEEGEOUISTD WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

to Elberon and Vining and westward to Chelsea. The flowing wells 
receive their supply from a bed of sand and gravel which underlies 
the impervious blue Kansan clay. The drift deposits, which were 
laid down in the trough cut by the preglacial Iowa River, slope down- 
ward toward the lowest part of the trough in the vicinity of Belle 
Plaine, developing sufficient head to cause flowing wells in the lower 
portion of the drift-filled basin. ^ 

Closely associated with the flowing wells from the drift are others 
whose water is derived from rock formations below the drift. Wells 
of this kind occur within the drift basin of flowing wells and also as far 
north as Clutier and as far west as Long Point. The source of water 
is usually a limestone (Devonian), which underlies a thin bed of shale 
(Carboniferous), the shale acting as an impervious covering. 

Aside from the region of flowing weUs all of Tama County may be 
looked upon as a single underground-water province. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs in Tama County are of little importance, consisting almost 
invariably of small seepages from the drift materials, especially along 
the main waterways. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Tama. — The town of Tama (population, 2,290) is supplied with well 
water under a domestic pressure of 60 pounds and a fire pressure of 
100 pounds. There are 4 miles of mains, 36 fire hydrants, and 160 
taps. About 1,400 people consume 200,000 gallons daily. Ordinarily 
the water is good but hard. 

A forecast of the local artesian conditions made by W. H. Norton 
is as follows: Tama is 820 feet above sea level. At about 550 feet 
above sea level the drill may be expected to enter the Devonian 
limestone, leaving behind shales of the Kinderhook and shales of the 
Upper Devonian not easily distinguished from them. The Devonian 
yields largely, as is seen in the city well at Toledo and in the first rock 
flow found at BeUe Plaine. The waters of the drift and of the Ejnder- 
hook are exceedingly poor in this vicinity and should be carefully 
cased out before a test of the Devonian water is made. Both Devo- 
nian and Silurian waters should be of good quality, but it is possible 
that the former may have been contaminated by interior higher 
waters which have descended to their level, and that the gypseous 
beds of the Silurian extend tliis far to the east and add a large calcium 
sulphate content to the water. The Maquoketa shale (Ordovician) 
may be estimated to extend from sea level to 200 or 250 feet below 

iMosnat, H. R., Artesian wells of the Belle Plaine area: Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 9. 1899, pp. 
521-562. 



TAMA COUNTY. 



511 



it and will be found dry. Passing through the Galena and Platteville 
limestones the drill will come to the St. Peter sandstone at 475 to 550 
feet below sea level. Below the St. Peter the drill will enter the 
Prairie du Chien group, the upper formation of which, the Shakopee 
dolomite, a creviced dolomite, should add materially to the supply. 
The other formations of this group (the New Richmond sandstone 
and the Oneota dolomite) are also large contributors of artesian 
water. At 400 to 500 feet below the summit of the St. Peter the 
main water bed, the Jordan sandstone, should be reached. Drilling 
contracts should provide for continuing, if necessary, to 1,100 or 
1,200 feet below sea level or, in round numbers, to 2,000 feet below 
the surface. The water should head at about 800 feet above sea level. 

The excellent water obtained at Grinnell in well No. 2 encourages 
the belief that at Tama also water of low mineralization may be 
secured from the Cambrian and Ordovician water beds, provided the 
heavily mineralized waters are completely excluded. 

The well of Mrs. A. Huber, near Tama (NE. I sec. 26, T. 83 N., R. 
15 W.) has a depth of 816 feet and diameter of 2 inches. The curb 
is 880 feet above sea level and the head 20 feet below the curb. 
Water was found at 361 feet and at 450 feet, the latter heading at 
the curb. Lower veins have lower heads. Rock was reached at 108 
feet. Date of completion, 1893. 

Driller's estimate (generalized), Mrs. A. Huberts well. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil, black 

Clay, yellow (loess) 

Clay, blue (Kansan) 

"Hardpan" (shale and limestone?) . 

Flint 

Limestone 

Limestone, flint, shale, etc 



Feet. 

2 

18 

64 

170 

^ 

40 



Feet. 

2 

20 

84 

254 

255J 

295i 



This is the deepest well in Tama County. The water is strongly 
mineralized. Analysis has shown iron, soda, magnesia, sulphur, etc. 
The mineral content is said to be decreasing. 

Toledo. — ^At Toledo (population 1,626) water is delivered under a 
pressure of 80 pounds through 4^ miles of mains to 36 fire hydrants 
and 230 taps, supplying 1,500 persons with 60,000 gallons daily. 
The water is of good quality but is hard. 

The city well has a depth of 344^ feet and a diameter of 6 to 5 
inches; cased throughout except in limestones. The head is 30 feet 
below the curb, the water coming from 343 feet. The capacity is 
500 gallons a minute. The well was completed in 1905. 



512 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Driller^ s log of city well at Toledo. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay and sand 

Quicksand and water 

Clay 

Quicksand 

Clay 

Limestone; water-bearing near top 

Shale (Kinderhook) 

Limestone 

Shale 



Feet. 
25 
6 
50 
12 
18 
32 
160 
40 



Feet. 

25 

31 

81 

93 

111 

143 

303 

343 

344i 



Toledo is 852 feet above sea level. It is so near Tama that its 
deep-well forecast may be considered to be identical with that of the 
latter place. (See pp. 510-511.) 

The Tama County farm well, which is located 2^ miles north of 
Toledo, has a depth of 445 or 555 feet and a diameter of 6 to 3| 
inches. Its head is 150 feet below curb. The water comes from 
345 feet in Devonian limestone and from 245 feet in drift sands. It 
was drilled by McLurk Bros., of Traer, and was completed in 1896 (?). 

Log of county farm well near Toledo. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene: 

Clay, yellow, and sand 

Clay, blue, and bowlders 

Clay, hard, yellow and blue, and pebbles 

Sand (water bearing) 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

Kinderhook — 

Shale 

Devonian: 

Limestone and water 



Feet. 

50 

150 

40 

5 



100 
100 



Feet. 



50 
200 
240 
245 



345 
445 



Traer. — ^The Traer town well, 249 feet deep, 54 feet of which is in 
rock, yields 200 gallons a minute to a steam pump. The water, 
which is from limestone, heads 189 feet below the curb. It is dis- 
tributed by gravity with a domestic pressure of 55 pounds and a 
fire pressure of 160 pounds, through 2 miles of mains to 20 fire 
hydrants and 150 taps to 800 persons, who consume 25,000 gallons 
daily. The water is good, but hard. 

Driller'' s log of town of Traer well. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue; some water-bearing sand 

Shale 

Limestone (water bearing) 



Feet. 

5 

190 

35 

19 



Feet. 



5 
195 
230 
249 



TAMA COUNTY, 



513 



Though the high elevation of Traer (916 feet above sea level) 
precludes any hope of a flowing well, water should rise within easy- 
pumping cHstance from the St. Peter sandstone and the subjacent 
Ordovician and Cambrian water beds, the static level of whose waters 
is probably" somewhat higher than 850 feet above sea level, or less 
than 70 feet from the surface. 

The St. Peter will be encountered at about 250 feet below sea level, 
or 1,170 feet from the surface. Small yields may also be expected 
in the Galena and Platteville limestones overlying the St. Peter. 
Wells should be sunk 500 or 550 feet below the summit of the 
St. Peter in order to tap the far larger reservoirs of the Prairie du 
Chien group and the Jordan sandstone, which underlie the St. Peter. 
A well about 1,700 or 1 750 feet deep is indicated. 



WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Tama County: 

Typical tvells of Tama County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head. 


Remarks (logs given iu 
feet) . 


Town of Toledo. 


Toledo 


Feet. 
345 
816 
380 

• 210 

366 

249 
445 

307 

644 
310 


Feet. 

Ill 

106 
None. 

196 

365 

195 
245 

300 

300± 
306 


Limestone . 

...do 

Drift sand.. 

Limestone . 

Limestoue(?) 

Limestone . 
...do 

...do....... 

...do 

...dc 


- 30 

- 19 
-120 

+ 18 

-150 

-189 
-150 

-100 

-150 
-120 




Mrs. A. Huber 


Tama 




John Hodecheck . . . 
Frank Krizek 


2 miles north of 
Vining. 

Clutier 


Hill. Yellow clay, 40; 
bluish clay, 35; sand 
(water bearing), 1; 
blue clay, 288; sand 
and water, 6. 

Strong flow. Dark soil, 
10; sand and clay (wa- 
ter bearing), 30; blue 
clay, 156; limestone 
and water, 14. At well 
bottom drill dropped 
19 inches and water 
gushed out. 

Black soil, 3; blue clay 
and pebbles, 120; sand 
and some water, 3: 
blue clay and pebbles, 
239; rock (limestone) 
and water, 1. 


John Earhart 

Town of Traer 


7 miles north of 
Toledo. 

Traer 


Tama County farm. 
Fred Praher 


2J miles north of 

Toledo. 
Crystal 


Hard water. Yellow and 


Pete Sclmiidt 


2-i miles south of 

Traer. 
3 miles east of 

Gladbrook. 


blue clays, 287; "hard- 
pan" or hard clay, 10; 
shale and some water, 
3; limestone and wa- 
ter. 7. 

Yellow and blue clay 
and "hardpan" or 
hard clay, 306; lime- 
stone, 4. 





36581°— wsp 293—12- 



-33 



CHAPTER X. 

SOUTHEAST DISTRICT. 

INTRODUCTION. 

By W. H. Norton. 

The southeast district embraces the 11 counties of Davis, Des 
Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Mahaska, Van Buren, 
Wapello, and Washington. 

If the deeper terranes continued through southeastern Iowa with 
the same thickness and the same degree and direction of inclination 
which they hold farther north, they would be carried too deep for 
profitable well drilling before they reached the Missouri State line. 
Fortunately a reversal of dip brings the St. Peter and its associated 
water beds higher in Lee and Des Moines counties than in Cedar and 
Muscatine counties of east-central Iowa. From Burlington, where 
the St. Peter reaches its highest recorded elevation in this area, it 
dips northward at a rate of more than 6 feet to the mile to the Musca- 
tine County line. The dip to Davenport is 3 feet to the mile (PI. 
XII). Between Burlington and Letts, the northward dip probably 
meets the southward in a sag. Northeast of Burlington the dip is to 
the north, at least as far as Aledo, 111. Between Burlington and 
Mount Pleasant (PI. XIII, p. 526) the dip is 5 feet to the mile, and 
to the west, to CenterviUe, it is 4.6 feet to the mile. 

Where the Cambrian and Ordovician strata of southeastern Iowa 
are warped up to form a low dome the Silurian and Devonian strata 
are markedly thinner. For example, between Burlington and Keo- 
kuk (PL XII) the Devonian and Silurian strata barely exceed 150 feet 
in thickness; farther north, at Letts, they are more than 300 feet 
thick; still farther north, at Tipton, the Silurian alone is 325 feet 
thick; and to the west, at Peila, these formations include more than 
400 feet of rocks. (See PI. X, p. 374; PI. XIV, p. 548.) The Maquo- 
keta shares in the thinning. At Davenport it is 240 feet thick, at 
Pella 190 feet, at Burlington 100 feet, and at Fort Madison and Keokuk 
less than 50 feet. (See PI. XII.) The Galena and PlatteviUe lime- 
stones likewise form a wedge that tapers toward the southwest. At 
Davenport their combined thickness is 340 feet and at Keokuk only 
140 feet. 

The upwarp of the Cambrian and Lower Ordovician and the thin- 
ning of the higher terranes up to the Mississippian combine to bring 
514 



*■< 16 miles *■*— 9 miles -y-« — 9 miles-> 

^"•■''"ffto" Mount Clara 




SOUTHEAST DISTRICT. 



515 



artesian water from the St. Peter and deeper aquifers within easy 
drilling distance of the surface. (See PL I, in pocket.) At Keokuk, 
for example, the St. Peter is reached only about 900 feet below the 
valley level. The Silurian and the Galena and Platteville limestones 
in the southeastern district also furnish exceptionally large quanti- 
ties of water. At Burlington 6 deep wells obtain flows from the 
Silurian within about 500 feet of the surface, and the same formation, 
or possibly the Galena, is tapped by some of the deep wells at Keokuk. 
The wells at Fort Madison obtain their supplies largely from the 
Galena. 

The dome of southeastern Iowa is only the northward extension of 
the upwarp of northeastern Missouri which brings the St. Peter sand- 
stone to the surface about 50 miles south of Keokuk, in Ralls County, 
Mo. This upwarp appears somewhat narrower in Iowa than in Mis- 
souri. Thus, though the St. Peter sandstone lies 613 feet below sea 
level at Bloomfield it is found at Baring, Knox County, Mo., at 136 
feet below sea level, a southward rise of about 13 feet to the mile. 

For comparison with the sections of southeastern Iowa the record 
of the Baring weU is appended. It will be noted that the Silurian is 
arenaceous, that the Maquoketa has pinched out, and that the Galena 
and Platteville limestones and the Decorah shale combined measure 
only 79 feet in thickness. Water occurs in the Silurian sandstone, 
the Galena dolomite, the St. Peter sandstone, and at several horizons 
in the Prairie du Chien group. Reports have not been received as to 
the water beds in the Cambrian. 

Record of strata in the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway well at Baring, Mo. 



Thickness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene (100 feet thick; top, 808 feet above sea level): 

Till, blue, predominantly clayey 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

"St. Louis limestone" and Osage group (365 feet thick; top, 708 feet above 
sea level) — 
Chert, with white limestone and chalcedonic and crystalline silica; in 

sand 

Shale, green gray, highly arenaceous; with minute irregular grains of 

crystalline quartz, calcareous , 

" Limestone, white; " no sample 

Sandstone, very coarse; very imperfectly rounded grains of quartz and 

other minerals; water heading at 180 feet below curb 

Chert; fine sand of particles of cryptocrystalline silica with some white 

limestone and some crystalline quartz; water at 375 feet 

Marl, light yellow; rapid effervescence, large siliceous and argillaceous 

residue 

Limestone, light drab, fine-grained 

Kinderhook group (33 feet thick; top, 343 feet above sea level) — 

" Shale; " no sample 

" Blue clay ; " no sample 

Devonian (217 feet thick: top, 310 feet above sea level): 

"Limestone;" no sample : 

Limestone, gray; rapid effervescence; earthy, fossiliferous, with joints of 

crinoid stems and fragments of shells of brachiopods; in flaky chips 

Silurian (150 feet thick; top, 93 feet above sea level): 

Limestone and sandstone; Umestone, light yellow gray, rapid effervescence; 
sandstone, fine-grained, larger grains of "pure quartz and well roimded, 
a few with secondary enlargements; much cryptocrystalline silica in chips; 

water at 860 feet. . . " 

" Sand, white; ' ' no sample 



Feet. 



100 



Feet. 



100 



5 
65 


280 
345 


15 


3(30 


15 


375 


35 
50 


410 

465 


28 
5 


493 
498 


12 


510 


205 


715 


145 
5 


860 
865 



516 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in the Atchison, Topeka dL- Santa Fe Railway ivell at Baring, Mo. — Contd. 



Ordovician: 

Galena limestone (69 feet thick; top, 57 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, cherty; in brown crystalline sand; 

water at 900 feet 

Decorah shale (4 feet thick; top, 126 feet below sea level)— 

"Shale; " no sample 

Platteville limestone (6 feet thick; top, 130 feet below sea level) — 

Limestone, light gray; rapid efiervescence; some chert; in small chips.. . 
St. Peter sandstone (46 feet thick; top, 136 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, light yellow, fine-grained; of pure quartz, gi-ains moderately 

well rounded, some showing secondary enlargements; 4 samples; water 

at 956 feet 

Prairie du Chien group (702 feet thick; top, 182 feet below sea level)— 

Dolomite, light yellow; in sparkling sand 

" Slate, blue; " no sample 

Sandstone, buff, very fine; grains imperfectly rounded 

Sandstone, coarser, heavily rusted; water bearing 

Dolomite, bufl and light brown, cherty, highly arenaceous; 3 samples . . . 
Dolomite, light brown and gi'ay, oolitic, cherty, somewhat arenaceous; 

3 samples; water bearing at 1,140 feet 

Dolomite, light bufl, highly arenaceous 

Dolomite, light Imfl, somewhat arenaceous 

Dolomite, light buff, highly arenaceous and cherty 

Dolomite, buff; some sand in drillings 

Dolomite, light gray; water heading at 126 feet below curb 

' ' Limestone ' ' (doiomite ) ; no sample ; water at 1 ,535 feet 

Dolomite, cherty, somewhat arenaceous; 2 samples 

Marl, light bufl, in concreted powder; and dolomite, in fine meal 

Dolomite, light bufl, cherty 

Dolomite, light yellow 

Dolomite, light brown 

Dolomite, rusted grains; some chert and a few grains of quartz sand 

Dolomite, buff; some chert, minute grains of quartz sand and a little 

glauconite; 2 samples 

Dolomite, buff; cherty; 2 samples 

Cambrian (150 feet penetrated; top, 8S4 feet below sea level): 

Sandstone, light yellow; in clean quartz sand; grains well rounded; 

larger grains reach from 0.6 to 1 millimeter 

Sandstone, light yellow, coarser; 3 samples 

Sandstone, light yellow; some green shale 

Marl, light yellow gray, calcareo-argillaceous 

Sandstone, whitish 

Sandstone, bufl; rounded grains with an admixture of marl: 2 samples. 



Thickness. 



Feet. 



Depth. 



Feet. 



934 
938 
944 

990 



10 


1,000 


9 


1.009 


30 


1,039 


2 


1,041 


67 


1,108 


97 


1,205 


35 


1,240 


78 


1,318 


90 


1,408 


86 


1,494 


21 


1,515 


20 


1.535 


37 


1,572 


4 


1.576 


14 


1,590 


35 


1,625 


17 


1,642 


4 


1,646 


20 


1,666 


26 


1,692 


8 


1,700 


60 


1,760 


14 


1, 774 


S 


1,782 


11 


1,793 


49 


1,842 



DAVIS COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The upland surface of Davis County slopes gently toward the east 
and m general lies between 750 and 950 feet above sea level. It 
represents an origmal plain which still exists in extensive remnants 
as upland prairies, but which throughout most of the county is dis- 
sected by a complicated system of valleys and ravines that have 
produced a hill country with a relief of 100 feet and more. The 
hill topography is best developed near the principal streams, as in 
the vicinity of Soap Creek, and the prairie topography in the dis- 
tricts most remote from streams, as on the divide followed by the 
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. The prairies are sufTi- 
ciently continuous to have been for the most part preferred to the 
Ivaleys for railway construction, and hence it has come about that 
nearl}^ all of the callages are located on the upland. 



DAVLS COUNTY. 517 

GEOLOGY. 

The vallej^s are excavated almost entirely in glacial drift, only the 
deepest extending to bedrock. This fact and the information 
obtamed from well sections indicate that in most localities the drift 
beneath the uneroded uplands is between 100 and 200 feet deep. 
S. J. Andrews, a well borer at Pulaski, sharply distmguishes two 
deposits, both of which are probably glacial drift. The upper 
deposit he describes as a crumbling clay, ordinarily yellow, and in 
many places about 50 feet thick, containing pebbles and bowlders; 
the lower he describes as more tough and "oily," generally black but 
exceptionally yellow, contaming only a few pebbles and bowlders, 
but numerous leaves, shells, and pieces of wood. This lower deposit 
is absent over a large part of the county, but in certain localities it 
reaches a maximum thickness of more than 100 feet. A large 
specimen of this deposit was examined and was found to consist of 
tough, dense dark carbonaceous clay containing fragments and specks 
of black carbonized wood, minute lime concretions, and a few tiny 
greenstone pebbles, and showing an mdistinct foliated or nodular 
structure. 

Below the lower of these two deposits in most localities lies a bed 
of white sand only a few feet thick, and this sand or, in its absence, 
one of the other deposits, generally rests upon a stratum which is 
locally known as "blackjack" or ''blue daub," but which appears 
to be shale interbedded with limestone strata. The upper deposit 
is probably Kansan drift thinly covered with loess or loesslike clay, 
and the underlying dark deposit may belong to the Nebraskan sheet. 

The following section is more or less typical in this county. The 
bowlder clay probably begins at the depth of 15 feet. 

Section of group oftvells about 4 miles west of Pulaski. 

Depth. 

Feet. 

Soil 

Clay, yellow. 

Clay, blue, stiff; without grit 7 15 

Clay, yellow, pebbly 40 55 

Clay, black, containing oil, wood, leaves, shells, etc 57 112 

Sand, white (good supply of water) 2 114 

Shale, dark, "blackjack," entered. 

Throughout nearly the whole of Davis County the bedrock con- 
sists of shale, sandstone, limestone, and coal belonging to the Des 
Moines group of the Pennsjdvanian series. Near Soap Creek, in 
the northern part of the county, and at many places in its north- 
eastern part outcrops of this bedrock occur. It is also exposed in 
a few coal mines, and is apparentl}^ reached by wells drilled in all 
parts of the county. 




518 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Water is obtained from several strata, none of which are entirely 
satisfactory. The chief reliance is placed on shallow wells dug or 
bored into the loesslike clay and upper part of the glacial drift, the 
seepage from which is adequate for ordinary purposes in some locali- 
ties where gravelly beds are found, but is quite inadequate and 
unreliable in others where the material is less porous. The water 
table in this upper layer conforms closely to the surface configura- 
tion, the water in shallow upland wells commonly standing high 
above the level of deep valleys only short distances away. Especially 
is this true in rainy seasons. 

More dependable supplies are in some localities obtained from 
beds of sand farther down m the drift, such as the white sand that 
usually lies below the carbonaceous deposit described; but beds of 
sand are not found everywhere, and in some places where present 
are not water-bearing, because they have drained into adjacent 
deep valleys. Moreover, in wells of small diameter the sand causes 
trouble by rising with the water. 

A number of wells drilled into the Pennsylvanian rocks to depths 
ranging from 300 to 400 feet find small or moderate supplies of 
mineralized water that rises to a level far below the surface of the 
uplands, but nearly or quite as high as the flood plains of the deepest 
valleys. A well of this kind may cost more than $500. 

At still greater depths are formations which yield large quantities 
of water that is hard but not so strongly mineralized as the average 
water from the Pennsylvanian coal measures. On the uplands the 
water from these sources will remain far below the surface, but in the 
lowest valleys it will closely approach the surface or overflow. For 
farms and small municipalities the cost of drilling to the deep hori- 
zons is practically prohibitive. 

Rain water is largely employed in this county for household use 
and for watering live stock. It is stored in cisterns and in reser- 
voirs made by damming ravines. Many of these dams are seen in 
the hill country, where the drift is thin and is in great measure 
drained into the numerous valleys by which the upland is dissected. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Bloomjield. — ^The public supply for Bloomfield (population, 2,028) 
is derived from a well 1,817 feet deep, cased with 12-inch pipe to 
rock at 320 feet, below which 636 feet of 8-inch pipe extends down to 
942 feet, and 519^ feet of 6-inch pipe to 1,445 feet. The curb is 845 
feet above sea level and the water rises within 130 feet of the curb, or 
715 feet above sea level. Its temperature is about 65° F. Water 



UAVIS COUNTV. 



519 



was found at depths of 300 feet, 1,425 feet, and 1,750 feet. The 
well was drilled in 1900 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago, and cost 
S6,500. 

The strata penetrated are indicated by the driller's log: 

Driller's log of city well at Bloomfield. 



Thickness. Depth. 



Drift 

Lime; caves badly at 420 feet 

Lime and shale 

Hard lime: caves at 670 feet 

Strealcs of lime and shale; caves~badly at 780 feet. 

Ijimerock; caves badly at 967 feet 

Streaks of lime and shale 

Sandrock 

Limerock 

Shale; caves badly at 1,420 feet 

Sandrock 

Limerock 

Sandrock 



Feet. 



320 
100 
130 
120 
272 
203 
45 
70 
102 
83 
15 
190 
167 



Feel. 

320 

420 

550 

670 

942 

1,145 

1,190 

1,260 

1,362 

1,445 

1,460 

1,650 

1,817 



Rock caved more or less all the way down to 1,650 feet. 

Rocks belongmg to the "St. Louis limestone" and the Osage 
group (Mississippian) seem to extend to a depth of about 670 feet, 
and the streaks of lime and shale which are reported from 670 to 
942 feet probably represent the Kinderhook. The ''sandrock" 
from 1,190 to 1,260 feet may be correlated with the Silurian; the 
shale from 1,362 to 1,445 feet may be assigned to the Decorah shale or 
to a shale in the Platteville limestone. Tbe water-bearing sandstone 
from 1,445 to 1,460 feet (613 to 628 feet below sea level) is probably 
the St. Peter; all the rocks below this level probably belong to the 
Prairie du Chien group. 

By means of an air lift with a pipe extending to a depth of 345 
feet 250 gallons a minute are ordinarily discharged from the well 
into an underground reservoir, but in a test this yield has been 
increased to over 300 gallons a minute. From the reservoir the water 
is pumped into a tank elevated upon a tower and is thence distributed 
by gravity through a system of mains whose total length is about 
2 miles. There are 28 fire hydrants and 63 taps in the city; somewhat 
less than one-fifth of the dwellings have service connections, and 
the average daily consumption of water is about 15,000 gallons. 
The water is used freely for drinking and other purposes but is very 
hard, as is showii by the anal3^sis (p. 169), and for this reason is 
avoided for toilet, laundry, and boiler uses, rain water stored in cis- 
terns or other reservoirs being used instead. 

Before the deep well was drilled the public supply was obtained 
from a 4-inch well that ended at a depth of about 300 feet in a thick 
bed of sand, from which a generous supply of hard water was obtained. 
The well was not provided with a screen, and it filled with sand to 
such an extent that it was abandoned. 



520 LrNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

DES MOINES COUNTY. 
By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The topography of Des Moines County is controlled for the most 
part by a few simple factors. The county is wholly in the area of the 
Illinoian drift, and by far its larger part is an upland molded to a 
neitrly level surface by the Illinoian ice. 

On the east the upland overlooks from a singularly straight and 
steep escarpment the broad bottom lands of the Mississippi. The 
interstream areas of the upland, chosen by the railways in preference 
to the valleys, present to the eye level or slightly undulating floors, 
with low swells and sags 10 to 20 feet in reUef. The tabular divides 
are incised along their edges by steep, narrow, young ravines which 
lead down to the broader shallow valleys of the creeks. Their digi- 
tate lobes, stUl flat-surfaced, reach even to the escarpment overlook- 
ing the Mississippi, where the minor water courses break into cas- 
cades as they descend from hanging ra^dnes. Ground water in an 
upland so young may very naturally stand liigli, except near the 
cUssected edges. 

The Mississippi, which forms the eastern boundary of the county, 
here passes diagonally across a broad alluvial floor, 5 miles in width, 
traversed by numerous inosculating bayous and overflowed by the 
river's annual floods. To the south this strip of flood plain narrows 
untfl, at Burhngton, where the great river saps the bluffs of the escarp- 
ment, it is entirely lacking. 

Skunk River, which bounds the county on the south, flows for 
most of its course through a narrow valley. Five miles above its 
mouth it develops a flood plain which opens broadly on that of the 
Mississippi, since here the river traverses a deep preglacial valley 
filled with easily eroded drift. 

GEOLOGY. 

The country rock of Des Moines County belongs wholly to the 
Mississippian series of the Carboniferous. (See PI. XIII.) At the 
base of this series lies a group of shales and shaly limestones, the 
Kinderhook, measuring, as sounded in the deep well at Crapo Park in 
Burlington, about 300 feet in thickness. (See Pis. XII, XIII.) 
Only the upper portions of the Kinderhook are exposed within the 
county. The bulk of the group consists of soft blue "mud-rock" 
shale, well known and easily recognized by all well drillers. Toward 
the top, however, are clayey sandstones and impure limestones — 
transition beds to the overlying Osage group. 



BES MOINES COUNTY. 521 

The Osage group comprises two formations, the Burlington hmo- 
stone at the base, and the Keokuk Hmestone at the top. The lower 
part of the Burlington limestone is characterized by the singular 
whiteness of the cuttings obtained by the driller and by the fragments- 
of crinoid stems and plates of which the limestone in places is largely 
composed. Because of its easy solubility this limestone has been 
extensively tunneled by subterranean waterways to which numerous 
sink holes give access. It occurs in two beds separated by about 20 
feet of cherty and calcareous shale, and forms the country rock over 
about one-fourth of the entire county, underlying a broad upland 
belt along the Mississippi. Upon this basal white limestone lies a 
well-defined bed of chert or flint about 30 feet thick to which the 
Iowa State Survey has given the name Montrose cherts. The chert, 
which composes the upper division of the Burlington limestone, is 
overlain by the Keokuk limestone, a blue compact limestone con- 
taining much chert in flinty nodules and irregular bands, passing 
upward into geode-bearing shales, which furnish cuttings of milk- 
white chalcedonic silica and crystals of quartz. 

The "St. Louis limestone" forms the summit of the Mississippian 
series over southeastern Iowa and forms the country rock in the south- 
west corner of Des Moines County. The beds include white marl, 
gray and brown limestones, and a hard, brittle, broken, and rece- 
mented limestone of fine grain in angular fragments whose inter- 
stices may be filled with greenish clay. 

The Des Moines group of the Pennsylvanian series occupies onlj 
a few isolated areas in the southwestern part of the county. Its 
rocks consist of buff sandstones and may reach a tliickness of 50 or 
100 feet. 

The surface deposit over the uplands of Des Moines County is the 
loess — a soft silt or dust, buff above, in many places gray at base, and 
free from sand, pebbles, and larger stones. Beneath the loess in 
many places lie as many as three distinct stony clays separated by 
different water-laid deposits. The uppermost is the Illinoian drift, 
a yellow or, where unweathered, a bluish, stony clay, generally 
bleached and leached superficially and supporting an ancient soil 
developed during the long interval which elapsed after its deposition 
and the accumulation upon it of the loess. Beneath the Illinoian 
drift lies the Kansan, a hard, stony clay, blue where not weathered. 
Lowest of all lies the sub-Aftonian, or Nebraskan, drift, a still darker 
stony clay. Ancient soils and buried peat bogs and beds of sand and 
gravel in many places separate the Kansan drift from both the 
Illinoian and the Nebraskan. 



522 UlS'DERG ROUND WATER RESOURCES OE IOWA. 

TJNDEBGROITND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

On the broad flood plain of the Mississippi, sheet water is found in 
river sands and gravels at depths of 16 to 20 feet Driven wells, con- 
sisting of li-inch pipe with a sand point, are almost universally 
employed. 

On the narrow flood plains of Skunk Kiver and the other streams 
of the county the alluvium is of little importance except in villages. 
The village of Augusta, situated on the Skunk River bottoms, draws 
its house supplies from wells from 16 to 24 feet deep, sunk to rock 
through river deposits which find a sheet of ground water about 2 
feet deep moving riverward in sand resting on the rock surface. 

Some of the silts at the base of the loess supply water, especially 
for shallow open wells on the tabular divides in places where ground 
water stands near the surface owing to the flatness of the land or to 
local sags. The beds lying between the Illinoian drift and the Kan- 
san include in places sands of some thickness. Unfortunately these 
beds also include old soils, muck, and buried wood, which in places 
injure seriously the quality of the water. 

Water is also obtained from the sands and gravels which separate 
the Kansan from the underlying Nebraskan drift and also from the 
sand and gravels that in some places rest on the country rock. 

Besides these fairly constant water beds of the drift, irregular and 
inconstant beds of sand and gravel may occur in any of the drift sheets, 
and, where of sufficient continuity and extent or sufficient connec- 
tion with interglacial sands, may form local water beds adequate for 
small wells. 

On the whole the drift, where thickest and where least dissected 
by stream ways, forms an adequate reservoir for ground water and 
the supply of common wells. But where bedrock comes near the 
surface and the drift sheets are thin, and where they have been intri- 
cately cut by streams leaving the steep-sided and narrow divides 
locally called ''breaks," the di'ift is often found nearly diy and water 
must be sought in the rock beneath. The drift is specially thick 
along the terminal moraine of the Illinoian sheet which extends from 
north to south tlirough Washington and Pleasant Grove townships. 
Here the ridge of the moraine rises 60 or 70 feet above the level of 
the adjacent upland plains and the drift has not been found less than 
120 feet in tliickness. On this ridge wells find water in drift sands 
and gravels. Other areas of specially thick drift occur where ancient 
rock-cut river valleys have been filled with glacial and interglacial 
deposits. Several deep wells in drift from Sperry to southeast of 
Latty point to a buried channel which apparently debouches into 
the Mississippi channel between Flint River and the north line of 



DES MOINES COUNTY. 523 

Burlington Township. A deep drift well a mile south of Kossuth 
marks perhaps a northeast tributary of this channel although it 
may point to an independent valley leading to the Mississippi. 
Thus near Latty, along a north-south line a mile in length, are three 
deep wells, two of which are nearly 190 feet deep and strike no rock, 
and the tliird — the most northern — 233 feet deep, finds the blue shale 
of the Kjnderhook^ at 231 feet. Drillers report ''deep country" 
from south of Dodgeville, running northwest to between Pleasant 
Grove and Yarmouth. Other wells of exceptionally deep drift 
reported from Middletown, northwest of Danville, and east of New 
London, may mark another buried channel whose rock floor lies at 
about the level of the present bed of the Mississippi at Burlington. 
A few flowing wells from the drift are reported on low ground from 
Danville to south of Middletown. 

The basal member of the rocks exposed in the county, the shale of 
the Kinderhook, is dry. Wells finding little or no water before reach- 
ing this shale have penetrated it to a depth near Augusta of 220 and 
257 feet, and near the Mississippi north of Burlington to even as 
much as 300 feet without success. Unless the owner is prepared to 
go through this heavy shale and several hundred feet still deeper to 
tap the Galena waters, the drilling should be stopped on reaching the 
Kinderhook, and a well sunk in another place. 

The limestones overlying the Kinderhook are water bearing, the 
chief aquifers lying in the lower part of the Burlington limestone. 
Ground water collects in this limestone in the crevices, joints and 
waterways formed by solution, its downward progress being stopped 
by the underlying floor of impervious shale. The upper cherty mem- 
ber of the Burlington ("Montrose cherts") is also water bearing. 
The "St. Louis limestone" probably carries water in the small area 
which it occupies m the southwestern townships, as may be inferred 
from the known water beds along its outcrop farther to the west. 

At and near Burlington, except for the drift gravels found on the 
rock and muior veins, the first dependable water bed is the Silurian. 
It is apparently this bed which supplies wells about 500 feet in depth, 
affording to somxC of them a generous yield. The initial head seems 
to have been about 570 feet above sea level, but no exact statements 
can be made, for requests sent to the city officials for information 
as to the elevation of the different well curbs have not been answered. 
A sharp faU of static level was observed in several wells on the com- 
pletion of the Clinton-Cop eland well. The water bed is evidently 
overdrawn, and flows from it can no longer be expected, except from 
the lowest levels. To protect the weUs at Burlington which now 
draw from it no further drafts should be made, and aU wells drilled 

1 Fultz, F. M., Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., vol. 3, 1896, p. 62. 



524 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

in the city should not only seek a deeper supply but should also case 
off the Silurian water. In quality the Silurian water is hard and 
corrosive. As shown in the analyses (p. 169), calcium approaches 
400 parts per million, sodium runs between 700 and 800 parts, and 
the sulphate ions somewhat exceed 2,338 parts in one of the wells. 
The total solids were about 4,000 parts per million in the wells 
analyzed. 

The reference to the Silurian of the water bed of the 500-foot wells 
at Burhngton is made with a good deal of hesitation, although no 
other reference seems possible, as the Crapo Park well record 
places the base of the Maquoketa shale (Ordovician) below the bot- 
tom of these weUs. On the other hand the Crapo Park record is 
supported by but few sample drillings over the critical horizons. 
Some of the weUs reach nearly to the supposed base of the Maquoketa. 
Local drillers speak of this water bed as the St. Peter sandrock, a 
term rather easily applied to the water-bearing Galena dolomite, 
a rock which crushes under the drill to a sparkling crystalline sand, 
but which it seems hardly probable would be apphed to any SUurian 
rock that appears in the samples of any of the Burlington weUs. 
The Galena forms one of the chief water beds at Fort Madison, and 
appears in fuU thickness at Mount Pleasant, where again the Silurian 
contains no water-bearing rock, if the record and the large amount of 
anhydrite present are reUable guides. It is hoped that the question 
whether the Silurian or the Galena supplies the water for the 500-foot 
weUs at Burlington may soon be defuiitely settled by obtaining a 
complete set of samples of the driUings of a well reaching to the 
well-defined horizon of the St. Peter. 

New weUs should not fail to go as deep as the St. Peter, which 
here lies about 260 feet below sea level. The formation is excep- 
tionally thick at Burhngton and yields generously. The pressure is 
much higher than that of the Galena, the static level apparently 
reaching at present 630 or 640 feet. Because of the marked differ- 
ence in pressure of the St. Peter and the Silurian waters, the Silurian 
should be cased off to prevent lateral escape of the deeper waters 
through its waterways. The quahty of the St. Peter water is much 
better than that of the higher flows, containing less than one-half 
the solids in solution, the greatest differences being in the sodium 
and the sulphate ions, accordmg to Hendrixson's analyses. As but 
three wells at present draw water from the St. Peter, no overdraft 
has yet occurred. 

The water beds lying beneath the St. Peter are tapped by but one 
well, that of Crapo Park. The water from these beds has about the 
same static level as that of the St. Peter, but is distinctly superior 
in quality, the combined waters of all horizons in the park well 
containing only about half as much dissolved solids as that of the 



DES MOINES COUNTY. 525 

St. Peter and the Galena combined and one-fourth that from the 
Galena alone. As the static level at Crapo Park is more than 100 
feet higher than the lower grounds of the city, wells drilled in the 
manufacturmg parts of the city situated near the level of the Mis- 
sissippi will have high pressure and proportionately large discharge. 

SPRINGS. 

The chief spring horizon m Des Moines County is at the base of the 
Burlington limestone; whose massive beds are water logged, owing 
to their resting upon a floor of impervious shale. As the lower 
part of the Burlington limestone is easily soluble and is therefore 
traversed by numerous channels opened by solution, springs along 
the outcrops of its basal layers are exceptionally abundant and 
copious. They are found along the escarpment of the Mississippi 
and along the lower courses of Skunk and Flint rivers. In many 
ravines the springs emerge above a massive basal layer of the lime- 
stone and cascade over the cliff formed by the sappmg of the lime- 
stone by the retreat of the weak shale beneath. These springs are 
utilized only for stock and dairy and household purposes. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Burlington. — The water supply of Burlington (population, 24,324) 
is taken from Mississippi River and passed through settling tanks 
and filters. The water is brought through a 24-inch cast-iron pipe 
from a point near the center of the main channel of the river and 
above any possible source of pollution, it is said, from city drainage. 
The coarser materials are allowed to settle in an extension of the well, 
20 feet wide and 125 feet in length. This extension is cleaned with a 
centrifugal pump whenever the river lowers to within 4 or 5 feet above 
the low- water stage. From the well the water is pumped by low-service 
pumps to four steel settling tanks, 30 feet in height and 44, 35, 28, 
and 22 feet in diameter. The water enters the tanks through several 
thousand small holes in cast-iron pipes about 6 feet above the bot- 
toms of the tanks, and passes out over weirs at the top. The tanks 
are cleaned once each month by opening the sewer valves and wash- 
ing with a hose. Cleaning requires from two to three hours. 

From the settling tanks the water flows by gravitj^ to the filters. 
These are in six units, fully equipped, and have a combined capacity 
of 3,000,000 gallons in 24 hours. The amount pumped is about 
1,800,000 gallons. Each unit is 8 feet mde by 26 feet long, and is of 
reenforced concrete. The filters are placed at a sufficient height above 
the clear well and above the controllers in the pipe gallery to obtain 
the benefit of the "down draft." Each filter bed has 9 inches of 
gravel from Mount Tom, Mass., and 30 mches of filter sand from Red 



526 UNDEKGEOUND WATEK EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

Wing, Minn. Water strainers are placed on the floors of the filters, 
and air strainers in the gravel. Water for washing the filters is sup- 
plied from the clear well by a Lawrence centrifugal pump connected 
to a Lawrence vertical engine to which is also belted the air com- 
pressor. 

There are two coagulant tanks. Compressed au' is employed for 
their agitation. A specified number of inches is fed per hour, the feed 
being changed in the event of any change in the demand for water, as 
for example a large fire or a broken main. Sulphate of alumina is 
used as coagulant, the solution for the day run being stronger 
than that for the night. Before preparing the solution the turbidity 
of the raw water and of the water in the settling tanks is measured 
with a turbidity rod. From the records is then found the strength of 
solution which has been found to give satisfactory results with an 
equal turbidity and pumpage. Three times a week the alkalinity of 
both raw and filtered water is determined, and the color of the water 
from each filter is determined with standard disks. The color nor- 
mally desired is that of disk No. 6, but the color frequently gets as 
high as that of No. 12. When it rises to No. 18 the strength of the 
coagulant solution is increased. The average amount of coagulant 
used is between 3 and 4 grains to the gallon. When the turbidity 
rises to between 2,000 and 3,000, as much as 7 grains is used. Bac- 
terial tests are made from time to time. 

Once a week the filtered water is tested for alum with the logwood 
test, but none has ever been tested in the filtrate. 

The coagulant is supplied by gravity to the suctions of the low- 
service pumps, which lift the raw water from the well to the settling 
tanks. The distribution is direct, with a domestic pressure of 100 
pounds and a fire pressure of from 125 to 150 pounds. In 1907 there 
were 32 miles of mains, 339 fire hydrants, and 3,170 taps, and the 
mams were bemg extended about 2 miles each year. 

The city well at Crapo Park (Pis. XII, XIII) has a depth of 2,430 
feet and a diameter of 6 inches from the surface to 1,700 feet and of 5 
inches to bottom; cased to limestone at depth of 18 feet. The curb 
is 685 feet above sea level, and the head 38 feet below curb. The 
tested capacity is 250,000 gallons a day, the water coming princi- 
pally from 950 feet below surface. The well was completed in 1898, 
at a cost of $5,095, by Tweedy Bros., of Keokuk. Later a casing was 
inserted between depths of 110 and 210 feet, as a result of which water 
rose to 30 feet below curb. 

The following record is based on determinations by the writer of 
samples of drillings saved by F. M. Fultz, superintendent of the Bur- 
lington public schools. It agrees for the most part with the record 
given by Mr. Fultz. ^ 

1 Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., vol. 6, 1899, pp. 70-74. 



Peef 

SOO -| 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



Des Moines 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE XU| 

34 fTJ^ < 26 miles > 



300- 
200- 



PennsylvaniaS 



^ 



400H 
500 
600 
700- 
800- 
900- 
1000 
1100 
1200- 
1300- 
1400- 
1500 
1600- 
1700 
1800 
1900 
2000- 
2100 - 
2200 



leasant 



Burlington 



Sea lev| 






e 



ShaKoP^® 



do\ 



o<^' 



:\\e 



ods^^' 



n 






^^o^' 



\\^^ 



96^ 



--M 



Trj 



JO' 



.tda^ 



saO' 



dsiof*® 



As\o ^,- 



Oneota dotarnrte 
Jordan 'sandstone 



, S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



■ 34 miles ■ 



-^« 15 miles >• 



Pes Moines 



Pella 



Pennsylvanian 









Oskaloosa 



"St. LOUIS 



-52 miles — 



limestone "and Osage group 



Kinderhook group 



Devonian 



Silurian 
'w\aquoWete_sha\e,-- 



S^^aV.ol 



m 



ipee 

-- nd ^* 

NewWoV^r""^'° 
Oneotad°^°«^'^^® 
Jordan san 



,s\o^® 



p(a\"^ 



d\i 



CWen g'°"P 



Ga\e'"a 1 



, p\atte> 



;vWe,'*"=' 



;\USVVe 



;;ndsw^.,--'- 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE XIH 

26 miles * 



Burlington 



^ 






ptawis ' 



, CWen 1 



s\o«^® 



>rdaf> 



GEOLOGIC SECTION BETWEEN DES MOINES AND BURUNGTON , IOWA 
By W. H. Norton 



DES MOINES COUNTY. 527 

Record of strata in Crapo Park well at Burlington {PI. XII, p. 514; PI. XIII, j). 526). 



I'leistocene: 

Loess and drift 

Carboniferous: 

Mississippian (422 feet thiclc; top, 667 feet above sea level)— 

Limestone, bufl; effervescence rather slow; some chert in small chips. . 

Limestone, buff and white, granular; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, light yellow; in fine meal; rapid effervescence; some chert.. 

Limestone, buff; in fine meal and flour; rapid effervescence; some chert. 

Limestone, magnesian or dolomite, blue gray, crystalline 

Shale, blue and drab (Kinderhook).. 

Devonian and Silurian (140 feet thick; top, 245 feet above sea level): 

Limestone; in light gray, highly argillaceous powder; rapid effervescence... 
Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (108 feet thick; top, 105 feet above sea level); 

Shale, light gray, highly calcareous; in powder 

Shale, drab 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone (257 feet thick; top, 3 feet below 
sea level) — 

Dolomite, light bufl, crystalline-granular; with hard brown bitumhaous 
shale at 868 feet; 6 samples 

Limestone, buff, finely granular; rapid effervescence 

Dolomite, light yellow; m sand and powder 

St. Peter sandstone "(120 feet thick; top, 260 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, fine grained, white; some limestone; grains of considerable 
range in size, moderately well rounded 

Sandstone, clean, white; somewhat coarser than above 

Sandstone; as above; much hard, green shale like the basal shale of the 
Platteville limestone 

Sandstone, clean, white; largest grains reach 0.7 millimeter in diameter. 

Sandstone; as above; largest grains slightly exceed 1 millimeter in diam- 
eter 

Prairie du Chien group (565 feet thick; top, 380 feet below sea level)— 

Dolomite, light gray; some chert 

Marl, white and pink, highly dolomitic; large residue of fine quartz sand 
and argillaceous material and flakes of chert; 3 samples 

Dolomite; in fine, light yellow, crystalline meal 

Sandstone and pink oolitic chert : 

Dolomite, arenaceous, or sandstone, calcareous, all in fine yellow sand. . . 

Dolomite, light yellow, highly arenaceous; angular grains of pure dolo- 
mite and rounded grains of quartz sand 

Marl, white; residue minutely quartzose 

Chert and dolomite 

Dolomite, buff and light gi'ay ; in fine sand; cherty; 4 samples 

Unknown; drillings washed away 

* Dolomite and chert 

Chert and dolomite, gray 

Dolomite, gray, cherty, and arenaceous 

Dolomite, light brown, cherty 

Dolomite, gray, cherty 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone, St. Lawrence formation, and underlying Cambrian strata 
(800 feet penetrated; top, 945 feet below sea level) — 

Unknown, drillings washed away 

Sandstone, clean; grains well roimded; largest reaching 1 milimeter in 
diameter 

Sandstone, calcareous, or dolomite, arenaceous, buff; dolomite in angu- 
lar particles and rounded quartz grains 

Unkno'wn; drillings washed away 

Sandstone, light gray; in fine angular meal; minute grains of quartz and 
of glauconite with dolomitic cement or matrix; 4 samples 

Dolomite, gray; in fine chips, minutely quartzose, 3 samples 

Sandstone; as from 2,000-2,095 feet; brownish, highly glauconiferous 

Sandstone; fine grains of clear quartz, some pink, some with secondary 
enlargements 

Sandstone, gray, glauconiferous, calciferous; grains varying in size, some 
being large and well rounded 

Sandstone; as from 2,000 to 2,095 feet 

Sandstone; in loose grains of clear quartz, largest, diameter of 1 millimeter. 

Unkno^vn; drillings washed away 

Sandstone, dark bro-wn, glauconiferous; in rounded grains and minute 
siliceous particles; chips of drillings have rough surfaces (due to .ro- 
jecting granules) and not the smooth fractures of quartzite 

Sandstone, yellow; in chips of minute grams of quartz and glauconite and 
some rounded quartz grains, embedded in dolomitic matrix or cernent; 
chips crumble easily after digestion in acid; drillings contain consider- 
able hard green shale 

Sandstone, bufl, calciferous, glauconiferous; much hard green shale 

Sandstone, bufl, calciferous, glauconiferous; much green and reddish 
shale 

Shale, hard, dark green and reddish, fissile: and sandstone, calciferous 
and glauconiferous; in angular chips; grains minute and angular 



Thickness. 



Feet. 



23 


41 


37 


78 


19 


97 


13 


110 


39 


149 


291 


440 



207 
31 
19 



235 

15 
10 
20 

20 
10 

9 
56 
44 

6 
20 
25 
15 
45 



Depth. 



Feet. 



580 



618 
688 



895 
926 
945 



1.040 
1,050 

1.065 

1.100 

1.335 
1,350 
1,360 
1,380 

1.400 
1,410 
1,419 
1,475 
1,519 
1.525 
i;545 
1,570 
1,585 
1.630 



1,670 

1.690 

1.725 
2.000 

2,095 
2.130 
2,225 

2, 235 

2.270 
2.275 
2, 360 
2.400 



2,400 



2,405 
2.410 



2,420 
2,430 



528 



UNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The well of Iowa Soap Co. has a depth of 509 feet and a diameter 
of 6 inches; casing, 70 feet to rock. The curb is 540 feet above sea 
level. The original head was 33.5 feet above curb and the head in 
1905, 4 feet above curb; the loss was due to the sinking of the Clinton- 
Copeland well. The flow in 1905 was 15 gallons a minute through 
l^-inch pipe. Temperature 56° F. The well was completed in 1904 
by R. J. Johnson. 

Record of strata in well of loiva Soap Co. at Burlington. 



Pleistocene (70 feet thick; top, 540 feet above sea level): 

Till ; 

Till, yellow; 4 samples ■. 

Gravel, coarse, up to li inches diameter 

Gravel, fine 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

KiQderhook group (210 feet thick; top, 470 feet above sea level)— 

Shale, blue, plastic, calcareous; 2 samples 

Shale, olive gray, fissile 

Shale, light green gray 

Shale, brown, hard, bituminous 

Shale, blue and green gray; 4 samples 

Shale, liglit brown, bituminous 

Shale, olive bluish and green gray; 9 samples 

Devonian and SDurian (160 feet thick; top, 260 feet above sea level): 

- Limestone, gray, soft, argillaceous; effervescence slow; 2 samples 

Shale, calcareous, hard, blue; in large flaky chips 

Limestone, hard, gray, in sand; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, light yellow; rapid effervescence; in fine sand and argillaceous 

powder 

Limestone, yellow gray; fossiliferous, with fragments of brachiopods; soft; in 

flaky chips 

Limestone, yellow; rapid effervescence; ui fine meal; 2 samples 

Limestone, strong blue; fossiliferous; hard, compact; earthy luster; siliceous 

but not arenaceous 

Shale and limestone in light yellow gray concreted powder; effervescence 

rapid 

Limestone, blue, dense, hard, in part of lithographic fineness of grain and 

conchoidal fracture; rapid effervescence; in chips 

Limestone, compact, gray, in sand; rapid effervescence 

No record 

Limestone, blue gray, rough; slow effervescence; some chert 

Limestone, light buff and white, compact, fine grained; rapid effervescence. . 

Limestone, light yellow gray or white; rapid effervescence; residue quartzose 

with minute grains and flakes and prismatic crystals of quartz; in fine 

meal; 4 samples 

Unknown; no samples 



Thickness. 


Dept 


1. 


Feet. 


Feet 




15 




15 


35 




50 


10 




60 


10 




70 


58 




12S 


7 




135 


5 




140 


15 




155 


45 




200 


10 




210 


70 




280 


25 




305 


10 




315 


10 




325 


15 




340 


10 




350 


10 




360 



370 
380 



10 


390 


5 


395 


5 


400 


10 


410 


10 


420 


20 


440 


69 


509 



The well of George Boeck, at 2-8 North Fifth Street, has a depth of 
450 feet and a diameter of 5 inches; casing, 74 feet. The head is 30 
feet above bottom of cellar. The well flowed " a full 5-inch stream," 
with no decrease in 1905. Water was found in white limestone 150 
feet below soapstone (Kinderhook). Temperature, 60° F. Effect on 
boilers, not good. The well was completed in 1904 at a cost of $650 
by W. N. Jennings, of Burlington. 

The well of the Clinton-Copeland Co., at 100 South Fourth Street, 
has a depth of 465 feet and a diameter of 5 inches throughout; casing, 
to 72 feet. The head originally was 28 feet above curb, and no change 
has been noticed. Water is said to have begun to overflow when well 
reached depth of 440 feet. The temperature, taken after flowing 
through 175 feet of hose, was 59° F. The well was completed in 
March, 1905, at a cost of $075 by J. E. Stanly, of Stronghurst, 111. 



DES MOINES COUNTY. 529 

The well of tlie Moehn Brewing Co. lias a depth of 510 feet and a 
diameter of 5 inches. The original head was 30 feet above curb, 
but the well had ceased to flow in 1905, and the capacity under pump 
was small. Water was found in small quantity at 90 feet, but the 
main supply came from 500 to 510 feet. The well was completed in 
1904 at a cost of about $1,000 by W. N. Jennings, of Burlington. 
The water is too heavily mineralized for use in boilers or for beer, but 
is used in coolmg and for other purposes in the brewery. 

The well of the Murray Iron Works has a depth of 831 feet and a 
diameter of 6 to 4 inches; casing, 120 feet from surface into blue shale. 
The head is 92 feet above curb. The original flow o'f 300 gallons a 
minute had not diminished in 1905. The first water was in a gravel 
just above rock at 75 feet, and the first flow at 450 feet; a strong flow 
came in at 500 feet and the drillings were washed away from 600 to 
760 feet and from 800 to 831 feet. The rock from 800 to 832 feet is 
said to be like granular sugar. The temperature at tap after water 
has passed through 300 feet of pipe in foundry was 63.5° F. The water 
is too hard for use in boiler. The jvell was completed in 1903 at a 
cost of $1,038 by W. N. Jennings, of Burlington. 

The weU of the Sanitary Ice Co., near the intersection of Osborn 
Street and Central Avenue, has a depth of 852 feet and a diameter 
of 5 inches; casing, 95 feet from surface. The head was 51 feet above 
curb, and the flow 500 gaUons a minute. Water at 80 feet was shut 
off; water at 430 feet rose nearly to the surface; the first flow was at 
700 feet, and water from the 800-foot level rose 51 feet above curb. 
Temperature, 64^° F. The water corrodes boilers and is used for 
condensing. The well was completed in 1908 at a cost of $1,600 by 
Jennings & Sons, of Burlington. 

The well of the Sanitary Milk Co. has a depth of 487 feet and a 
diameter of 6 inches. The original head was 15 feet above level of 
corner of Third and Court Streets, but the head in August, 1905, was 
31 feet below same level; the head lowered on completion of Clinton- 
Copeland well. The well was completed in January, 1905, at a cost 
of $700 by W. N. Jennings, of Burlington. 

The well of Smith & Dalton has a depth of 460 feet and a 
diameter of 5 inches. The original head was 30 feet above curb. 
The original flow was estimated at 40 gaUons a minute, but had de- 
creased in 1905. Temperature reported as 60° F. Date of com- 
pletion, March, 1905. DrUlers, Jennings & Son, of Burlington, 

Mediapolis. — Mediapolis (population, 858) depends for its water on 
drilled and bored wells from 50 to 110 feet deep, aU but 30 to 40 feet 
of which are in rock. The water heads 20 to 30 feet below the curb. 

The well of D. Hutchcroft, 2 miles east of Mediapolis, has a depth 
of 600 feet and a diameter of 5f inches to 360 feet and 5 inches to 
36581°— wsp 293—12 34 



530 UNDEEGKOUND WATEK EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

bottom; casing to 360 feet. Water found at depth of 40 feet, in 
drift, was not cased out. Pumping capacity, 8 gallons a minute. 
The well was completed in 1905 by J. F. Tweedy, of Keokuk. 

Record of strata in Hutchcroft well near Mediapolis. 



Clay, yellow, sandy, calcareous, arenaceous , 

Shale", drab , or sandstone, argillaceous, in concreted masses 

Shale, olive-green, hard, noncalcareous 

Limestone, blue-gray, argillaceous, minutely arenaceous 

Limestone, light gray, nonmagnesian, argillaceous and slightly arenaceous 

Limestone, light yeliow-gray, granular, soft, fossiliferous, nonmagnesian 

Limestone, light blue-gray, and white soft earthy; in thin flakes 

Limestone, blue-gray and white; earthy; in fine chips 

Limestone, light yeUow-gray and drab, nonmagnesian; cherty 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, nonmagnesian; in fine sand; drillings slightly 

arenaceous 

Shale, dark blue; in chips; calcareous and cherty 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


75 


75 


60 


135 


213 


348 


22 


370 


20 


390 


22 


412 


18 


430 


25 


455 


20 


475 


25 


500 


100 


600 



The shale whose base is found at 348 feet is evidently the Kinder- 
hook; below it, the drill, as at Burlington, passed through about 150 
feet of limestones, which may represent the Devonian and Silurian, 
The shale from 500 to 600 feet may be taken as the equivalent of the 
shale CM^aquoketa) at Burlington which immediately succeeds the 
limestones below the Kinderhook. The drill therefore seems to have 
passed through the water bed which supplies the less deep wells at 
Burlington and yet to have found very little water. 

Mediapolis is 764 feet above sea level. If an adequate supply is 
not found in the Mississippian limestones, a well which adventures 
through the heavy dry shale of the Ejnderhook, here at least 200 feet 
thick, will probably find water in the Devonian or Silurian. Should 
the supply still prove insufficient, the drill should proceed through 
the next considerable shale, the Maquoketa, and tap what water may 
be found in the Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone. The 
water bed of the St. Peter sandstone will be encountered at about 
1,150 feet from the surface. 

Minor swpylies. — Minor village supplies are described in the follow- 
ing table : 

Village supplies in Des Moines County. 



Town. 


Nature of supply. 


Depth. 


Depth to 
rock. 


Depth to 
water bed. 


Head below 
curb. 


Augusta 


Wells 


Feet. 
16-24 
16-125 
60-100 


Feet. 


Feet. 
24 
75 


Feet. 

10 


Danville 






12 


Roscoe 


Drilled wells 


40 













DES MOINES COUNTY. 



531 



WELL DATA. 



The following table gives data of typical wells in Des Moines 

County : 

Wells in Des Moines County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 69 N., R. 3 W. 
(PART OF Union). 

County Infirmary . . . 

George Barnes 

S. Cartwright 


Sec. 4 


Feet. 
235 

22 

— 

42 
357 

400 

100 
70 

418 
135 

138 

188 
140 
45 

305 
135 
227 

165 

250 
304 


Feet. 
20 




Rock (limestone) from 20 to 235, 


4 miles east and 
1 mile north of 
Augusta. 

-J mile northwest 
of above. 

NE. J sec. 33.... 

Near Augusta. . . 

SW. Jsec. 11.... 
NE. Jsec. 3 

Sec. 19 


Sand 

.do 


where soapstone, with water, was 

encountered. Main water at 190. 
Light-blue clay; sand on top of 

blue-black clay at bottom. 

Flows. 
Flow from sand underlying light- 


20 




blue clay. 
Soil, 20; limestone, 80; soapstone 


T. 69 N., R. 4 W. 
(Augusta). 




(Kinderhook), 257; Uttle water. 
Midway between river bottoms 
and bluffs. 

Drift; limestone; "soapstone" 


L. Hilleary 


20 
164 

20 
300 

66 


Limestone. 

Sand and 

gravel. 


(shale) at 180; ends in soapstone 
at 400; not enough water for 
windmill. 
No shale. Water at 98. 


AlfredWeg 

T. 70 N., R. 2 W. 
(PART OF Bur- 
lington). 

Wykert 


Loam and sand, 164; hmestone, 4; 


William Penrod 

T. 70 N., R. 3 W. 
(Flint River). 

James Graham 


24 miles north- 
'west of Bur- 
lington. 

NW. 1 sec. 28... 

NW. Jsec. 33.... 
SW. Jsec. 31.... 
West Burlington 

NE. Jsec.8 

li miles south of 

Danville. 
1| miles west of 

Middleton. 

2 miles west of 
Danville. 


Gravel 

Gravel 

Sand 

Gravel 

Limestone. 

Rock 

Sand 

Sand and 
gravel. 

Limestone. 


shale, 250. Head, 31 feet above 
curb. 
Drift, 20; fine sand to gravel at 
bottom. 

No yellow or blue clay; all dirt and 
gravel; white soapstone at bot- 
tom. 

Yellow clay; white clay; blue clay 


Joseph Saters 

Fair Ground 


to sand or rock at bottom. 
Yellow clay, 40; blue clay to gravel 

at bottom. 
Water in crevice. 


T. 70 N., R. 4 W. 
(Danville). 

Thomas Grant 

Hurlburt 


Yellow clay; white clay; blue clay 

with sand at 150 feet; 300. 
Largely blue till. 

Yellow clay, 54; light-blue clay, 12; 


Hunter 


no record, 111; dark-blue clay, 48; 
sand and gravel on rock, 2. 
Head, 20 feet below curb. Yellow 


T. 71 N., R. 2 W. 
(Benton). 


clay, 42; light-blue clay, 12; sand 
with water, 2; dark-blue clay, 10; 
rock, 99. Water from upper sand 
heads at —5 feet. 

Sand and mud; sand, fine, dark. 


Fred Kaster 


Sec. 33 




Sand 


No water. Bones found at 188. 
Loam; sand; black mud; sand; 






wood and coal; old soil; mussel 
shells at 257; blue till, 20, over- 
lying sand bed at bottom. 



532 



UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Wells in Des Moines County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 71 N., R. 4 W. 
(Pleasant Geove). 

Anton Totemeir 


Sec. 19 

SW. isec. 34.... 

NearSperry 

Sec. 31 


Feet. 
276 

50 
400 

462 

159 
127 
120 
147 

56 
360 

110 
180 

98 
24 


Feet. 




Yellow till (niinoian), 30; blue till 
(Illinoian), 10: reddish brown till 
(Kansan), 12; blue till with thin 
beds of sand (Kansan and Ne- 
braskan),224. 

Well in valley; yields 2 to 3 gallons 
per minute; diameter, 4 inches. 
Head, 5 feet above curb. 

No hard rock struck, but perhaps 
entered Kinderhook in lower 
part. 

Casing, 360 feet. Entered hard 
rock at 342; some shale may have 
been penetrated. Water at 40. 
Well weak; 1 gallon per minute. 

Largely yellow till. 


John ShBpherd 

T. 71 N., R. 3 W. 
(Franklin). 




Coarse 
gravel. 


T. 72 N., R. 2 W. 
(PARTS OF Yellow 
Spring and Hu- 
ron). 

W B. Dutchcroft 








Sec. 4 








Sec. 10 

Sec. 20 

Sec. 27 


95 

118± 
40 

42 
90 












Limestone. 
...do 

...do 

Sand 

..do 






Mediapolis 

Linton 


shale was struck. 
Diameter, 5 inches; yield, 5 gallons 

per minute; main water at 55; 

water at 23. 
Other wells find black mucky soil 

under the loess. 

Soil and loam, 4; yellow till (Illi- 
noian), 20; gray till (Ilhnoian), 
10; peat bed, twigs, and bones, 15; 
gray sandy clay with wood, 12; 
fine sand, 16; yellow sandy till 
(Kansan), 33. 

Yellow till becoming gray below 
(Ilhnoian), 36; sand with thin 
bed of blue clay and of cemented 
gravel, 73; black muck with wood, 
6; sand and gravel, 8: gray peb- 
bleless silt, 15; blue till (Kansan), 
42. 

Head, 30 feet bfelow curb. 


W. J. Cumings 

T. 72 N., R. 4 W. 
(Washington). 

William Steiter 

F. Smith 


Yarmouth 

1 mile south of 
Yarmouth. 

IJ miles south of 

Roscoe. 
Roscoe 


M. T. Evans 


55 
20 


Rock 

Limestone. 


J. Mehmken 


35 feet below railway station. 






Yield, 3 gallons per minute. 
Heads 5 feet above curb. 



HENRY COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Henry County lies almost wholly on the Kansan drift plain of south- 
eastern Iowa. This upland, which once had a nearly level surface, 
retains its original features over much of the northern and central 
portions of the county, where the drainage is stiU imperfectly devel- 
oped and the tabular divides present the appearance of level plains, 
scored only by shallow swales of little-concentrated wash. In the 



HENEY COUNTY. 533 

southern townships the deep-cut valleys of Skunk River, Cedar 
Creek, and Big Creek permit a much greater dissection of the adj acent 
uplands, and here the interstream areas are cut to a maze of ridges 
with narrow level crests whose even sky line marks the common level 
of the ancient upland plain. 

The southeastern townships, Baltimore and New London, are 
ridged with the low long swell of the terminal moraine, which marks 
the limit to which the Illinoian ice here invaded Iowa from the east. 

A wide channel excavated by glacia,l waters in the Kansan drift 
lies along the northern border of the county and turning abruptly 
south follows the west county line, along which it has been occupied 
and deepened by the waters of Skunk River and Cedar Creek, passing 
thence through Lee County by Grand Valley and the valley of Sugar 
Creek to the Mississippi. Both Cedar Creek and Skunk River are 
bordered by wide flood plains where they hold to this ancient channel, 
the entire width of the Skunk River bottoms here ranging from three- 
fourths to 1| miles. Over the remainder of their courses these two 
streams, like the others of the county, flow through comparatively 
narrow valleys destitute of any flood plains of sufficient width to be 
of importance in this investigation. 

GEOLOGY. 

The Nebraskan, the lowest and earliest drift in Henry County, is 
not exposed so far as known, but is encountered in different wells 
as a dark-blue stony clay or tUl, resting on bedrock or separated 
from it by tiiin inconstant streaks of sand and gravel. The upper 
stony clay, the Kansan, is parted from the Nebraskan by sheets of 
sand and gravel or by old soils, peat, and forest beds (Aftonian 
interglacial deposits). The Kansan drift includes over nearly all the 
county both the yellow tUl immediately underlying the loess and the 
unweathered blue tUl from wliich the yellow tiQ has been derived by 
long leaching and oxidation. On and east of the north-south ridge 
passing through New London and recognized as a terminal moraine 
a third till appears, the yellow stony clay of the Illinoian. 

Over the entire county, except the river flood plains, has been 
spread the tliin mantle of the loess, a friable sihceous sUt. In color 
the loess is gray on the level prairies where overlain with deep humus, 
but yeUow on hill slopes or where it attains some thickness. 

The bedrock of Henry County, with the exception of smaU and 
negligible outliers of Pennsylvanian shales and sandstones, belong to 
the Mississippian series. (See PI. XIII.) Immediately beneath the 
drift the driller finds from 60 to 100 feet of limestones, sandstones, 
and shales belonging to the **St. Louis limestone." The succession 
from above downward is light-gray limestones, variable beds of 
sandstones, shales, broken or brecciated, limestones, and massive 



534 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

impure magnesian limestones. Below these lies the Osage group, the 
uppermost formation of which, as exposed in the county, is the 
Keokuk limestone, consisting of geode-bearing limy shales 30 feet 
thick, underlain by about 25 feet of limestone interleaved with bands 
of bluish shale. No lower rocks than the Keokuk are exposed 
within the county, but the drill of the well driller has explored to 
some depth the underlying formations of the Mississippian. Beneath 
the Keokuk lies the white Burlington limestone, composed in part of 
crinoidal remains and seamed by water-bearing porous beds and 
crevices. The deeper wells pass through the Burlington and reach 
the heavy shale of the Kinderhook, which forms the base of the 
Mississippian series. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The flood plains of Skunk River and its larger tributaries, such as 
Cedar Creek, afford abundant water to shallow wells from stream-laid 
sands and gravels. In Skunk Valley above Rome the alluvium is of 
agricultural importance owing to the breadth of the flood plains. 
In the narrower vaUey below Rome it is important chiefly for supply- 
ing towns and villages. Thus the village of LoweU obtains v/ater 
from open and driven wells in the aUuvium, although the rock bottom 
of the narrow valley is reached at from 20 to 30 feet from the surface, 
the water being found in a sheet said to be 2 feet deep on the rock. 

On the flat cUvides ground water stands high, and collecting in the 
porous silts at the base of the loess and in the reddish sands and 
gravels wliich occur in seams and lenses in the Kansan till, usuaUy 
affords a supply to shallow, open, bored, and driven wells. Larger 
and more permanent supplies are drawn from the sands overlying the 
Nebraskan drift and those which part it from bedrock. 

From these strata most of the weUs in the county are supplied. 
In places the lower drift sources he deep below the surface. WeUs in 
sections 1 and 11 of Marion Township pierced the drift to depths of 190 
and 250 feet without reaching either bedrock or the sands and gravels 
which overlie it, indicating a channel cut in deep rock by some 
pregiacial river and afterwards fifled with drift; the course of this 
buried valley is, however, entirely uncertain. 

Even on the wider tabular divides the drill or auger may find the 
water-bearing drift sands absent or too thin to convey enough water 
for stock wells, and the well must then be sunk into solid rock. Bed- 
rock must also be probed where the drift is thin, and where, owing to 
the dissection of the region by the streams, ground water readily 
drains out to the lowest levels. The sandy layers of the ''St. Louis 
limestone" and also the strata between its shale beds form water beds 



HENRY COUNTY. 535 

of value. The chief resource, however, is the white porous and 
creviced Burhngton limestone of the Osage group. Drillers report 
that the main water bed is a white porous and spongy but hard lime- 
stone separated from the Kinderhook below by some 20 feet of blue- 
gray limestone. The Kinderhook no doubt acts as an impervious 
floor on which water accumulates in the overlying strata where porous 
or in passages opened up by solution. 

At Mount Pleasant the Kinderhook was found a little less than 250 
feet below the surface and was about 300 feet thick. On reaching 
this dry shale drilling should stop for all ordinary farm wells. 

\ CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Mount Pleasant. — The succession at Mount Pleasant (population, 
3,874) is shown by the following records of the wells drilled for the 
State Hospital for the Insane: 

Wefl No. 1 has a depth of 1,125 feet. The curb is about 719 feet 
above sea level, and the head 30 feet below curb. The tested 
capacity is 165 gallons a minute, the water coming from 990 feet. 
Temperature, 62° F. Date of completion, 1862. The well was aban- 
doned years ago because the water was so corrosive that it destroyed 
a battery of boilers and all the steam radiators of the institution. 

Driller's log of well No. 1, Iowa Hospital for Insane. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Lunestones 

Shales, soft, passing into hard. 

Limestone 

No samples 

Sandstone 



Feet. 
295 
300 
295 
100 
135 



Feet. 
295 
595 
890 
990 
1,125 



Well No. 2 has a depth of 1,267 feet and a diameter of 12 inches to 
123 feet, 10 inches to 723 feet, and 6 inches to bottom; casing, 12 
inches, 123 feet to rock, 10 inches to 733 feet, 6 inches to 1,153 feet; 
packing ring at junction of 10-inch and 6-inch casing. The curb is 
about 719 feet above sea level, and the head 70 feet below curb. 
Pumping capacity, 70 gallons a minute. The well was completed in 
1898 by L. Wilson & Co., of Chicago. From it 40,000 to 50,000 gallons 
a day are now pumped without exhausting its supply. 

Well No. 3 has a depth of 1,203 feet and a diameter of 12 to 6 inches; 
casing, 71 feet of 12-inch, 610 feet of 9-inch, 635 feet of 6-inch. The 
head is 71 feet below curb and the tested capacity 70 gallons a minute. 
The water comes from 250 feet and is very good for drinking but 
destructive to boilers; other water-bearing strata were not recorded. 
The yield is 70 gallons a minute. Date of completion, 1903; cost 



536 



UNDEKGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OP IOWA. 



$4,700. From this well 120,000 gallons a day are now pumped. 
Except for boiler water, which is supplied from a reservoir, the entire 
institution is supplied by wells Nos. 2 and 3. 

Driller's log of well No. 3, Iowa Hospital for Insane. 



Soil, clay, and some sand 

Slate 

Limestone 

Slate 

Limestone (G inches of slate at 125 feet) 

Slate 

Limestone 

Slate 

Rock (" Trenton") 

Rock (St. Peter) 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


68 


68 


7 


75 


29 


104 


4 


108 


107 


215 


10 


225 


20 


245 


360 


605 


511 


1, 116 


87 


1,203 



Record of strata in well No. 3, Iowa Hospital for Insane {PI. XIII, p. 526). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene (68 feet thick; top, 719 feet above sea level): 

Drift, no sample 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

"St. Louis limestone'' and Osage group (182 feet thick; top 651 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, light blue, calcareous 

Limestone, yellow; drillings chiefly foreign sand 

Limestone, light blue, highly argillaceous; rather hard in chips 

Chert, white; much sand in drillings 

No record 

Shale, blue, plastic, calcareous 

No record 

Limestone, light gray, nonmagnesian, soft, earthy 

Limestone, as above; also bluish-gray, highly calcareous shale and considerable 

dark flint 

Limestone, mottled dark gray and white, crystalline, encrinital; residue arena- 
ceous and cherty ; some white chert; 3 samples 

Chert, light-blue cherty limestone, and light-blue shale , 

Chert, white; in small chips 

Limestone, light yellow and white; encrinital, earthy to crystalline; some chert; 

4 samples 

Chert, white; some cherty limestone 

Chert, white; includes chips of dense, subtranslucent opaque-white and blue- 
white cryptocrystalline silica with conchoidal fracture; also irregularly shaped 
cuttings of a dull-white, earthy chert, or less friable; limestone, light yellow 

gray 

Shale, light buff, calcareous; in concreted powder 

Shale (diiUer's log); no sample 

Dolomite, blue gray, rather hard, subcrystalline, vesicular 

Limestone, magnesian; moderately rapid effervescence, drab, earthy 

Kinderhook group (360 feet thick; top, 469 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, blue, hard; highly siliceous with minute quartzose particles; calcareous; 2 

samples 

Sandstone, blue, fine grained, argillaceous and somewhat calciferous, composed of 

minute angular particles of quartz in chips; 4 samples 

Shale, blue, calcareous 

Shale, blue, and sandstone, argillaceous; thinly laminated, 2 samples 

Shale, blue, calcareous; 7 samples 

Shale, blue, and sandstone, yellow-gray; grains up to 1 millimeter in diameter; 

calcareous cement 

Shale, blue and gray; 2 samples 

Shale, olive gray; yellow and reddish chert in coarse sand, perhaps foreign 

Shale, blue; 15 samples 

Devonian and Silurian (210 feet thick; top, 109 feet above sea level); 

Limestone, crystalline, buil and gray; rapid effervescence; in fine sand; 3 samples... 
Limestone, blue, argillaceous, soft, highly fossiliferous; rapid effervescence; in small 

chips 

Limestone, yellow-gray and blue-gray; rapid effervescence; in sand 

Limestone, light blue-gi-ay, dense, fine grained, laminated; in flaky chips; fossilifer- 
ous, containing fragments of crinoid stems and small brachiopods; 3 samples 

Limestone, white, fine grained, rather hard, and blue-gray with some shale 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, nonmagnesian; in fine sand; 2 samples 

Anhydrite; some siliceous gray limestone in powder, and snow-white granules easily 
friable to crystalline powder; some anhydrite in chips of pure mineral; 2 samples. . 



Feet. 
68 



20 

40 
10 
20 
70 

10 
20 
10 
160 



Feet. 



75 
80 
90 
100 
104 
108 
110 
114 

118 

140 
150 
160 

200 
210 



215 
220 
225 
230 
250 



310 
320 
340 
410 

420 
440 
450 
610 



650 
660 

690 
700 
730 

750 



HENEY COUNTY. 537 

Record of strata in well No. 3, Iowa Hospital for 7wsane— Continued. 



Depth. 



Devonian and Silurian (210 feet thick; top, 109 feet above sea level)— Continued . 

Limestone, drab, nonmagnesian; a few chips of anhydrite and of anhydrite and lime- 
stone 

Anhydrite, white, and limestone, drab; in meal and powder 

Limestone, gray, nonmagnesian; some anhydrite; in meal; 2 samples 

Anhydrite and gypsum, white, and shale, dark drab, hard, noncalcareous, and 

siliceous; all in chips and saad; 3 samples 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (40 feet thick; top, 101 feet below sea level)— 

Shale, blue, hard, siliceous, slightly calcareous; some minute grains of crystalline 

quartz; 2 samples 

Shale, light blue, hard, calcareous; 2 samples 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone (256 feet thick; top, 141 feet below sea 
level)— 
Dolomite, mostly in bufl, fine crystalline sand; 25 samples 

Samples from Well No. 2.a 

St. Peter sandstone (136 feet thick; top, 397 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, white, finegrained; grains about 0.3 millimeter in diameter 



Feet. 
760 
770 
790 

820 



1,100 



1,120 



a Samples of the drillings of this well were shipped in open wooden trays and became much mixed. 
The compartments of the trays were marked as St. Peter from 1,120 to 1,250, and all of these contained 
quartz sand of St. Peter fades; some contained green shale and brown bituminous shale, assumed to be 
foreign and perhaps Platteville. Samples marked 1,250 to 1,267 show chiefly sand of dolomite. 

Minor supplies. — Information concerning local village water sup- 
plies is presented in the following table : 

Village supplies in Henry County. 





Nature of supply. 


Depth of wells. 


Depth to 
rock. 


Depth to 
water 
bed. 


Head below curb. 


Town. 


From — 


To- 


Com- 
mon. 


Shallow 
wells. 


Deep 
wells. 




Bored and drilled wells 
Open and driven wells. 
Open bored, and 


Feet. 
15 
15 

20 
15 
16 
28 

40 
30 


Feet. 
150 
35 

""366' 

'"'360' 

200 
100 


Feet. 
35 
25 

32 
25 
25 
35 

100 
40 


Feet. 
60 
25 

70 
100-200 


Feet. 
40-100 
25 

30 


Feet. 


Feet. 
— 30 




-18 


- 28 


Mount Union.. 


- 20 




Open and drilled wells. 




—100 


Aids . . . 


25 
40 

200 




— 5 


Salem. 


Wells 


35 

60 
50 


-20 

-20 
-30 




Swedesburg 


Dug, bored, and 


- 20 


Winfield 


Drilled and bored wells 


— 30 









WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Henry County: 
Typical wells in Henry County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

to water 

bed. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in 
feet). 


T.70N., R.7W. 
(Salem.) 


Near Hillsboro. 


Feet. 
318 


Feet. 
104 


Feet. 
260 




FcH. 

2G5 


Yellow clay, 45; soft 
light-blue tUl, 27; 
dark hard tiU, 32; 
limestone, 154; soft 
white sandstone, 
water bearing, 41; 
limestone, 19. 







538 UNDERGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

Typical wells in Henry County — Continued. 



Owner. 



T. 70N.,R. 7W. 
(Salem)— Con. 

F. McNeely 



Thos. Campbell.. 



T. 70N.,R. 6 W. 

(Jackson). 

John Abraham . . 



Beckwith... 



T. 71N.,R. 5 W. 
(New London). 

Greenlee 



Location. 



Andrew Johnson. . 



John Shipley 

William Orndauf , 



T. 72 N., R. 5 W. 
(Canaan). 

John A. Wicks . . 



T. 72N.,R. 6W. 
(Marion). 

August Wicks . . . 



E. June. 



T. 72N.,R. 7 W. 
(Trenton). 

Oscar Fitch 



T. 73 N., R. 6 W. 
(Wayne). 



S. isec. 15 



E. i sec. 26.- 



SW. 1 NW. i 
sec. 24. 



Sec. 19. 



New London. 



IJ miles south 
of New Lon- 
don. 



New London. 
....do 



Detith Depth 



Feet. 
270 



SE. J sec. 15.. 



SE. 1 sec. 28.. 



SE. Jsec. 1.... 



See. 11. 



NE. isec. 20. 



1 mile east of 
Swedesburg. 



290 



290 



Depth Source of 

'Tr -PPiy 



Feet. 



35 



80 



Feet. 



180-200 



270 



220 
260 



200 



blfovvl Remarks (logs given in 
curb! feet). 



Limestone . 



.do. 



Limestone . 



Limestone . 



Sand. 



Rock. 



White por- 
ous lime- 
stone. 



Limestone . . 



Feet. 



40 



30 



Rock all limestone ex- 
cept some shale; 
flinty rock below the 
shale. 

Upland drift, 35; lime- 
stone, 55; limestone 
alternating with 
shale, 100; limestone 
cherty. 



First rise above Skunk 
River. Drift, 80; 
Umestone, 55; shale, 
35; limestone, 70; 
shale, 20; limestone, 
25; shale, 5 (Kinder- 
hook?). 

Drift, 80; limestone, 60; 
shale, 35; Umestone, 
115; shale. Pumping 
15 gallons per minute 
reduces water level 
to 140 below surface. 



3-foot sand bed at 100, 
weak water; another 
at 110, some water; 
third at 132, yields 2 
gallons per minute. 

Loess, 6; vellow till, 20; 
sand, 3; blue till, 12; 
peat and wood, 4; 
gray gummy clay 
with few pebbles, 10. 



Drift, 80; limestone, 
35; shale, 25; lime- 
stone, 84. 



Drift, 14; limestone, 7; 
blue shale, 25; lime- 
stone with water in 
crevice, 54. 

All in drift, ■well fail- 
ure, struck bowlder 
at 190 feet and bore 
hole abandoned; 
black cement clay, 
160 to 190. 

All in drift; abandoned. 



Drift clays, etc., 145; 
dry blue sand, 5; 
blue limestone, 20; 
shale, 25; gray lime- 
stone, white toward 
bottom, 65. 



Lower 50 feet blue till. 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 
Typical tvells in Henry County — Continued. 



539 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Depth 

to water 

bed. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in 
feet). 


T. 73N.,R. 5W. 
(Scott). 


W i n field or 
Fairground. 

Zh miles east 
'of Winfield. 
8 miles north- 
west of New 
London, 
.do 


Feet. 
123 

110 
200 

120 
52 

70 


Feet. 
115 

100 


Feet. 




Feet. 


Loess and yellow till, 
40; hard blue tni, 30; 
gravel, 30; hard blue 
till, 15; white sand- 
stone, 3; shale, 4; 
cherty limestone at 
bottom. 

Sand on rock 60 feet 


J. England 

Lehart 




Sand 




....do 




thick. 
Drift clay, 30; sand, 
170. 


Alda Delashrnitt. . 


105 




Rock 

Sand 




T. 70N.,R. 7 W. 
(Salem). 


Salem . . 


Yellow clay, 35; light- 
blue clay, 15; sand, 1; 
blue-black clay, 1. 

Yellow clay; blue clay; 
rock at bottom; war 
ter on rock. 


T. 71N.,R. 6 W. 
(Center). 

Chas. Leedham. . 


4J miles south- 
east of Mount 
Pleasant. 


69 

















JEFFERSON COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton.. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The surface of Jefferson County is a plain of ancient drift dissected 
by streams from 50 to 150 feet below a once level surface, remnants 
of which remain throughout the county in tabular divides whose flat 
surfaces have been estimated to constitute about one-fourth or one- 
fifth of the entire area. These remnants are naturally widest along 
the main divide between the two master streams, Skunk River and 
Cedar Creek, where they form a featureless prairie plain extending 
diagonally across the county from northwest to southeast. Before 
the settlement of the country wet-weather marshes and shallow 
ponds occupied slight original depressions, but these, for the most 
part, have disappeared with the lowering of ground-water level con- 
sequent on sod cultivation. 

Near the larger streams the country is deeply ravined, and here, 
as throughout southeastern Iowa, the intimately dissected areas are 
known as "breaks." 

The maturel}'' developed valley of Skunk River affords bottom 
lands more than a mile in average width. The flood plain of Cedar 
Creek varies in width from a mile where cut in easily eroded glacial 
drift and one-half or one-fourth mile where cut in the shales of the 
Pennsylvanian and to a narrow gorge bearing all the marks of youth 
where the valley is incised in the more resistant limestones of the 
Mississippian. 



540 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

GEOLOGY. 

Beneath the dark soil or later humus of the surface lies a mantle of 
fine yellow silt — the loess — which on the uplands has a thickness of 
12 to 15 feet or more. On the slopes it is somewhat thinner, owing 
to rain wash. 

The loess rests on the Kansan drift, which is normally a blue stony 
clay, but which has been changed, under the oxidizing influence of 
long weathering, to yellow, and is known to drillers as ''true red 
hardpan." The upper surface of the Kansan may be modified to a 
sticky noncalcareous clay — the gumbo — through wliich water can 
not pass, or in places may consist of pervious sands. 

Beneath the Kansan, and separated from it in places by layers of 
sand and gravel (Aftonian), is a lower stony clay, the Nebraskan 
drift, a tough dark-bluish deposit, which is rather difficult to drill and 
which generally contains splinters and bits of wood and fragments of 
coal. 

Over most of Jefferson County the rock beneath the drift sheets 
belongs to the Pennsylvanian series (coal measures) of the Carbonif- 
erous, and consists of a variable succession of shales and sandstones, 
with an occasional tliin bed of limestone and some seams of coal. 
(See Pis. X, XIII.) The thickness of these strata ranges from a few 
feet to 150 feet and attains its maximum in the southwestern part 
of the county. In the northeastern part of the county, in Walnut 
and in parts of Penn townships, the coal measures have been stripped 
off by the tributaries of Skunk River, and the underlying "St. Louis 
limestone" of the Mississippian series is exposed to view. The total 
exposed thickness of the "St. Louis" amounts to 80 feet. 

Beneath the "St. Louis limestone" lies the Osage group, 30 feet or 
more thick. The most easily recognized of the different beds of the 
Osage are the basal white limestone and the overlying flinty cherts 
("Montrose cherts"), both of which belong to the Burlington lime- 
stone. 

The Osage rests on shales of the Kinderhook group, here about 
1 50 feet thick. The rock formations of the area below the Kinderhook 
have not been penetrated by the drill within the county. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

On the bottom lands of Skunk River and of its larger branches 
river-laid sands and gravels, saturated with water, are encountered 
near the surface. On these open wells and driven wells suffice, and 
in places plenty of water is obtained within 10 to 20 feet of the 
surface. 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 541 

Water in greater or less quantity is obtained at the base of the 
loess, in the yellow Kansan drift, especially near its base, and in or 
at the base of the Nebraskan drift. 

On the level ill-drained uplands, where the run-off is small and 
niuch of the storm water is either evaporated or sinks to feed the 
stores of water underground, the base of the loess silt is in many 
places saturated, and under favorable conditions water may still be 
obtained by wells of moderate capacity at depths of 25 feet or less. 
These conditions obtain especially in Polk and the west half of Black- 
hawk townships. On the tabular divides, where the loess is dry, 
water may in many places be found by the well borer in the less 
clayey portions of the Kansan drift, especially at or near its base. In 
Fairfield and Locust Grove townships, along the flat divide extending 
northwest from the town of Fairfield, a large number of wells find 
water above the blue stony clay within 40 feet of the surface. In 
the town of Fairfield many house wells do not exceed 30 feet in depth, 
but the well borer can not depend on striking water at this depth. 
Here, as elsewhere in the county, the ground-water surface has gradu 
ally lowered and shallow wells must now be bored 10 to 15 feet 
deeper than was necessary in the early history of the town. On the 
level prairies, where 15 years ago water could almost universally be 
obtained with a 40-foot auger, it must now be sought at deeper 
horizons. On the breaks or belts of dissected country along the 
streamways shallow wells have quite generally failed. Well borers 
lose an increasing number of holes, and the driller who is able to 
carry his quest for water into solid rock has an ever-increasing 
advantage. 

Water-bearing sands and gravels are encountered in the yellow 
Kansan drift. The sand may be but a pocket, in which case it is 
easily pumped out, or it may be a seam or bed sufficiently thick and 
extensive to supply a good stock well. No layer of sand and gravel 
within the blue stony clay is marked enough to impress the memories 
of well makers, though the water-bearing sands resting on bedrock at 
its base are often mentioned. In the west half of Penn Township, 
and in the northeastern part of Des Moines Township, water is found 
beneath the blue stony clay at about 100 feet from the surface. Two 
wells drilled in the town of Fairfield are said to have found abundant 
water in fine sand lying on bedrock at a depth of 195 feet but were 
abandoned as the sand could not be screened out. In general, how- 
ever, the sands beneath the Nebraskan drift are not reliable in this 
county. 

The Pennsylvanian series is extremely variable in character. Beds 
of sandstone thin out rapidly and may be replaced by shales. The 
succession of strata in one township or even in one section may not 
be maintaiaed in the one adjacent. For these reasons each well 



542 UNDEKGROUJSTD WATER RBSOUECES OF IOWA. 

drilled in the coal measures is largely experimental, and the experi- 
ence derived from other wells serves only as a general guide indicating 
probabilities. In places the Pennsylvanian contains considerable 
bodies of sandstone and supplies a soft but often highly mineralized 
and usually sulphurous water. 

In many of the rock wells of the county it has been necessary to go 
through the coal measures to the water-bearing limestones and inter- 
stratified sandy beds composing the "St. Louis limestone." The 
distance to which the drill must go to reach these beds in any locality 
is difficult to foretell. The overlying coal measures vary greatly in 
thiclvness, for they were laid on the deeply eroded surface of the 
"St. Louis limestone" and have also an uneven eroded upper surface 
of their own, now deeply buried beneath the drift. 

In some part of every township except Fairfield and Locust Grove 
the Pennsylvanian has been entirely swept away, usually along the 
streamways ; in Walnut Township it is found only over about 6 square 
miles in the southwestern and the northwestern parts. The following 
township data from Udden,^ gi'^g the average thickness of the coal 
measures in each township, may be of some help to drillers if it is 
remembered that in any section their tliickness may be several times 
that given, or, again, may be much less than the average stated for 
the township. 

Thickness of Pennsylvanian rocks in Jefferson County townships. 



Feet. 

Polk 20 

Locust Grove 80 

Des Moines 50 

Blackhawk 15 

Fairfield 75 

Liberty 50 



Feet. 

Penn 30 

Buchanan 20 

Cedar 20 

Walnut 10 

Lockridge 40 

Round Prairie 20 



SPRINGS. 

Few noteworthy springs are reported from the county. In the 
southwest corner of sec. 1, Walnut Township, a number of springs 
emerge from glacial or preglacial gravels resting on bedrock. Large 
springs are said to occur near Merrimac on Skunk River. Near 
Perlee in Penn Township some sulphur springs, rising from the coal 
measures, yield 5 to 10 gallons per minute. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Fairfield. — The city supply of Fairfield (population, 4,970) is drawn 
from ponds and is not satisfactory. The distribution is both direct 
and from standpipe, the domestic pressure being 24 pounds and the 

I Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. SiKvey, vol. 12, 1902, p. 414, 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 



543 



fire pressure 140 pounds. There aTe 15 miles of mains, 55 fire 
hydrants, and 440 taps. The daily consumption is estimated at 
250,000 gallons. 

In forecast of artesian possibilities it may be said that the shales 
of the Kinderhook group should be found about 350 feet from the 
surface. Any highly mineralized water found in connection with 
them should be carefully cased out, although it may be potable. 
The thickness of these heavy shales is variable and can not be fore- 
cast with any certainty, but it probably will not 'exceed 200 feet. 
The Devonian limestones and shales below the Kinderhook may 
contain water, and water will in all probability be found in the 
underljring Silurian limestones and sandstones. Before leaving the 
Silurian strata the water of the well should be analyzed, as the 
Silurian may include beds of gypsum which may have added a large 
lime sulphate content to the water. Should such beds of gypsum 
or anhydrite be disclosed, it would be well to case out all Silurian 
waters. The Maquoketa shale should next be reached, lying within 
950 feet of the surface. 

Water will be found probably in the Galena and Platteville lime- 
stones, underlying the Maquoketa, and its quality should also be 
tested by analysis. The St. Peter sandstone should be reached 
within 1,260 to 1,350 feet of the surface and should contain a liberal 
supply of water. If the supply should fall short of the probable 
needs of the city, the well may be sunk several hundred feet deeper 
to a depth of at least 2,000 feet in order to obtain more water. 

The water in such a well will probably stand about 100 feet below 
the curb. Its quality will depend largely on the care with which the 
upper waters of the Mississippian and Silurian formations are cased 
out, and would probably be improved by going deeper than the 
St. Peter sandstone. 

Minor supplies. — Information concerning the water supplies of 
other towns and villages is presented in the following tables: 

Town and village supplies in Jefferson County. 





Nature of supply. 


Depth of wells. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

to 
water 
bed. 


Head below curb. 


Town. 


From— 


To— 


Shallow 
wells. 


Deep 

wells. 


Abingdon 


Wells 


Feet. 
25 
12 
25 
20 


Feet. 

45 

300 

250 

130 


Feet. 


Feet. 
45 


Feet. 
15 


Feet. 
20 


County Line 


Open, bored, and drilled wells. . 

Wells and cisterns . . ... 




German ville 


100 




10 
3 




Glendale 


Bored and drilled wells 




Lockridge 


Cisterns, bored weUs 








Merrimac 


Dug wells 


16 
12 
20 
28 
15 
18 


18 
50 
250 
40 
75 
30 


16 

'sd^iso' 


25" 

35' 


10 
12 
6-20 
20 
10 
10 




Packwood 






Perlee 


Springs, cisterns, and wells 

Open and bored wells. .. 


50 


Pleasant Plain . . 




Veo 


do 




Woolson 






















544 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Jefferson County: 

Typical wells in Jefferson County. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Depth 
to wa- 
ter bed. 



Source of 
supply. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 72 N., R. 8 W. 
(Lock Ridge). 

G. B. Parsons 



KalifE.... 

M. R. Cullins. 



U- miles west of 
"Glendale. 



5 miles north of 

Glendale. 
Salina 



Feet. 
125 



290 
79 



Feet. 



Feet. 
115 



Sand. 



Limestone. 
Sand 



T. 71 N., R. 8 W. 
(Round Praieie). 

Thomas Raines 



■ Spratt , 



3i miles southwest 
"of Glasgow. 

BE. J SW. I sec. 8.. 



SE. \ sec. 28. 



130 



100± 



317 



Limestone . . 



Sandstone. 



T. 71 N., R. 9 W. 

(Cedar). 

Hosette 



SE.J SW. J sec. 26. 



230 



105 



T. 71 N., R. 10 W. 
(Liberty and 
PART OF Fair- 
field). 



L. Howard... 
G. P. Spratt. 



Seel 

NW. isec. 11. 



185 
265 



115 
70 



E.R.Smith. 



SW. JNW.Jsec. 2.. 



Sandstone... 



Yellow clay, 35; blue 
clay, 60; black "ce- 
ment" clay, darker 
and harder than 
blue clay with few 
pebbles and no 
sand, 20; sand, gray- 
ish yellow, 10. 



Soil and yellow clay, 
pebbly, 45; blue 
clay, 20; dry sand, 
5; blue clay, 3; blue 
sand, 3; shale and 
coal, 3. 



Drift, 80; rock, 40; 
shale, 30; limestone, 
167. Heads 175 feet 
below curb. 

Drift, 105; drift, grav- 
el, and sand, 25; 
white limestone 
with bands of shale, 
187; sandstone, 2. 
Heads 85 feet below 
curb. 

Yellow clay, 40; dark 
clay, 50; not known, 
12; limestone, 98; 
chert, f; 2 feet of 
shale in other mate- 
rials, 15; hard j'ellow 
sand rock with balls 
of hard material, 40. 



About 30 feet above 
creek. Drift, 105; 
shale, 3; limestone, 
119; sandstone, 3; 
lime rock. 



Upland. Joint clay, 
20; blue tm, 50; shell 
rock, bastard lime- 
stone and coaly 
shale, 38; limestone, 
152; sandstone, 5. 

Red tni, 45; blue till, 
50; coal and slate, J; 
white limestone, 
100; brown lime- 
stone, 20; sandstone, 
with a little water, 
2; white limestone, 
85; sandstone yield- 
ing 10 barrels an 
hour, 4; water soft 
and a little salt. 
Heads 67 feet below 
curb. 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Jefferson County — Continued. 



545 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock, 



Depth 
to wa- 
ter bed- 



Source of 
supply. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 71 N., R. 10 W. 
(Liberty and 
PART OF Fair- 
field)— Contd. 



Charles Webb. 
P. H. Heston. 



1 mile east of Liber- 

tyville. 
NE. \ sec. 9 



Feet. 
368 



438 



Feet. 



Feet. 



50 



420 



T. 71 N., R. 11 W. 
(De3 Moines). 

E.McCleary 



NAV. J sec. 1. 



230 



64 



T. 72 N., R. 11 W. 
(Locust Grove). 



Brookville. 



241 



W. C. Ball. 



T. Z. Gillett. 



NW.iNE. i sec. 25. 



S W. \ sec. 3 . 



Sandstone. 



218 



T. W. Gobble 

L. A. Patterson . . . 



T. W. Hill . 



NE. I sec. 5.. 
NE. \ sec. 10. 



Batavia. 



T. 72 N., R. 10 W. 
(PART OF Fair- 
field). 

Patrick Kennedy . 
F. J. Shearer 



SW.iSW. Isec.9... 
NW.JSW.isec. 14. 



160 



200 



76 
165 



140 



108 
120 



Gravel . 



(?) 



Water salty. 

Water also in sand- 
stone, 70; water low- 
ers on pumping to 
—170. Well 4 inches 
in diameter; capaci- 
ty^ 10 gallons per 
minute. 



Sandy loess. 20; till, 
yellow and blue, 44; 
iimestone, 2; shale?, 
32; limestone, 4; grit- 
ty shale, 20; yellow 
arenaceous rock, 108. 
Water salty. 



Yellow till and blue 
till, 85; sand, water- 
bearing, 10; lime- 
stone with beds of 
sandstone, 142; 
sandstone, hard, 4. 

Loess, 25; blue till, 25; 
"blue granite" (sili- 
ceous rock), 12; 
brown sandstone, 
93; limestone and 
sandstone, 17. Wa- ^, 
ter soft. 

Loess and yellow till, 
60; dark till, 80; 
black shale with 
much pyrite, 40; 
bluish black carbo- 
naceous material, 8; 
sandstone, shale, 
and fine clay, 30. 

Yellow drift, 30; dark 
till, 60; gravel, 18; 
black shale, 80. 

Loess, 10; gumbo, 10; 
yellow till, 40; dark 
till, 60; sandstone, 
mostly fine, but 
somewhat coarser 
below, 40. 

Creek bottom; marl at 
60; coal at 115; hard 
sandstone at bot- 
tom. 



Valley. Flowing well. 
Water from sand be- 
low blue clay. 

Loess, 10; joint clay or 
gumbo, 20; red till, 
30; dark till, 30; 
white shale, 20; 
some arenaceous 
material. 



36581°— wsp 293—12- 



-35 



546 



UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells in Jefferson County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Depth 
to wa- 
ter bed. 



Source of 
supply. 



Remarks 
(logs given in • feet). 



T. 72 N., R. 10 W. 
(PART OF Pair- 
field)— Con. 

J.W.Wilson 



Sec. 17. 



Feet. 
143 



Feet. 
95 



Feet. 



J. F. Seahill. 



Near center sec. 17. 



G. W. Ball. 
L. Snider . . 



S. Sackett. 



SW. 1 sec. 19 

SW. JSE. isec. 21.. 



NW.iNW. isec.23. 



145 



186 
146 



200 



Sand and 
gravel. 



B. T. Raines. 



Fairfield . 



.do. 



C. W. Whitam. 



J. B. Steever. 



NE.i SE.isec. 28., 



SE. J sec. 28. 



230 



D. W. Manning... 



T. 72 N., R. 9 W. 
(Buchanan). 

M. Fordyce 



SE. 1 sec. 31. 



Wayne Green . 

T.H. Clover.. 
J. P. Manatry. 



SE.JSW. 1 sec. 23. 



3 miles west of Sa- 
lina. 



SW. \ sec. 27 

SW.iSW.isec.35.. 



185 



200 



237 



100 



97 



186 
240 



Sandstone. 



Joint clay, 10; red 
hardpan,3;bluetill, 
82; limestone, 48, 
with crevice in 
which drill dropped 
4 feet. Water con- 
tains sulphureted 
hydrogen; laxative, 
soft. Heads 60 feet 
below curb. 

Loess and yellow till, 
60; sand and gravel, 
10; dark till, 40; 
sandstone, in bot- 
tom. Mineral wa^ 
ter. 

"Soil," 10; red till, 80; 
white and brown 
limestone, 50; 
"slate," black, 2; 
coal, 4. 

Loess, 10; red till, 30; 
blue clay, 155; sand 
and gravel, 5; rest- 
ing on bedrock. 

Loam, 5; brown "joint 
clay," 10; yellow 
till, 30; dark till, 78; 
gravel and sand, 28, 
resting on shell rock. 

Drift, 120; black shale, 
fixe clay, and sev- ■ 
eral small coal seams 
alternating, 45; coal, 
6; alternations of 
shale, sand rock, 
and fire clay with 
dark sandstone be- 
low, 59. 

Drift,80; shale and fire 
clay with thin seams 
of 'coal, 50; sand- 
stone, 20; coal, 4; 
limestone at bot- 
tom. 

Drift, 100; dark sand- 
stone, 20; common 
sandstone, 80. 



Loess; 20; yellow till, 
25; blue till, 50; sand 
and a little water, 2; 
limestone, 88; sand- 
stone, 2; yielding 2 
barrels of water per 
hour; limestone, 46; 
brown sandstone, 4. 

Joint clay, 6; yellow 
till, 40; black hard- 
pan, hard and irony, 
20; dark till, 24; old 
soil with wood, 3; 
sand with water, 4; 
limestone. 

Loess and gumbo, 25; 
yellow till, 20; dark 
till, 141. 

Drift, 129; limestone, 
30; bastard rock and 
sandstone, 51; lime- 
stone, 30. 



JEFFERSON COUNTY. 



547 



Typical wells in Jefferson County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Depth 
to wa- 
ter bed. 



Source of 
supply. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 73 N., R. 11 W. 
(Polk). 



1 mile west of Ab- 
ingdon. 



Feet. 
165 



Feet. 
165 



Feet. 



Gravel . 



Abingdon. 



Sandstone. 



L. K. Wallace 

Geo. E. Estes 

T. R. Smith 

A. T. Downey 

T. 73 N., R. 10 W 
(Blackhawk). 

T.A.Webb 



SW.i SW.Jsec.2 
W. J sec. 16 

SE. \ sec. 20 

Sec. 33 



NW. 1 sec. 6. 



300 

186 



SW. i sec. 27. 



Sandstone. 



A. Freshwater. 



SW. i sec. 28. 



J. L. Knight. 



SW. \ sec. 37. 



Gravel. 



T. 73 N., R. 9 W. 
(Penn). 

J. Pascha 



Sec. 1 . 



M. Polus. 



NW. 1 sec. 24. 



T. 73 N., R. 8 W. 
(Walnut). 

C. Shaffer 



E. i sec. 26. 



60 



Loess, 20; yellow till, 
20; brown soft clay 
sandy streaks, 117; 
gravel, 8, on bed- 
rock. Heads 40 feet 
below curb. 

Loess, 30; yellow till, 
30; dark till, 80; bed- 
rock with pyrites, 
10; black shale, 4; 
coal, 6; fire clay; 
white limestone to 
247; coarse sand- 
stone, 3. 

Drift, 160; dark shale, 
30; cherty limestone, 
110. 

Limestone with some 
chert at 104; sand- 
stone from 144 to 
186. 

Drift, 76; shale, 3. 

Drift, 70; shale and 

• coal in bottom. 



Upland. Loess and 
yellow till, 60; dark 
till, 70; red shale, 10; 
some black shale. 

Yellow till, 50; dark 
till with inclusions 
of sand, 35; shale; 
sandstone, 4, to bot- 
tom. 

Loess, 25; yellow till, 
20; dark till, 115; red 
ocherous clay, 5; 
sandstone? 12; shell 
rock, 2; shale, 4; 
limestone with crev- 
ice, IJ feet deep, 44. 
Water contains sul- 
phureted hydrogen. 

Loess, 20; soft sandy 
yellow till, 140; grav- 
el, 10. 



Loess and yellow till, 
60; some sand; dark 
till, to 100 from 
curb; limestone 
with some sand- 
stone, 30. 

Loess and yellow clay, 
50; dark till, 53; 
gravel, 3. 



Drift, 60; "rock and 
shale," 180; "hard 
rock" (limestone) 
in bottom. 



548 UNDEKGKOUND WATEK EESOUECES OE IOWA. 

KEOKUK COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The surface of Keokuk County is an upland plain scored with the 
channels of numerous converging streams. The sky line as seen from 
the summits of the divides is everywhere even and horizontal. Exten- 
sive remnants of the ancient level surface, which must have been 
singularly flat and featureless, still exist on the main divides and 
extend to the rather steep slopes of the valleys of the larger streams. 
Even in the southern part of the county, where North and South 
branches of the Skunk flow in parallel and adjacent courses and where 
the upland is most dissected by their tributary streams, there are 
remnants of the original plain 3 or 4 miles wide, with a maximum 
relief of less than 12 feet. In this part of the county the valleys of the 
major streams have been worn to a depth of 100 to 200 feet below 
the upland level and have been widened by long lateral erosion and 
the action of the weather. The valley of the Skunk, for example, 
has been planed and filled to a flat alluvial floor 2 to 6 miles wide. 

GEOLOGY. 

The surface deposit over the entire county, except on the river flood 
plains, is the yellow or ashen pebbleless silt known as the loess. It 
mantles valley slopes as well as level uplands and is in few places 
more than 8 or 10 feet thick. 

Below the loess is a yellow clay that is distinguishable from the 
loess by its brighter tint, by the presence in it of sand and gravel, and 
by its greater hardness. This yellow stony clay or till is the weathered 
upper portion of the Kansan drift sheet, the unaltered portion being 
normaUy bluish gray in color. 

Beneath the Kansan lies another tough stony clay, the Nebraskan. 
It is hardly to be distinguished from the Kansan in weU drilling, 
unless it should be separated from it by ill-smelling soils, by peat 
and forest beds, or by the more welcome water-bearing sands and 
gravels which not infrequently mark tliis horizon. The Nebraskan 
till rests either on bedrock or on thin sand and gravels which separate 
it from the rock. 

The rocks of Keokuk County belong to two great series of the 
Carboniferous system, the Pennsylvanian and the Mississippian. 
(See PI. XIV.) The Pennsylvanian is exposed to view or is found 
by the drill immediately below the drift over large areas in the 
western townships and in several scattered outliers over the remain- 
der of the county. The rocks of the Pennsylvanian series consist of 
shale ("soapstone" or "slate"), with seams of coal and beds of fire 



Feet 
90O- 

8nu- 

700- 

fiOO- 

600 

400- 

300- 

200- 



U, S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



Pella 



^ V^®^"^ 



DesMo 



■ St Lou»s 



V\m« 



100 



Sea level 



400- 
500- 
fiOO 



U, S, GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



- 37 miles 



27 miles 



W^TER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE XIV 

->< 23 miles > 




GEOLOGIC SECTION BETWEEN FELLA AND LETTS , IOWA 
By W H. Norton 



KEOKUK COUNTY. 549 

clay, and lenticular bodies of sandstone. These rocks lie on a deeply 
eroded surface of Mississippian strata. 

The outcrops of the Mississippian series in this county present only 
its higher subdivisions. The "St. Louis limestone," with its variable 
beds of limestone (some fine grained and compact, some magnesian, 
some sandy, some interbedded with sandstone layers, and some made 
up of angular fragments) and of sandstone which in places may attain 
a thickness of 40 feet, underlies the greater portion of the area. The 
total thickness of the "St. Louis" may reach 150 feet. 

The Osage group underlies the "St. Louis limestone." Its expo- 
sures in the county show a subcrystalline limestone locally made up 
of crinoidal fragments in many places pure white. It occurs in layers 
commonly less than a foot thick, separated by bands of chert or of 
clay. The Osage underlies the drift northeast of a line drawn 
diagonally across the county from a point 3 miles south of Keota 
through South English. The thickness of the Osage in the deep well 
at Sigourney is 168 feet. 

The Osage rests upon the heavy shales of the Kinderhook. Every- 
where throughout the county these shales lie too deep to be shown by 
even the deepest valleys. Some of the deeper wells of the county 
reach them, however, and their total thickness, shown by the Sigour- 
ney boring, measures 229 feet. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

On the broad bottom lands of Skunk River "sheet water" is found 
in river sands and gravels at a depth of 24 to 30 feet. The water 
derived from this formation by some wells is said to have a slight 
odor of organic matter. 

The chief water supply of the county is obtained from the drift. 
Ground water beneath the level prairies stands high. Under favor- 
able local topographic conditions the basal silts and sands of the 
loess yield a supply sufficient for house use, and in certain localities, 
at least in wet years, sufficient for stock wells. Thus near Richland 
a well 33 feet deep, dug in 1906, struck water at 12 feet, the quantity 
increasing to the bottom; this well, which supplies 30 head of cattle, 
probably obtains water from sands in Kansan drift as well as from the 
basal loess. 

There are several well-marked water-bearing beds in the drift. At 
Sigourney these are reached at depths of 25 and 55 feet in loose 
gravelly beds, and at varying depths in gravels immediately over- 
lying the "St. Louis limestone," which here occurs 35 to 70 feet from 
the surface. The following section of the drift at Sigourney is given 
by a driller: 



Depth. 



550 tJNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

Section of drift at Sigourney. 



Joint clay, without pebbles (loess) 

Clay, sandy, loose, yellow, pebbly, caving; containing water toward base 

Clay, blue, with streaks of yellow; hard, with smaU pebbles, many of them white in 
color; penetrated to a suiScient distance for reservoir 



At Delta, in Warren Township, the section of the upper portion 
of the drift is given as follows : 

Section of drift at Delta. 





Depth, 



SoU, black 

Clay, yellow, with black streaks 

Clay, yeUow, caviag, soft; with sand streaks; water bearing in basal portions 



Feet. 



On the upland about South English a different section is given: 

Section of drift near South English. 



Clay, yellow (loess) 

Soil, ashen, dry (Kansan) 

Clay, blue, tough, with small white pebbles. 

SoU, old, ill smelling, and wood 

Sand, clean, coarse, white, with water 




Depth. 



Feet. 
12 
17 

27 
28 



In Steady Kun Township, on the flat prairie about Martinsburg, 
the succession is said to be as follows: 



Section of drift near Martinsburg. 




Depth. 



Soil, black 

Clay, yellow, ashen at bottom 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue, stony 

Sand, with water. 



Feet. 



Other sections showing drift deposits and water sources, as noted 
by the drillers, will be found in the list of wells (pp. 554-555). These 
sections seem to show that the upper weathered zone of the Kansan tiU 
is still water logged under favorable topographic conditions, and that 
it furnishes water at very moderate depths from its sandy beds; they 
show also, however, that a more dependable source of supply is to be 
found in the sands beneath a sheet of blue till which in many places 



KEOKUK COtJNT\'. 551 

is probably the unweathered Kansan, the sands being those which 
immediately overlie the Nebraskan drift. 

The tliickness of the drift and the depth to its different water beds 
varies greatly. In the town of Sigourney the depth to bedrock 
ranges from 35 to 70 feet; a mile north of town, wells 190 feet deep 
find water in gravels without reacliing rock. In the southeastern 
sections of Lafayette Township rock is struck witliin 30 feet of the 
surface; in the western sections the drift is 130 to 160 feet thick 
and in the northeastern sections from 100 to 130 feet. On the 
uplands in the vicinity of South English the average thickness of the 
drift is about 100 feet; about Webster it is from 90 to 100 feet thick. 
In the area about Haysville rock is struck in wells 50 and 60 feet 
deep. 

Until the series of dry years in the nineties it was rarely necessary 
to sink wells into the indurated rocks for water, except in the well- 
dissected areas where drift is tliin and ground water normally stands 
low. 

The Pennsylvanian suppHes good water in but few localities, 
a fact which causes serious difficulty in the mining regions of the 
western townships, where most of the water obtained is drawn from 
the drift. 

The '"St. Louis limestone" usually yields a good supply of water 
from the soft sandstones that He between the limestone beds, as, for 
example, in the wells at Keswick. Where the Osage group forms the 
country rock, as in Liberty and Lafayette townships, wells which 
fail of finding water in the drift are drilled a considerable distance 
in this limestone before finding water. Of the wells reported from 
these townships, more than one-half exceed 200 feet in depth. 

In the southeastern townships, Richland and Jackson, a number 
of deep wells have been sunk. The deepest of these, 548 feet deep, 
passed through 150 feet of drift, 8 feet of flinty, pjnitiferous rock, 
and 50 feet of ''clay" (shale), wliich may be either coal measures or 
"St. Louis limestone"; then 200 feet of solid limestone (the Osage 
and perhaps the lower part of the "St. Louis"); and finally 140 feet 
of shale, evidently the Kinderhook. Whenever the thick and dry 
shale of the Kinderhook is struck, drilling should cease unless the 
owner is prepared to smk liis well to the much-deeper formations 
reached by the deep well at Sigourney (p. 551). In other counties 
where like conditions exist the experiment of shooting a well with 
nitroglycerin at the top of the shale when water has not been found 
above it is successfully made as a last resort. 

SPRINGS. 

Only in the western townships are noteworthy springs reported. 
A number of unfailing springs, the water of which is said to rise from 
gravel and from sandstones, emerge along Richland Creek north 



552 triSTDEKGEOUND WATEE RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

of Richland, the measured discharge of one being 3 gallons per 
minute. Other springs are reported northeast of Harper in Lafayette 
Township. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Keota. — The water supply of Keota (population, 988) is taken 
from a well 180 feet deep. The amount used daily is 13,500 gallons. 
The water is distributed from a tank having a capacity of 68,000 
gallons. The fixe and domestic pressure is 65 pounds. There are 
If miles of mains, 21 fire hydrants, and 150 taps. 

The well reached rock at 70 feet. To this distance it was excavated 
to a diameter of 10 feet, to serve as reservoir, the casing of the drilled 
well occupying the center. The supply, however, is insufficient 
for the needs of the town, and at times of greatest consumption 
the well can be pumped dry several times each day. 

Sigourney. — The water supply of Sigourney (population, 2,032) 
is drawn from a well 14 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep, situated 
1^ miles from the town on the flood plain of Skunk River and about 
150 feet from the river bank. The water is distributed by gravity 
from a tank holding 50,000 gallons. The domestic pressure is 50 
pounds; the fire pressure, 100 pounds. There are 7 miles of mains, 
41 fire hydrants, and 100 taps. 

Besides supplying water for its own use the town furnishes water 
to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific and the Chicago, Milwaukee 
& St. Paul railways for use in their engines. The amount of water 
consumed by these companies and the objectionable qualities of the 
water of the deep well for use in boilers, may, it is said, have had 
something to do with the abandonment of the deep well drilled 
for the city by Hopkins & Gordon in 1882. (See PL XIV.) 

The depth of the well is 1,888 feet and the diameter, 6 inches to 
1,091 feet, and 4^ inches to bottom; casing to 1,091 feet. The curb 
is 756 feet above sea level, and the head 30 feet below curb. At 
1,320 feet, in the St. Peter sandstone, mineral water with strong 
odor was found; at 1,360 feet, a crevice was encountered in which 
the drill dropped 2 feet and a current of water carried off the cuttings. 
The supply of water increased to 1,388 feet, when it flowed over the 
top of the well while the drill was in and stood witliin 30 feet of curb 
when the drill and rods were removed. No water was found below 
1,388 feet. 

On account of the poor quality of the water the weU has never been 
used. It is also stated that its capacity was insufficient, but if any 
pumping tests were ever made they have not been reported. 



KEOKUK COUNTY. 

Record of strata in city well of Sigourney {PI. XIV, p. 548). 



553 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene: 

Drift 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

"St. Loiiis limestone" and Osage group (306 feet thick; top, 706 feet above sea 
level)— 

Shale, blue; a few drift pebbles fallen from above 

Clay, brown, fine, noncalcareous; in flakes; disaggregates in water with about 
ten times the difficulty of blue till; quartzose and clierly residue; some 

glacial pebbles 

Limestone, brown-gray, arenaceous 

Limestone, gray, arenaceous, cherty; 2 samples 

Shale, calcareous; much gray flint in flakes 

Limestone, highly siliceous, highly argillaceous; much flint and blue shale; 

drillings largely chert 

Limestone, bluish gray; drillings mostly chert of the same color 

I^imestone, bluish gray, or shale, highly cherty, quartzose, and argillaceous. . . 

Shale, blue, calcareous, highly siliceous 

Limestone, blue-gray, highly cherty 

Limestone, soft, blue-gray 

Limestone, blue-gray; much chert 

Limestone, light bluish; earthy luster, in large flakes, highly siliceous 

Limestone, blue-gray 

Limestone, drab, granular 

Limestone, brown, somewhat cherty 

Chert, blue-gray 

Limestone, brown, somewhat cherty 

Limestone, light gray, soft, angular, crystalline 

Shale, hard, greenish, calcareous, microscopically siliceous; in fragments; 2 

samples 

Shale, dark greenish; in large fragments; calciferous; so liighly siliceous with 
microscopic particles of limpid quartz that it might perhaps be called sand- 
stone; 3 samples 

Limestone, light and darker blue-gray; in flaky ctiips; argillaceous and micro- 
scopically arenaceous 

Kinderhook group (198 feet thick; top, 400 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, greenish, soft, slightly calcareous, fuie grained; 4- samples 

Devonian (171 feet tliick; top, 202 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, green-gray, argillaceous 

Shale, indurated, calcareo-siliceous 

Shale, calcareous, or limestone, argillaceous, higUy fossiliferous; drillings largely 
fragments of Splrifer, Orthis, and perhaps other brachiopods, and of crinoid 

stems 

Limestone, blue-gray; earthy luster; fossiliferous 

Limestone, brown and bull; earthy luster; fossiliferous 

Limestone, soft, yellow; earthy luster; 4 samples 

Limestone, gray, cherty 

Limestone, white; in powder 

Silurian (146 feet thick; top, 31 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, magnesian, buff; in sand; 2 samples 

Dolomite, gray buff; in cliips; subcrystalline, much white chert; 2 samples 

Dolomite, yellow, buff, and gray; mostly chert .v; 5 samples 

Limestone, magnesian; mostly white and translucent chert, with interbedded 
cubes of pyrite, and a large number of minute rounded grains of limpid quartz. . 
Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (159 feet tliick; top, 115 feet below sea level)— 

Shale, blue, green, gray, and drab; 7 samples 

Galena and Platteville limestones (283 feet tluck; top, 274 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, brown, hard, argillaceous 

Limestone, light, yellow-gray 

Dolomite, brown 

Limestone, magnesian, cherty, white, gray, buff, and brown; all effervesce 

more rapidly than Galena dolomite 

Chert 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, cherty 

Limestone; a little shale 

Shale, green, soft, calcareous 

Limestone, gray 

Limestone, magnesian, brown 

St. Peter sandstone (115 feet thick; top, 557 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, fine grained ; white and light gray in mass; mostly angular fragments 

with some rounded grains; 7 samples 

Prairie du Chien group (458 feet thick; top, 674 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite; 2 samples 

Same (reported) 



Feet. 



20 



Feet. 



30 


98 


22 


120 


15 


135 


20 


155 


10 


165 


5 


170 


17 


187 


3 


190 


5 


195 


10 


205 


5 


210 


15 


225 


15 


240 


10 


250 


6 


256 


14 


270 


15 


285 


25 


310 



12 


342 


14 


356 


198 


554 


31 


585 


21 


606 


12 


618 


12 


630 


13 


643 


25 


668 


5 


673 


52 


725 


5 


730 


56 


786 


79 


865 



1,030 



25 


1,055 


34 


1,089 


149 


1,238 


17 


1,255 


5 


1,260 


15 


1,275 


6 


1,281 


9 


1,290 


25 


1,315 


115 


1,430 


398 


1,828 


63 


1,888 



554 



UlSTDEEGEOtJiq-D WATER BESOtTECES OF IOWA. 



Minor supplies. — Information concerning the water supplies in 
the smaller towns and villages is presented in the following table: 

Village supplies in Keokuk CoUnty. 





Nature of supply. 


Depth. 


Depth to 
water 
bed. 


Depth to 
rock. 


Head below curb. 


Town. 


Shallow 
wells. 


Deep 
wells. 


Delta 




Feet. 
22-470 


Feet. 
100-300 


Feet. 
50 


Feet. 

12 

4-15 

15 

12 


Feet. 
50 




Wells 


Haysville 


Dug, drilled, and bored wells ■. . 

Wells . . 


l(>-40 
15-55 




55 






25 


45 


Kinross 


Open wells 




Nugent 


Dug, bored, and drilled wells 

Open and drilled wells 


18-180 
10-60 

20-230 
20-50 
15-30 
18-45 


90-180 


20-60 


20 
20 
15 


40 


South English . . 
Tallyrand 




. . . do 




50-75 


55 


Thomburg 


Open wells 


35 

10 and 18 

25 


3 






5 

8 




What Cheer 




90 


35 









WELL DATA. 



The following table gives data of typical wells in Keokuk County: 

Typical wells in Keokuk County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


ft 


1 

s 


p 

M 
f o 

ft'" 


o . 


Source of 
supply. 




Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T.77N.,R.10W. 
(Liberty). 

W. Oliver 


SE. isec. 6 

NW. J sec. 31.. 

SW. isec. 31... 
SE. isec. 32.... 

Southeast of 
Kinross. 

NE. sec. 13.... 
SW. i NE. i 
sec. 32. 

NE. isec. 5.... 
NW. isec. 5... 


Feet. 
253 

290 

232 
240 

220 
41 


Inches 
2 


Feet. 
230 

170 

160 
155 

130 


Feet. 




Feet. 


20 feet of sandstone and 


Daniel Coflman . 








some gray soapstone 
below drift. 
All limestone below 


Graham . . 








drift. 


Casper Trout- 
man. 
Albert Dill 


















T.77N.,R.12W. 

(Adams). 

J. O. McBride... 


40 


Gravel 


+1 


Foot of hill. 

Soil and yellow clay,20; 
yellow pebbly clay , a 
little water at bot- 
tom, 30; hard, black 
pyritiferous shale, 16. 


T.76N.,R.10W. 
(Lafayette). 

Ephraim Bouz- 
loz. 


220 

325 
92 

208 
260 
150 
147 
202 

175 

no 

70 




155 
160 
















Creamery 

Cook 




Sand 


-16 


Soil and loess; yellow 


NE. i sec. 6... 

NE. isec. 7.... 
NW. isec.9... 
SE. isec. 11.... 
SW. isec. 12... 

NE. isec. 13... 

SE. isec. 2 

SE. isec. 36.. . 




150 
100 
120 
97 
130 

120 
109 
30 




pebbly clay, 12; hard 
blue clay with wood, 
60; sand. 












David Clyde.... 


















Scott Kirkpat- 
rick. 






















Sand 




Shale 1 foot, at bottom. 


Ed. Van Fossen. 









KEOKUK COUNTY. 



555 





Typical 


wells 


in Keokuk County — Continued. 




Owner. 


Location. 


p. 

ft 


■ a 

a 
5 


2 

^^ 
C o 
P.'-' 

IS 

ft 


o . 

IS 

a; 03 


Source of 
supply. 


a> o o 

m 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T.75N.,R.11W. 
(parts of Ger- 
man AND Lan- 
caster). 

J. F. Doensing . . 


NW. Jsec. 6. .. 
NE. isec.2.... 

Sec. 34 


Feet. 
1.56 
60± 

224 

230 
190 

180 
130 
170 
54 
156 

120 
180 
170 

302 
213 

113 
548 

418 

118 
105 

125 
250 


Inches 


Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 










Sand 




Yellow clay, 40; blue 




^ 


120 

180 
120 

134 


175 




-90 


clay, 20; sand. 
Capacity, 1 J gallons per 
minute. 


Teuscher . 


SE. 1 sec. 14.... 
SW. i sec. 26... 

About 1 mile 

southwest of 

Harper. 
About 1 mile 

northwest of 

Harper. 
Near township 

line northeast 

of Sigourney. 
SE.iNE.Jsec. 

36. 

Southwest part. 




H. Brain 

T.76N.,R.11W. 
(PART OF Ger- 
man). 




Limestone . . 














Ends in quicksand; 














abandoned. 










Gravel 


-50 


Loess, 20; yellow clay, 


E. W. Mohne... 


6 
6 

48 

5 J to 
3^ 

6 

6 
6 

6 
4 


141 

60 
105 
130 

70 
26 

150 

85 

50 
48 

38 
60 




15; blue clay, 16; fine 
gravel, 3. 
Rock outcrops on 


T.75N.,R.10W. 
(Clear Creek). 

Rufus Carris 








neighboring creek 65 
feet lower than curb. 


John Wright 


NE. Jsec.5.... 
SE. Jsec. 11.... 

Sec. 18 














-75 

-70 
-30 

-78 
—92 

-60 

-106 
-40 

-40 
-60 




T.74N.,R.10W. 
(Richland). 

John W. Lemly. 
F. H. Heilman. . 


70 




Capacity, 1 gallon per 


do 




minute. 
Capacity 30 barrels a 


Jerry Reddig 

Samuel A. Alt- 


Sec. 29 


105 
400 

102 


Gravel 

Limestone . . 


day; easily lowered 
to -100 feet. 
Soil, 2; yellow clay, 10; 


See. 30 


yellow joint clay, 48; 
blue till, 35; yellow 
sandy clay, 9; gravel 
8; soapstone, 1. 
Water lowers to —200 


man. 

T.74N.,R.11W. 
(Jackson). 

.Tohn AltPTihnfpTi 


Sec. 1 


feet. Drift, 150; flmty 
rock, pyritiferous, 8; 
clay, 50; solid rock 
(limestone), 200; 
shale, Kinderhook, 
140. 

Capacity, 3i gallons a 
minute; lowers to 
-275 feet. Drift, 102; 
limestone, 58; flint, 
slate, pyrite, 65; soap- 
stone, 193 with water 
at 410. 

Mostly limestone; some 
sandstone and a little 
black rock. 

Capacity, 12 gallons a 
minute; can not be 
lowered. Drift, 48; 
sandstone, 10; hard, 
white flint rock, 47. 

Can not be lowered. 




See. 12 




Isaac Shelly 

C. C. Bottyer... 

Pierce Hollings- 
worth. 


See. 13 


103 
125 


■•'St. Louis" 


2J miles from 

Ollie. 
Near Ollie 













556 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

LEE COUNTY. 
By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Lee County, occupying the southeast corner of the State, and 
bounded on the southeast by the Mississippi, on the northeast by the 
Skunk, and on the southwest by the Des Moines, may be described 
as an upland overlooking its boundary rivers from a height of 100 
feet and more. From Montrose to Keokuk the ]\iississippi flows 
through a narrow rock-bound valley. From Montrose north to Fort 
Madison a wide, crescentic flood plain on the right bank has been 
opened in the drift on either side of the lower course of Sugar Creek, 
and north of Fort Madison a still broader alluvial plain has been 
opened on either side of Skunk River. These two patches of the 
Mississippi flood plain and a plain of similar character along the 
Des Moines at Sand Prairie are the only lowlands within the county. 

A low ridge, sufficiently prominent to give name to Pleasant Ridge 
Township, rises above the general level of the upland plain and extends 
nearly north and south from the Henry County Hne through West 
Point to Sugar Creek. East of this broad swell — the terminal moraine 
of the IlHnoian ice sheet — the upland is overlain with lUinoian drift; 
west of it the upland is formed of the older drift sheet, the Kansan. 
A broad shallow depression, a temporary drainage channel of Pleis- 
tocene times, entering from Henry County on the north, is known 
as Grand Valley until, trending to the southeast, it is occupied by 
Sugar Creek. With these exceptions the entire upland may be 
regarded as a plain once nearly level and now etched with the valleys 
of a drainage system as yet immature. The divides are in the main 
tabular and are still so wide as to allow a high ground-water surface. 

GEOLOGY. 

The lowest drift sheet of Lee County is the Nebraskan, a dark 
stony clay, in places separated from bedrock by outwash sands and 
from the overlying Kansan drift by forest beds, old soils or still more 
commonly by sands and gravels of special importance to the well 
driller. The Kansan drift sheet is a dense, tough stony cl&j, weather- 
ing to reddish yellow, but bluish in its unweathered deeper portions. 
East of a hne drawn north and south through West Point from the 
Henry County line to Sugar Creek is a third drift sheet, deposited by 
a still later ice invasion, the Illinoian. Over the area of the Illinoian 
ddft an old soil (Yarmouth) in many places separates it from the 
underlying Kansan. 



LEE COUNTY. 557 

The rocks under the drift in Lee County belong entirely to the 
Pennsylvanian and Mississippian series of the Carboniferous. (See 
PL XII.) 

The rocks of the Pennsylvanian series or coal measures lie on an 
ancient land surface eroded in the rocks of the underlying Missis- 
sippian series. They consist chiefly of drab clay shales, not commonly 
associated here with coal, and yellow friable sandstones. As out- 
liers of the Iowa coal field they occur in the western part of the county 
and are found in four tracts, occupying more or less of Pleasant Ridge, 
Marion, Franklin, Cedar, Harrison, and Van Buren townships. 

The Mississippian series of this area includes the ''St. Louis lime- 
stone" and the Osage and Kinderhook groups. The term "St. Louis 
limestone" of the Iowa State Survey reports and as employed in 
this report includes the upper part of the Warsaw limestone, the 
lower part of the Warsaw being included in the underlying Osage 
group. The Osage group of the United States Geological Survey, 
however, excludes the Warsaw limestone. 

The "St. Louis limestone" forms the country rock over perhaps 
one- third of the county, with a thickness of hardly more than 30 
feet. It is variable, including magnesian and nonmagnesian lime- 
stones, sandy limestones, and blue sandstones. Much of it consists 
of breccia, a rock that has been broken into angular fragments. The 
sandstone beds of the "St. Louis" should yield a moderate amount 
of water. 

The "St. Louis limestone" rests on the Osage group, which includes 
as its basal formation the Burlington limestone, the lower part of 
which is characterized by its brilhant whiteness, its crystalhne tex- 
ture, and its numerous fragments of crinoid stems and plates. Upon 
the lower division of the Burhngton lie the "Montrose cherts," well 
exposed along the Liississippi from Montrose to Keokuk, where their 
resistance to corrasion has given rise to the Lower Rapids of the 
Mississippi. This chert constitutes the upper division of the Bur- 
lington Umestone. As flint or chert is considerably harder than 
steel it might be supposed that these beds of chert would be difficult 
to drill, but the thin, brittle layers break easily under the heavy 
stroke of the drill and the chips do not pack. The Osage group also 
includes the Keokuk limestone, the lower part of which is bluish and 
cherty, about 25 to 40 feet thick, and the upper part is a shale about 
40 feet thick containing many geodes lined with banded chalcedony 
or crystals of quartz. The lower part of the Warsaw limestone, 
consisting of alternating sandy limestones and sandy shales, about 
30 feet thick at Keokuk, is, for convenience, also included in the 
Osage group. The Kinderhook group underHes the entire area but 
is exposed in a few places only. 



558 UNDEKGEOUND WATEB RESOUKCES OF IOWA. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOUBCE. 

The river-laid sands and gravels of the broad Mississippi bottom 
lands and those of the narrower flood-plain strips along Skunk and 
Des Moines rivers yield abundant water of excellent quality to 
shallow open or driven wells. 

The uplands of the county are mantled by the loess, a soft friable 
silt that is too fine to be called sand and too coarse to be called clay, 
and that furnishes water to shallow wells that reach its base wherever 
conditions bring ground water near the surface. 

Water is obtained from thin sandy streaks in the Illinoian drift, 
and especially from sandy layers of the interglacial deposits separating 
the Illinoian and the Kansan drift sheets. These interglacial_ beds, 
known as the Yarmouth, from their occurrence at the village of that 
name, comprise not only sandy beds in places but also old soils that 
contain wood and beds of peat or muck. The water from the Yar- 
mouth is therefore likely to be ill smelling and available only for stock. 

The depth to the Yarmouth ranges from 20 to 40 feet in the north- 
eastern part of the county. Along the ridge of the terminal moraines 
of the Illinoian drift sheet the increased thickness of this drift increases 
this depth to 40 to 70 feet. 

The deeper water beds in the drift are sands in Kansan and 
Nebraskan tills, water-laid interglacial deposits (Aftonian) which 
separate them, and sand and gravels which overlie the bedrock. 
None of these horizons are altogether dependable. In Washington 
and Green Bay townships, for example, little or no water is found 
from the top of the blue till (unweathered Kansan and Nebraskan 
to its base, although at Fort Madison it reaches a thickness of 260 
feet. The quicksand below it, however, about 100 feet deep at Fort 
Madison, yields generously. On the thick drift of the Illinoian ter- 
minal moraine water is found within 70 feet of the surface. An 
ancient drift-filled channel of the Mississippi contains 300 feet of 
Pleistocene deposits, including heavy sands and gravels. At Mount 
Clara and west and north of Summitville, weUs in this old channel 
encounter 50 to 125 feet of sand containing more or less driftwood 
and in places overlain with an ancient soil. In one well dry reddish 
sand above was succeeded by gray sand underlain by water-bearing 
gravel. In northern Lee County, in the area from Denmark to St. 
Paul, the drift is comparatively thin. Water is commonly found on 
or above the rock, but many wells seek deeper sources. 

The water from the Pennsylvanian is likely to be highly mineralized 
and sulphurous. The sandstones yield some water, but as dry clay 
shales form the bulk of the series and as the lenses of sandstone are 



LEE COUNTY. 559 

exceedingly variable and rapidly thin out laterally, the occurrence of 
sandstone water-bearing beds at any given point within the area of 
the coal measures can not be predicted. 

Water occurs in the Mississippian limestones in quantity ample for 
house supply, and is utilized by a large part of the population. The 
geologic horizon of the strata that yield the strong flows at depths 
ranging from 700 to 800 feet below the surface remains in some doubt. 
Local drillers, as at Burlington and at Fort Madison, speak of the 
water bed as the '^St. Peter sandrock," a term as easily applied to a 
water-bearing dolomite which is cut by the drill into sparkling crys- 
talline sand as to a true sandstone. If the samples of the Young 
Men's Christian Association well at Keokuk are reliable, this well and 
all others of Hke depth find their water far above the St. Peter sand- 
stone. No sandstone of any kind appears in the drillings of the Young 
Men's Christian Association well, the basal stratum and water bed 
being a brown dolomite, belonging to the Silurian or to the Ordovician 
(Galena). According to several logs it is sandy, as the Silurian is 
known to be at Washington and Centerville. By the log of the 
Hubinger wells at Keokuk a shale referable to the Maquoketa and 
separated from the St. Peter by the Galena and Platteville limestones 
is found beneath it. On the other hand, supporting the reference to 
the Galena is the facies of the brown dolomite itself. At Mount 
Pleasant, where alone in southeastern Iowa there is a complete record 
of samples to below the St. Peter, dolomite is absent from the 
Silurian, whereas precisely such a brown dolomite constitutes the 
bulk of the Galena. At Fort Madison a similar brown dolomite, 
covered by the Maquoketa, forms the water bed. If the water bed 
is the Galena, the Maquoketa is absent and the shale of the Hubinger 
wells found below the water bed is difficult to account for. 

In other counties of similar geologic structure the ' ' Montrose cherts ' ' 
(upper part of Burlington limestone) jdeld considerable water, but the 
main water bed in the Osage group is the lower part of the Burling- 
ton limestone, especially the part near its base, where descending 
ground water finds its farther downward progress stopped by the 
impervious shale floor of the Kinderhook. The water occurs in 
irregularly spaced and quite unpredictable crevices and passages dis- 
solved along bedding planes by percolating underground water. 
Hence, a well may be drilled even to the Kinderhook and fail to find 
an adequate supply because it has missed a channel, perhaps by only 
a few feet or yards. In this event, access to any near-by channels in 
the limestones may be gained by ''shooting" the well with nitro- 
glycerin a short distance above the top of the shale. If this experi- 
ment is a failure, it remains to try the chances at some other place. 
The shale of the Kinderhook group underlies the entire area but for 
several hundred feet below the top carries no water. The deeper 



560 UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

water-bearing strata have been tested at a number of points, as at 
Fort Madison, Keokuk, Mount Clara, Mooar, and Montrose. 

On the whole, the larger supply of the county is still drawn from 
the drift, and that, too, from its higher horizons, but as these have been 
found less and less adequate, more and more wells of recent years 
have been drilled to the water beds of the country rock. 

SPRINGS. 

Good springs occur in almost every township of the county, those 
which issue from the Mississippian limestones along the escarpments 
fronting the larger streams being especially copious. Small springs 
of highly sulphated waters occur in areas underlain by coal measures 
rocks. Springs and oozes are also numerous in the drift. The springs 
on the east bank of Sugar Creek, near its mouth, issue from sands and 
gravels interbedded between blue and yellow tills. Large springs are 
reported from near Belfast, Overton, West Point, and Augusta. 

CITY AND VILLAGE WATER SUPPLIES. 

Denmark. — The following information in regard to Denmark (pop- 
ulation, 350) is taken mainly from notes by Frank Leverett : 

The K. B. Quinton well, located 1 ^ miles northwest of Denmark, has 
a depth of 1,715 feet. The curb is 7 15 feet above sea level and the head 
54 feet below curb. The supply is stated by driller to be ''plenty." 
Drift continues to 80 feet. The first sandstone, at 900 feet, was 
rather fine and was called by driller the St. Peter. A second sand- 
stone was reached, but no change in head of water was noticed. Date 
of completion, 1890. 

The Isaac Bell well, located in sec. 21, Cedar Township, has a 
depth of 1,220 feet. The curb is 700 feet above sea level and the 
head 28 feet below curb. Date of completion, 1890. 

Record of strata in Isaac Bell well at Denmark. 



Thickness. 



Depth. 



Loess 

Gumbo, gray 

Yellow till 

Cemented crust 

Sand 

Coal, thin bed of shale, limestone, etc 

Sandstone, white, water bearing; water overflowed for nearly a day and then dropped 

to about 23 feet below surface; a few feet thick at 

Limestone, mainly 

Sandstone, yellow' 

Sandstone, white, to 



Feet. 
7 
4 
79 
2 
18 
706 



Feet. 

7 

H 

90 

92 

110 

816 

816 
1,200 



1,220 



Fort Madison. — Fort Madison (population, 8,900) is supplied by a 
water system owned by the Fort Madison Water Co. Water is drawn 
from the Mississippi and pumped to a reservoir with a capacity of 



LEE COUNTY. 561 

6,000,000 gallons. The consumption amounts to 1,500,000 gallons a 
day. The domestic pressure is 60 pounds and the fire pressure from 
120 to 130 pounds. There are 130 fire hydrants and 750 taps. 

The geologic horizon of the chief water bed at Fort Madison is 
doubtful. (See PL XII.) The rock is called by drillers of south- 
eastern Iowa the "St. Peter sandrock," but all samples submitted 
are a sparkling brown dolomite sand. Such cuttings have often been 
supposed to represent sandstone, even when, as at Fort Madison, 
quartz sand is entirely absent. The rock yields a bountiful supply of 
water, and probably on this account was designated the St. Peter by 
drillers. In this part of the State, however, few wells reach that 
famous sandstone aquifer. 

The water-bearing dolomite has the characteristics of the Galena. 
It is overlain by a shale which, when compared with the sections of 
neighboring deep wells, appears to represent the Maquoketa. For 
these reasons it is assumed to be the Galena. The large yield may be 
compared with that from the same bed at Davenport. 

It is not impossible, however, that the dolomite is Silurian and that 
the so-called Maquoketa shale is really a basal shale of the Devonian. 
In support of this theory is the fact that Silurian rocks yield largely 
at Keokuk and supply the less deep wells at Burlington. The lime- 
stones above the so-called Maquoketa are nondolomitic, but at Bur- 
lington the Silurian contains little dolomite. 

Artesian water at Fort Madison is exceptionally destructive to cas- 
ings, so that the wells soon lose pressure and cease to flow because of 
leakage. The latest well drilled, however, registered 30 pounds in 
1908, indicating that the local field is still far from depletion. Assum- 
ing that the water bed supplying the wells is the Galena, there remain 
untouched the large stores of water in the St. Peter and underljdng 
formations. 

The S. Atlee well is 740 feet deep and 6 to 4^ inches in diameter; 
6-inch casing to rock at about 110 feet and 4^-inch to water bed near 
bottom. The curb is 553 feet above sea level. The original head was 
85 feet above curb and the present head is stated to be the same. The 
temperature of the water is 64° F. Date of completion, 1889. The 
water is so corrosive that the casing lasts only a few years. Thus, in 
1901, the well had ceased to flow, but a pressure of 35 pounds was 
reestablished by recasing. It was recased again in 1904. The water 
supplies a fountain at Mr. Atlee's residence, a public fountain in the 
city park, and a drinking fountain on one of the principal streets. 

The S. and J. C. Atlee lumber mill well is on ground about 20 feet 
lower than the house well of Mr. S. Atlee and is 20 feet shallower. In 
other respects the wells are apparently similar, 
36581°— wsp 293—12 36 



562 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The Ivanhoe Park well is 670 feet deep and 6 inches in diameter. 
The curb is approximately 563 feet above sea level and the head more 
than 12 feet above the curb. The well was completed in 1888 by 
Tweedy Bros., of Keokuk. In 1896 the well had stopped flowing. It 
was then recased with 4-inch pipe and the flow was restored. Still 
later it became clogged, but on treatment discharged considerable 
black muddy sediment and flowed freely as before. In 1905 it was 
plugged up. 

The Brown Paper Co. well No. 1 is 689 feet deep and 6 inches in 
diameter; casing, 175 feet. The curb is 528 feet above sea level. 
The original head was 20 feet above curb and the head in 1895 was the 
same; head in 1905, at curb. The original flow was 600 gallons a 
minute, the water coming from about 680 feet. Temperature, 62° F. 
Date of completion, 1888. Drillers, G. W. Adams & Co. In 1894 a 
4-inch casing, inserted as the outer casing, had given way. Some 
time after 1905 the casing again gave way, the well caved in, and was 
abandoned. 

The Brown Paper Co. well No. 2, located 12 feet from well No. 1, 
has a depth of 689 feet and a diameter of 8 to 6 inches; cased to bed- 
rock. The head in 1905 was 20 feet above curb. The water comes 
from depths of 100 .and 679 feet. The well was completed in 1903 by 
Haggerty & Skog, of Keokuk. 

The Brown Paper Co. well No. 3 has a depth of 681 feet, and a dia- 
meter of 8 inches to 153 feet, 7 inches to 165 feet, and 5 inches to 
bottom. The curb is 528 feet above sea level. The head is variously 
reported at 20 and at 80 feet above curb and flow variously reported 
at 200 and 600 gallons per minute. The water is from a depth of 607 
feet; temperature, 65° F. The well was completed in 1907 by 
Haggerty & Skog, of Keokuk. 

To obviate the difficulty experienced in well No. 1 from the rusting 
of the casing and the caving of the alluvial sands through which the 
well passes, a method of casing hitherto unused in Iowa was employed. 
The well was cased with an 8-inch casing to bedrock at 153 feet. A 
5-inch pipe was then inserted to the base of the 7-inch hole, 165 feet 
from the top, and there packed with rubber spring packing. To hold 
the inner pipe, central stud bolts, extending out so they barely 
sHpped inside the outer casing, were placed on the inner pipe at 
intervals of 30 feet. Cement, composed of one-half pure Portland 
and one-half sharp sand, made thin enough to flow through an inch 
pipe was then poured into the space between the inner and the outer 
casings, the pipe being gradually withdrawn as the filHng progressed. 
To the depth, then, of 153 feet the well is lined with a shell of Portland 
cement 1^ inches thick, held between two iron casings. 



LEE COUNTY. 563 

Drillers^ log of Brown Paper Co. well No. 3, Fort Madison. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
23 
62 
143 
163 
203 
215 
362 
368 
454 
589 
599 
607 
681 



Sand 

Clay, blue 

Sand and coarse gravel. . 

Flint rock, white 

Limestone, gray 

FUnt, blue 

Limestone, brown 

Sandrock 

Shale, black 

Reddish rock, very hard 

Flint, blue 

Shale, blue 

Sandrock, water bearing. 



Feet. 



23 
39 
81 
20 
40 
12 
47 
6 
86 
135 
10 



The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway hospital well had a 
depth of 764 feet, but was deepened in 1903 to 865 feet. Diameter 
6 to 4 inches; 6-inch casing to 184 feet; 200 feet of 4-inch casing. 
The curb is approximately 553 feet above sea level. The head in 
1905 was 6 feet above curb; head in 1908, a few inches above curb. 
The well was completed in 1892 by Tweedy Bros., of Keokuk. The 
pressure was originally sufficient to carry the water to the third 
floor of the hospital. In 1902 there was a sudden loss of head, and 
the deepening and recasing of the well in 1903 made but slight im- 
provement. The well discharges through a fountain into an arti- 
ficial lake on the grounds of the hospital. 

Drillers' log of railway hospital well at Fort Madison. 




Depth. 



Sand 

Clay, black. ^ 

Sand 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone, white 

Shale 

Limestone 

Sandstone (St. Peter) 



Feet. 
50 
112 
177 
184 
189 
228 
494 
661 
669 
692 
756 



The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway shops well is 700 feet 
deep and 8^ to 6^ inches in diameter; 8|-inch casing to rock at 80 
feet; 150 feet of 6i-inch casing. The curb is 522 feet above sea level 
and the original head and head in 1908, 69 feet above curb. The 
flow is 300 gallons per minute, water coming from about 650 feet. 
The well was completed in 1906 at a cost of $1,500 by Haggerty & 
Skog. The water flows into a tank over the well, the top of the pipe 
being 38 feet above the ground; thence it is piped to the various 
buildings and the yard of the Santa Fe shops. .- 



^ 



564 UNDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in railway shops well at Fort Madison (PI. XII, p. 514). 



Depth. 



Pleistocene in old channel of Mississippi River (148 feet thick; top, 522 feet above sea 
level): 

Clay, brown, sandy 

Sand, gray, coarse, and gravel 

Till, drab, predominantly clayey 

Sand, coarse, yellow 

Sand, as above, and gravel 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

Osage group (62 feet thick: top, 374 feet above sea level)— 

Sandstone, blue, argillaceous; minute, angular, quartzose particles 

Limestone, white, soft, nonmagnesian; some chips of blue shale 

Limestone, drab, nonmagnesian; in fine sand 

Limestone, light gray, fossiliferous, with blue, laminated shale 

Kinderhook group (268 feet thick; top, 312 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, blue, calcareous, plastic 

Devonian and Silurian (142 feet thick; top, 44 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, drab, earthy; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, soft, blue %x2,j, nonmagnesian, argillaceous; 3 samples 

Limestone, blue and yellow gray, soft, earthy luster; rapid efiervescence; in thin 

flakes 

Limestone, light brown gray, soft, compact, fine-grained; in minute chips 

Limestone, light yellow gray, compact; fracture subconchoidal; lithographic; efier- 
vescence rapid; in flaky chips 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (18 feet thick; top, 98 feet below sea level)— 

Shale, blue, somewhat calcareous 

Galena dolomite (62 feet penetrated; top, 116 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, light bufl; in fine sand; 2 samples 



Feet. 
18 
24 
66 
102 
148 



156 
170 
200 
210 

478 

484 
554 

580 
600 

620 



638 
700 



The State penitentiary (439 inmates) is supplied from a well 100 
feet deep and 4 inches in diameter. One hmidred thousand gallons 
are used daily for all purposes. The maximum supply which can be 
drawn is 400,000 gallons in 24 hours. The water does not corrode 
the boilers, but gives some trouble where hot and cold water come 
together in pipes. 

The well was drilled in 1905 and is cased with 4-inch wrought-iron 
pipe to the water bed, quicksand at 98 feet. Water rises within 18 
feet of the surface, which is 21 feet above the level of Mississippi 
River. The temperature of the water in August is 54° F. Water is 
lowered on continuous pumping to 21 feet below the surface. 

Keokuk. — Keokuk (population, 14,008) is supplied with water 
drawn from Mississippi River and filtered, the system being owned 
by the Keokuk Waterworks Co. The daily consumption is 900,000 
gallons. The distribution is direct; the fire pressure is 140 pounds, 
and the domestic pressure 60 pounds. There are 28 miles of mains, 
142 fire hydrants, and 1,700 taps. 

The well of the Kertz Brewery is 700 feet deep. Its curb is 600 
feet above sea level. Temperature, 65° F. This was the first arte- 
sian well drilled in Keokuk and it is still flowing, but has not been used 
for about 25 years. 

The J. C. Hubinger & Co. well No. 1 is 2,230 feet deep and 10 inches 
in diameter. The curb is 637 feet above sea level. The original head 
was 30 feet above curb; the present head is unknown. The original 
discharge was 300 gallons a minute. , Temperature, 65° F- 



LEE COUNTY. 



665 



The J. C. Hubinger & Co. wells Nos. 2, 3, and 4 are 2,000 feet deep 
and 12 to 10 inches in diameter. The curb is 637 feet above sea 
level. The origmal head was 30 feet above curb ; present head, about 
at curb. The original discharge of the three wells combined is 1,700 
gallons a minute. 

These wells are situated on a bluff overlooking Mississippi River 
and discharge into an artificial lake which covers the top of at 
least two of the wells. From this lake the water was originally car- 
ried in a chute down the face of the bluff about 130 feet and was 
utilized in running two dynamos for furnishing electric light to the 
city. In 1894 the discharge of the four wells had fallen from the 
original amount of 2,000 gallons to 1,500 gallons a minute and in 
1894 to 900 gallons. At an unknown date, but earlier than 1905, 
well No. 1 had ceased to flow and had been closed. The other three 
wells stiU supplied the artificial lake in 1905, the surface of the water 
being practically on a level with the top of the casing of one of the 
weUs. In 1908 it was reported that the water level of the lake was 
graduaUy falling. The head of water necessary to supply the lake is 
somewhat more than 140 feet above high-water level of Mississippi 
River at Keokuk, so that wells of this depth drilled on low ground 
would stiff develop enormous pressure. 

Record of strata in Hubinger wells {PI. XII, p. 514)."' 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene (28 feet thick; top, 637 feet above sea level): 

Bluff (loess) 

Bowlder clay 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

" St. Louis limestone " and Osage group (262 feet thick; top, 609 feetabove sea level)— 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Kinderhook group (270 feet thick; top, 347 feet above sea level)— 

Shale , calcareous 

Limestone 

Shale 

Devonian and Silurian (177 feet thick; top, 77 feet above sea level): 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone, sandy 

Sandstone 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (63 feet thick; top, 100 feet below sea level) — 

Shale 

Galena and Platteville limestones (140 feet thick; top, 163 feet below sea level)— 

Limestone; sandy below 

St. Peter sandstone (110 feet thick; top, 303 feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone 

Prairie du Chien group and underlying Cambrian ? (755 feet penetrated; top, 413 
feet below sea level) — 

Limestone, alternating with sandstone 



Feet. 



6 
5 
12 
58 
62 
10 
110 

65 
10 
195 

05 
20 
55 

37 



63 
140 
110 



Feet. 



33 
38 
50 
108 
170 
180 
290 

355 
365 
560 

625 
645 
700 
737 



800 

940 

1,050 

1,805 



a Gordon, C. H., Am. Geologist, vol. 4, 1889, p. 238; assignment of strata to formations by author. 



566 



UlSTDEEGKOUND WATEE RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The Hubinger Tile Works well is 800 feet deep and 6 inches in 
diameter. The curb is 620 feet above sea level and the original 
head 47 feet above curb. Temperature, 50° F. 

The Rand Park well is 1,800 feet deep and 5 inches in diameter. 
The curb is 637 feet above sea level. The temperature of the water 
is 60° F. This well seems to have been driUed earlier than the 
Hubinger wells and on their completion it nearly ceased to flow. It 
is now pumped by a Rider-Ericsson engine. 

The Keokuk Pickle Co. well is 710 feet deep and 4 inches in diam- 
eter; casing to 611 feet, packed with rubber. The original and the 
present head are 35 feet above curb, and the original discharge was 
250 gallons a minute. Water comes from 530 feet, flowing from 
635 feet. Temperature, 64° F. Date of completion, 1892. 

The Keokuk Poultry Co. well is 700 feet deep and 6 inches in diam- 
eter; casing 60 feet, with rubber packing at base; repaired in 1900, 
replacing casing which had rusted out. The curb is 541 feet above 
sea level; the original head was 4 feet above curb; the present head is 
reported to be 40 feet. The original flow was 250 gallons a minute; 
present flow, 1,000 gaUons. Date of completion, 1895. Drillers, 
Tweedy Bros., Montrose. 

Record of strata in Keokuk Poultry Co. well."' 



Depth. 



Drift, promiscuous material 

Limestone, magnesian 

Dolomite (magnesian limestone) in which lime carbonate predominates 

Dolomite, cherty 

Dolomite, in which magnesium carbonate predominates 

Limestone, slightly sUiceous 

Limestone, rather highly siliceous 

Limestone, light colored: rather pure; slightly siliceous 

Limestone, gray; rather highly siliceous 

Limestone, gray; slightly mixed with shale 

Dolomite; large amount of chert 

Chert, mostly, and fossil limestone 

Limestone and white sand (siliceous limestone) 

Limestone with chert; slightly siliceous 

Shale, almost pure 

Shale, blue; highly siliceous -. . . 

Shale, almost pure 

Limestone, gray, quite pure 

Dolomite, in which magnesium carbonate greatly predominates 

Limestone, light colored, almost pure 

Shale, blue, would weather into a tenacious clay 

Shale, bituminous 

Shale, gray; would weather into a tenacious clay 

Limestone, light colored; altnost pure; two samples 

Limestone, gray; almost pure 

Limestone, siliceous 

Sandstone, gray, calcareous; yields traces of iron 



Feet. 



5 

7 

12 

17 

35 

60 

68 

98 

121 

135 

146 

165 

182 

187 

197 

203 

208 

225 

271 

290 

363 

402 

496 

521 

581 

628 

701 



The Young Men's Christian Association well has a depth of 769 feet 
and a diameter at top of 6 inches ; casing to 56 feet. The curb is 580 
feet above sea level and the head 50 feet above curb. The original dis- 
charge was 350 gallons a minute; discharge in 1905, 60 gallons amin- 



a Record made by Mr. George M. Crofts, Keokuk. 



LEE COUNTY. 



567 



ute. The principal water bed is at 700 feet. Temperature, 64° F, 
The well was completed in 1902 at a cost of $1,600, by D. W. Hag- 
gerty, of Keokuk. The water is used for drinking and to supply a 
swimming pool. 

Driller's log of Young Men's Christian Association well at Keokuk. 




Clay 

Sou, light 

Soapstone, blue 

Limestone, gray 

Limestone, black 

Limestone, white 

Flint; solid bed 

Flint and blue lime 

Lime, white, and flint 

Lime, gray, and flint 

Lime, blue 

Lime, black 

Shale, blue 

Sand, black 

Lime, white 

Sand, gray, and flint 

Shale, blue 

Shale, black 

Shale, white or light brown 

Limestone, black 

Limestone, gray 

Sandrock with water 

St. Peter 



Feet. 

15 

30 

50 

60 

76 

82 

90 

116 

162 

200 

215 

220 

224 

232 

260 

302 

314 

404 

529 

545 

645 

675 

769 



Record of strata in Young Men's Christian Association well at Keokuk. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, somewhat sandy yellow, noncalcareous 

Sand, yellow, clayey _ 

Shale, light blue, calcareous, some broken pieces of milky quartz in concreted powder. . 

Shale, blue; in fragments; flint, white, in angular chips; limestone, very soft, white 

Limestone, white, soft, crystallme, in large flaky chips; cuttings of shale 

Limestone, as above; 2 samples; encrinital 

Chert; sand of light-yeUow limestone 

Limestone, light yellow; moderately slow efiervescence; soft, earthy, in large chips; 
much blue-gray fhnt 

Limestone soft, nonmagnesian, white and drab mottled; earthy to crystalline; en- 
crinital; some flint 

Chert, white; some crystalline quartz ." 

Chert, white; light yellow limestone 

Chert, bluish white; sand of light colored nonmagnesian limestone 

Limestone, white, encrinital, cherty ; 3 samples 

Limestone, white, minutely granular, soft; composed of minute loosely cemented cal- 
cite crystals: some chert 

Limestone, white, encrinital; much chert 

Chert, blue-white; some white limestone 

Chert, white, and siliceous limestone; 2 samples 

Limestone, soft, white; earthy to crystalline 

Limestone, drab, nonmagnesian, soft; encrinital 

Shale, calcareous, blue, plastic 

Sandstone, blue-drab, earthy, fossiliferous, slightly calcareous; composed of microscopic 
angular quartzose particles 

Limestone, white, soft, nonmagnesian, earthy; residue siliceous; some darker lime- 
stone and shale 

Sandstone, drab, argillaceous, calcareous, soft; in flaky chips, chiefly composed of 
microscopic angular particles of quartz 

Shale, blue-gray, hard, siliceous, calcareous; in chips 

Shale, brown, somewhat calcareous, bituminous 

Shale, blue-gray, plastic, calcareous 

Limestone and shale; small chips and sand of nonmagnesian limestones, some crystal- 
line and yellow or drab, some dark and argillaceous, many fragments of blue-gray 
and oUve-gray shale in large flaky chips; pyritiferous, fossiliferous; driller's log: 
"404-529, white or Ught-brown shale" 

Limestone, light blue-gray, nonmagnesian, compact, fine grained; in thin small cuttings . 

Dolomite, brown, hard, crystalline; in coarse sand but containing no quartz grains; 
"sandrock" of driller's log: 2 samples 



Feet. 



112 
108 



60 



Feet. 



100 
116 
122 
132 
150 

162 
176 
182 
205 
215 
220 
224 



268 

302 
314 
390 
420 



532 
640 



700 



568 



UNDEKGEOtTNi) WATEft EESOUKCES OF lOWA. 



The S. C. Carter Co. well has a depth of 661 feet and a diameter of 6 
inches; casing, 12 feet. Rock at 16 feet. The flow is 5 gallons a min- 
ute, and the pumping capacity 30 gallons a minute. Water was 
found at 130 feet, but the main horizon was in basal in sandrock. 
Temperature, 61° F. The water is unfit for use in boiler. Date of 
completion, 1903. Driller, D. W. Haggerty, of Keokuk. 

Driller's log of S. C. Carter Co. well at Keohuk. 



Depth. 



Clay and soil 

Shell rock 

Limestone, blue 

Limestone, brown 

Limestone, white 

Lime, blue, and flint 

Lime, white, and flint 

Lime, gray, and flint 

Lime, blue 

Sandrock, dark, yielding 5 gallons of water a minute 

Shale, blue 

Sandrock, dark 

Lime, white 

Shale, blue and black 

Shale, white 

Lime, black 

Lime, gray or light 

Sandrock! 



Feet. 



16 

22 

42 

52 

60 

86 

132 

170 

190 

195 

199 

207 

249 

366 

601 

536 



The log of the Popel-Miller Brewing Co. well, 3 miles south of 
Keokuk, is given to assist in the elucidation of the difficult geologic 
section in southeastern Iowa. The information was secured by J. A. 
Udden. The curb is about 523 feet above sea level. 

Log of Popel-Miller Co. well, Warsaw, III. 



Depth. 




Soil and clay drift 

Lim.estone, blue, and shale 

Lime rock, blue 

Lime and gi'it 

Grit and flre clay 

Limestone, gray 

Soapstone, blue 

Sandstone 

Lithograph rock, light 

Lithograph rock, dark 

Limestone, bastard 

Soapstone 

Shale, brown 

Shale 

Limestone 

Sandstone 



Montrose. — At Montrose (population, 708) water is obtained from 
driven wells ranging in depth from 20 to 50 feet. At Bluff Park is a 
well 1,960 feet deep. The curb of the well is 680 feet above sea level 
and the water originally rose 9 feet above the curb; in 1896, the water 
stood 10 feet below the curb. The original discharge was 200 gallons 
a minute, the water coming from a depth of 800 feet. 

Mooar. — At Mooar (population, 250) the E. I. du Pont de Nemours 
Powder Co. well is 800 feet deep and 6 inches in diameter; casing to 



LEE COUNTY. 



569 



600 feet. Water from 110 feet, heads 3 feet below curb; from 240 
feet, 5 feet below curb ; and from 800 feet, overflows. The discharge, 
original and present, is 165 gallons a minute. Temperature, 67° F. 
Date of completion, 1901. The well is about 5 miles northwest of 
Keokuk and no doubt draws its copious supply from the same bed that 
yields so generously to the Keokuk wells of the same depth. It is 
said to deliver a good stream of water, which is used for watering 
stock on the farms through wliich it passes for 4 miles to Des Moines 
River. 

Mount Clara.— The W. J. R. Beck well at Mount Clara is 939 feet 
deep and 6 inches in diameter. The curb is 679 feet above sea level. 
The original head was above curb; the present head is 12 feet below 
curb. Original discharge was 200 gallons a minute, capacity being 
limited to that of the pumps. The main water bed extends from 
889 to 939 feet, the water being sufficient for farm purposes by 
pumping; other beds are from 250 to 343 feet, 660 to 793 feet, and 
at deeper levels. The well was completed in 1890. 

Record of strata in well at Mount Clara {PI. XII, -p. 514). 
[Based on drillers' log.] 

Depth. 



Feet. 
250 
305 



Pleistocene (305 feet thick; top, 679 feet above sea level): 

Clay 

Sand .- 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

Osage group (38 feet thick; top, 374 feet above sea level) — 

Limestone, white 

Shale, white 

Limestone 

Kjnderhook group (325 feet thick; top, 336 feet above sea level) 

Devonian, Silurian, Ordovician (?): 

Limestone 

Do 

Limestone, flinty 

Limestone 

Limestone, hard 

Samples washed away 

Minor supplies. — Information concerning water supplies in the 
smaller towns and villages in Lee County is presented in the follow- 
ing table: 

Village supplies in Lee County. 




330 
338 
343 

668 

783 
793 

818 





Nature of supply. 


Depth of wells. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 
to 

water- 
bearing 
stratum. 


Head below curb. 


Town. 


From— 


To— 


Shallow 
wells. 


Deep 
wells. 


Belfast 


Dug and drilled wells 


Feet. 
16 
20 
25 
14 
15 
18 
20 
14 
20 
18 
20 


Feet. 
275 
200 
225 

20 
500 
300 

50 
200 

60 
400 
350 


Feet. 
30 


Feet. 


Feet. 
6 
15 


Feet. 
45 


Charleston.. 


Wells and cisterns . . 






Cottonwood 


Wells... 








Croton 




12 
95 
20 

'"'ioo' 


20 






La Crew 


Bored or drilled wells . . 


6-20 
16 
13 

4-20 
6 
12 
12 


30-90 


Overton 


Open wells. . . 


30 
18 
50 


20 


Primrose 


Open and bored wells . 


20 


Sawyer 


Bored and drilled wells 


50 


RnmmitviUp 




20 


Warren 


Wells... 


70-100 
90 




60 


West Point 


Bored and drilled wells 




20 











570 



UNDEKGEOUND WATEK RESOUKCES OP IOWA. 



WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Lee County: 
Typical wells in Lee County. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Depth 

to 
water 
bed. 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
below 
curb 



Remarks 
(logs in feet). 



T. 65N.,R.5 W. 

(Jackson). 



Hollings- 

worth. 
Merritt 



Keokuk Cooper- 
age Co. 



Pechsteui& Nagel 

L. Nelson 

Baker Mediciae 
Co. 



H. H. Trimble.... 

James Jones 

H, H. Trimble..-. 

Joseph Bloundies . 

L. E. McCrary.... 
Applebaum 



Henry Rein . 



Henry Reters... 
Hinman . 



County farm. 



Do. 



T. 65 N., R.6W. 
(PARTS OF Jack- 
son AND Des 
Moines). 



Sandusky 

West Keokuk. 



Soap Creek, 
Keokuk. 



Keokuk. 

do... 

do.. 



ImUe northwest 

of city limits, 

Keokuk. 
3 miles north- 
west of Keokuk. 
3 miles north of 

Keokuk. 
5 miles north- 
west of Keokuk. 
NE.isec. IS.... 
N W. \ sec. 10 . . . 
SE. \ NE. i 

sec. 33. 
SE.iSE.isec.27 
SW. i NE. 1 

sec. 23. 
SE. \ NE. 1 

sec. 16. 
NW. \ SE. J 

sec. 28. 
NW. i SW. I 

sec. 27. 
NE. i SE. i 

sec. 19. 
SW. i NW. J 

sec. 20. 
SW. i NW. \ 

sec. 27. 
NE. J NE. 1 

sec. 29. 
I mile southeast 
ofSummitville. 



.do. 



Feet. 
160 



420 



215 
114 
300 



118 

140 

272 

200 

110 
225 
116 

265 

265 

136 
250 
254 
154 
130 
244 
175 
300 



Feet. 
36 



Feet. 



Feet. 



100 



16 

98 
165 



100 
115 



250 



200 
95 
260 



Sandstone. 



Crevices in 
limestone. 



Sandstone. 
do.... 



60 



Gravel . 



Gravel and 
sand. 



Sand. 



126 



NE.J-SE.isec.l4 



120 



Sand.. 
do. 



Sand. 



Sand and 
gravel. 



Gravel . 



100 



Bluff, about 150 feet 
above Des Moines 
River. 

Diameter, 6| Inches; 
soil, 10; limestone, 
180; white hard rock 
(cuts drill, could drill 
but 3 feet in 10 hours ) . 
34; limestone; sand- 
stone, shale (Kinder- 
hook), from380to420. 



Capacity, 8 gallons per 
hour(?); diameter, 6 
inches; soil, 20; brown 
limestone; white 
limestone and shale; 
white limestone (at 
bottom), 20. 



Blue clay; sand; coarse 

gravel. 
Clay; sand; limestone; 

flmt; sandstone. 
Clay; sand and gravel. 



Des Moines River bot> 
toms. 



Sand from 100 to 136. 



Hill. 

Valley. 

Diameter, 6 inches; ca- 
pacity, 20 gallons per 
minute; yellow clay; 
blue clay; sand and 
gravel. 

Yellow and blue clay 
to 125; dry, reddish 
sand, 125-212; gray 
sand; gravel; water 
soft. 



LEE COUNTY. 
Typical wells in Lee County — Continued. 



571 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



th 
to 
water 
bed. 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs in feet). 



T. 66N.,R.6 W. 
(Des Moines). 

A. J. Walters 



Lowry. 



T. 66N.,R.5W. 

(MONTEOSE). 

Tweedy Brothers. 



William Fowler. 



NE. J NE. i 

sec. 12. 
SE. i NW. -i 

sec. 22. 



Sec. 22. 



Thomas Joyce... 

T. 67N.,R. 4W. 
(Madison). 

High School 



NW. i SE. i 

sec. 6. 
NW. i SE. i 

sec. 17. 
NE. i SW. i 

sec. 20. 
NW. i SW. i 

sec. 15. 
12 miles north of 

Keokuk. 



Fort Madison... 



Canning factory. 



.do. 



Feet. 
208 



190 



235 

112 
145 
265 
240 
272 

134 
181 



Feet. 



Feet. 



Feet. 



Limestone 



Sand. 



.do. 



200 
120 



132 

77 



Sand and 
gravel. 



Sand and 



State Peniten- 
tiary. 

Hoffmaster 



Mrs. Heitz. 



.do. 



Near penitentia- 
ry, Fort Madi- 
son. 

Fort Madison . . . 



T. 68N.,R. 4W. 

(WASmNGTON). 



John Cook 2 miles south of 

Denmark. 



T. 69 N.,R. 4W. 
(Denmark). 

James Conaro 



William Sloat. 



Mill. 



S.VanTuyl. 



Dr. Randall. 



Denmark . 
do.... 



.do. 



Sec. 30. 



South Augusta. 



152 



315 



418 



Gravel . 



59 



438 



55 



90 



Sand. 



Gravel . 



Sandandclay,20; alter- 
nate strips of sand 
and blue till, 40; sand 
at 140; ended in sand. 



Water comes in grad- 
ually in 20 feet of 
limestone at bottom 
of well. 

Foot of bluff. 

Upland. 
Creek bottom. 

About 50 feet above 
Mississippi River. 

Blue clay; sand and 
gravel. 



Loam and sand, 24; 
blue till, 108; sand 
and gravel, 2. 

Diameter, 4 inches; 
sand, 20; blue clay, 
57; quicksand with 
water, 4; blue clay, 
14; rock to bottom. 

Till, 10; sand, gravel, 
and blue till, 65; sand 
and gravel, 25. 

Soil and sand, 12; blue 
till, 123; gravel and 
sand, 6; limestone at 
bottom, 11. 

Yellow drift, 27; blue 
till, continuous with 
the exception of one 
thin sand bed, 260 
feet; gravel, 28; on 
bluff. 



Drift, 100; limestone, 
155; alternate lime- 
stone and shale, 10; 
shale (Kinderhook), 
153. 



Loess, 9; brown tUl, 10; 
old soil, 5; yellow till, 
25. 

Loess, 6; yellow till 
(lUinoian), 20; gray 
mucky clay, 15; yel- 
low till (Kansan), 
soft; dark blue till 
with beds of sand, 
bearing water, 5. 

Loam, 2; yellow clay, 
38; dark-blue hard 
till, 14; gravel, 1, to 
limestone. 

Loess, 7; lUinoian till, 
28; mucky soil with 
wood, 2; "yellow and 
blue till (Kansan), 
18; limestone, 4. 

Drift, 80; limestone and 
flint, 85; shale (Kin- 
derhook), 273. 



572 



UNDEBGBOUND WATEK KESOUKCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells in Lee County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

to 
water 
bed. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs in feet). 


T. 69N., K.4 W. 
(Den mark)— 
Continued. 

Ed. Marsh 


3 miles east, 1 
mile south of 
Denmark. 

3 miles north of 
Denmark. 

3 miles north- 
west of Den- 
mark. 

West Point 

St. Paul 

1 mile east of St. 

Paul. 

2 miles east, f 
mile north of 
Houghton. 

h mile east of 
Houghton. 

3 miles west, 1 
mile north of 
Denmark. 

Sec. 16 


Feet. 
230 

82 

205 

375 

165 
85 

105 
95 

40 
131 

52i 
72 

102 


Feet. 
94 

14 

eo 

115 

94 
35 


Feet. 
124 


Sandstone. . . 


Feet. 


Drift, 94; limestone, 30; 


G. Adimeier 


Limestone . . 




sandstone, 9; lime- 
stone, 84; shale, 13; 
well a failure. 
Skmik River bottom 


D.Klophenstein.. 

T. 68N.,R. 5 W. 
(West Point). 

Axhandle factory. 

T. 69 N., R. 6 W. 
(Marion). 


do 




near high- water level; 
dry sand and gravel, 
14; limestone, 68. 
Drift, 60; limestone, 


200 

and 

300 


Limestone . . 


65 


205. 

Yellow clay, 40; blue 
till, 40; sand and 
gravel, 20; hard, dark- 
blue till, 15; lime- 
stone, 260. 

Yellow clay, 65; dark- 
blue till, 29; lime- 
stone and flint, 71. 

Yellow clay, 33J; 




.do 




Henry Schind- 




Sand 




"hardpan" from ce- 
ment, li; limestone, 
50. 
Yellow clay, 45; light- 


stalk. 
Garrett Sanders . . 






Sand 




blue clay, 45; sand, 

I' ; dark-blue till, 13 J. 

Yellow clay, 94; sand 


T. 69 N., R. 5 
W. (Pleasant 
Ridge). 

S. Kennedy 

Andrew Foggy... 

T. 69N.,R. 7 W. 
(Cedar). 






Old soil 




bed with abundant 
water, 1. 

Yellow clay, 37; old 


119 








soil, wood and leaves, 
14; blue hard till, IJ; 
water in old soil, ill- 
smelling, used only 
for stock. 
Loess, 6; old soil, 4, 


Cottonwood 

5 miles south- 
west of Cotton- 
wood. 

3 miles south of 
Laurel. 




do 




yellow till, 20; sand 
alforduig weak vein 
of water, 6; blue till; 
33; sand and peat 
imderlain by fine 
gravelly sand, 50; 
limestone, 12. 

Yellow clay, 40; light- 








.do 




blue clay, 12; sand on 
dark-blue clay, 1 J. 
Yellow clay, 36; light- 


Thaddeus Church 


100 


90 




00 


blue clay, 35 J; sand 
on hard dark-blue 
clay, h. 
Yield, 2 gallons per 






minute; rock, lime- 
stone; diameter 5 
inches. 



LOUISA COUNTY. 

Typical wells in Lee County — Continued. 



573 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 

to 
water 
bed. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs in feet). 


T. 68N.,R. 6W. 
(Frankun). 

Chas. Blocksuth . . 


3 miles west of 
West Point. 

2 miles east of 
Locheen. 

1^ miles north of 
"Franklin. 


Feet. 
100 

110 

120 


Feet. 
32 

50 
40 


Feet. 
70 

80 

98 


Limestone . . 
do 


Feet. 
60 

30 

60 


Yield, 2 gallons; water 
lowered 20 feet when 
pumped at that rate; 
yellow clay, 32; lime- 
stone, 68. 

Yield, 10 gallons per 


Henry Tempsay.. 


minute: yellow clay, 
50; shale on fire clay, 
20; limestone, 38. 
Yield, 2 gallons per 






minute; water low- 
ered 12 feet when 
pumped at that rate; 
yellow clay and 
sand, 40; limestone, 
80. 



LOUISA COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Louisa County includes on the east a continuous belt of lowland, 
tlie Mississippi flood plain, from 1 mile to 5 miles wide. A second 
lowland, traversed by Iowa River and for a sbort distance by the 
Cedar, crosses the county diagonally from its northwest to its south- 
east corner where it joins the Mississippi bottoms. The second low- 
land is more than 6 miles wide at Wapello and more than 4 miles 
wide at Columbus Junction; it comprises the present flood plains of 
the rivers and also a broad alluvial lowland, which stands 20 to 40 
feet above the river flood plains and is built of sand and gravel 
covered with a thin mantle of loess. 

The flood plain of the Iowa has been cut in the once continuous 
upland of the county and divides it into two areas, the eastern upland 
and the western. The surface of the former consists entirely of 
loess-capped lUinoian drift; that of the latter consists of both Illi- 
noian and Kansan drift, each veneered with loess. The two drift 
sheets of the western upland are divided in part by a marked topo- 
graphic feature— a flat-floored valley 1 to 3 miles wide and 40 feet 
deep, cut in Kansan drift from Columbus Junction to the southwest 
corner of the county, and standing at an average height of 120 feet 
above the higher terraces of the flood plain of Iowa River. 

The gently undulating surface of the eastern upland is diversified 
by the shallow troughs of the minor streams and by a few long, low 
swells whose major axes run northwest and southeast. A singularly 



574 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

straight and unbroken escarpment, as mucli as 150 feet Mgh, over- 
looks the Mississippi flood plain. 

The western upland, about equal in height to the eastern, is ridged 
by two parallel broad swells which run north and south near Cairo 
and are believed to be the terminal moraines of the lUinoian ice sheet. 

GEOLOGY. 

The Pleistocene deposits of the county comprise the loess — a yel- 
low silt which covers the uplands and the higher parts of the river 
plains — and beneath the loess three massive sheets of stony clay. 
The Kansan, a thick, tough blue stony clay, weathered deeply to 
yellow and reddish, rests on a bed of sand and gravel 2 to 10 feet 
thick, known as the Aftonian, which separates it from the dense 
dark-bluish stony clay of the underlying Nebraskan drift. The 
uppermost stony clay — the Illinoian drift sheet — appears on the 
eastern upland, where it is separated from the underlying Kansan 
drift by sands and old soil beds of the Yarmouth interglacial stage. 
The upper surface of the Illinoian drift sheet may be either weath- 
ered to a reddish yellow or, where overlain by the decaying vegetable 
matter of ancient soils, may be bleached to a whitish clay. Unlike 
the drift sheets on which it rests, the loess is soft and very easily 
drilled, and is quite devoid of pebbles and larger stones. In passing 
from the loess to the weathered stony clays the color distinctly 
changes to a brighter yellow. 

The Pleistocene deposits are underlain by rocks belonging to the 
Mississippian series of the Carboniferous, except over an area cover- 
ing about 15 square miles in the northeastern corner of the county, 
where Devonian rocks may be expected beneath the superficial 
deposits. (See PL XIV, p. 548.) 

The highest beds outcropping consist of a succession of limestones 
and cherts and alternating beds of shale and limestone — the Osage 
group — the thickness of the whole reaching 50 feet. The lime- 
stones belong chiefly to the Burlington limestone and form per- 
sistent beds recognized by the driller by their clean white color. 
The lowest beds outcropping belong to the Kinderhook group and 
comprise (1) limestones 15 feet thick which form a natural highway 
for ground water, (2) a less pervious, soft, bluish, fine-grained sand- 
stone 16 feet thick, and (3) a blue-green basal shale or soapstone, 
practically impervious, the total thickness being as much as 180 feet. 

In the southwestern part of the county wells have encountered 
sandstones belonging to small outliers of the Pennsylvanian series. 



LOUISA COUNTY. 575 

TJNDERGROTJND WATER. 
SOUECE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

On the lowlands bordering Mississippi River water is obtained 
from driven wells ending in heavy alluvial sands and gravels. Sand 
points sunk 15 to 20 feet find abundant soft water in what is called 
the first sand, and if bored or jetted to about 50 feet, enter a second 
sand. So abundant is the water drawn from these sands that at 
Wapello 5-inch driven wells about 20 feet deep are used as fire 
hydrants. 

Wells on the uplands draw water from several beds. The eastern 
upland, south of Letts, is traversed by a number of low east-west 
loess ridges with sandy nuclei that furnish water to wells of very 
moderate depth which supply near-by farmsteads. Locally, on ill- 
drained areas on both uplands shallow wells find water in the basal 
layers of the loess, but as a rule these beds are wholly unreliable 
and inadequate. Interglacial gravels underlying the lUinoian drift, 
the Kansan drift, and the Nebraskan drift constitute the main 
aquifers of both uplands, the most important being the Aftonian, 
which underlies the Kansan drift. On the eastern upland these 
mterglacial gravels are the only source of water supply for deep 
wells. Here rock lies far below the surface and no wells are known 
to have reached it. A wide, buried valley underlies the eastern 
upland and both lowlands, the rock bed of which does not rise 
higher in places than about 400 feet above sea level. The deepest 
drift wells on this upland exceed 200 feet in depth and show a suc- 
cession of as many as three tills or stony clays parted by old soil 
beds and water-bearing sands and gravels. At only one point on 
the eastern upland, at its southern end, near Toolsborough, has rock 
been reported, and this one was at a depth of about 212 feet below 
the surface or 443 feet above sea level. 

On the western upland the same drift aquifers occur, but by no 
means continuously. In the southern tier of townships and in Mar- 
shall and Elm Grove and parts of Columbus townships the drift is 
relatively thin, rock outcropping in many ravines and being reached 
by the drill on the divides at 40 to 120 feet. Some wells which show 
much deeper drift are supposed to indicate ancient buried valleys, 
though none of these have been definitely traced. It is suggested 
by Leverett that the lower course of preglacial Washington River 
may probably cross the western tier of townships north of Colum- 
bus Junction. On the bluffs about Columbus Junction wells range in 
depth from 80 to 140 feet and find water in glacial gravels without 
reaching rock. Two or three miles west of town the drift is about 
140 feet thick, and in the extreme northwest section of Columbus 
Township wells from 135 to 150 feet deep end in water-bearing 
sands. 



576 UK'DEKGEOUlSrD WATEK KESOUECES OF IOWA. 

In the southern townships many wells find water in the limestones 
overlying the impervious floor of the shales of the Einderhook group. 
The limestones of the Osage group are exceptionally pure and readily 
dissolved by seeping waters. Sinkholes on different outcrops, as 
north of Morning Sun, indicate well-defined underground waterways 
along joints and bedding planes. The perfection of the underground 
drainage and its confinement to definite channels renders the finding 
of such a channel by the drill somewhat uncertain. Several wells 
not finding water above the Eanderhook have gone deep into the dry 
shale of that group, reaching total dei^ths of 300 and 400 feet. Where 
a well enters the shale without fincnng water it would probably be 
less expensive in the end and give better results to abandon the drill 
hole and sink another well at a convenient location near that of the 
first well. 

Where the limestones are lacking owing to erosion, and the shales 
form the bedrock, the case is far more difficult, and a careful search 
is necessary for the best location for a drift well. This may in some 
places be found where the converging of ravines brings an unusual 
amount of seepage. 

The succession of strata and the probability of obtaining water 
from the deeper formations is indicated by the record of a prospect 
hole for gas on the land of W. W. Wagner, one-half mile west of 
Letts. (See PI. XIV.) The depth of this hole was 1,135 feet, and 
the elevation of its curb 698 feet above sea level. Water was noted 
at depths of 818 and 850 feet, heading 65 feet below curb; at a depth 
of 1,025 feet the water raised the tools in the well, heading 42 feet 
below curb. The well was completed in 1903. 

Record of strata in deep boring at Letts (PI. XIV, p. 648). 

Depth in feet. 
Quaternary (285 feet thick; top, 698 feet above sea level) : 

Old soil, brown, clayey; empyreumatic odor 90 

Sand, white, coarse; grains mostly quartz; a few of lime- 
stone and green rock 100 

Sand and gravel 140 

Sand and clay, drab; in powder and compact lumps 175 

Sand, buff; most grains less than 1 millimeter in diameter. . 206 

Sand, orange, moderately coarse; gravel pebbles of chert, 

greenish quartzite, brownish quartzite, and shale 247 

Gravel; pebbles large, of brownish limestone, greenish 

quartzite, and a black siliceous rock 250 

Sand and coarse gravel 280 

Carboniferous (Mississippian) : 

Kinderhook group (41 feet thick; top, 413 feet above sea 
level) : 
Shale, brown, rather hard, laminated, slightly calca- 
reous, somewhat bituminous; in flaky chips 285-290 

Shale, blue, calcareous 306 



LOUISA COUNTY. 577 

Carboniferous (Mississippian) — Continued 

Kinderhook group (41 feet thick; top, 413 feet above eea 
level) — Continued. 
Shale, as above; drillings mostly of coarse yellow sand; Depth in feet. 

small pebbles of Archean rocks 308-310 

Sand, quartz, bright buff; finer than above 312 

Shale, blue, calcareous, siliceous 315 

Sand, coarse, buff; with chips of compact, hard, dark 
reddish-brown limestone of slow effervescence, ap- 
parently pre-Cambrian 318 

Shale, green, calcareous, rather hard; in chips 319 

Same as at 318 feet 320-325 

Devonian (137 feet thick; top, 372 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, blue-gray, porous; effervescence moderate; 

nests of calcite 326-332 

Limestone, mottled gray, crystalline earthy, rather soft; 

brisk effervescence; much sand 342 

Limestone, gray, fossiliferous; rapid effervescence; soft 

crystalline to earthy 357 

Limestone, buff, highly fossiliferous; brisk effervescence... 359-362 

Limestone, light gray, highly fossiliferous, soft 373 

Limestone, white and blue-gray; soft; crystalline to earthy. 378 

Limestone, blue-gray, hard; in flaky chips; nonmagnesian, 

dense, earthy luster; fine-grained; slightly siliceous 383 

Limestone, light gray, fossiliferous; fragments of Brachio- 

pods, Bryozoa, and a few crinoid stems 388 

Limestone, light drab, nonmagnesian, hard, crystalline 425 

Limestone, blue-gray, hard, argillaceous, pyritiferous 435-440 

Sandstone, light yellow-gray; calciferous; grains fine, of 

crystalline quartz 446 

Limestone, yellow-gray, cherty 443 

Silurian (157 feet thick; top, 235 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, buff, magnesian; in fine sand. 463 

Limestone, magnesian or dolomite; brown, crystalline; in 

sand 468 

Limestone; as above, very hard, siliceous 480 

Dolomite, white, and light blue-gray; crystalline, vesicu- 
lar; four samples 500-578 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (198 feet thick; top, 78 feet above sea 
level) : 

Shale, drab; in rounded cuttings, with fine yellow 

quartz sand (from above) 620 

Shale, olive-gray; in hard, siliceous, calcareous cut- 
tings 657 

Shale, olive-gray, hard, calcareous, siliceous; at 790 

feet brown, green, and highly siliceous 720-810 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone (317 feet thick; 
top, 120 feet below sea level) : 

Dolomite, buff, crystalline; in fine sand; four samples . . 818-855 
Dolomite, light buff, cherty; rounded grains, mod- 
erately fine, of clear quartz, apparently native 875 

36581°— wsp 293—12 37 



578 



UlSrDEEGKOUISrD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



Ordovician — Continued. 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone (317 feet thick; 

top, 120 feet below sea level) — Continued. Depth in feet. 

Limestone, light buff, cherty 918-935 

Limestone, magnesian, dark buff 950 

Limestone, dark and light yellow-gray; rapid effer- 
vescence 960 

Limestone, gray, earthy, and brown, crystalline; rapid 

effervescence; cherty 1, 000 

Limestone, light brown; rapid effervescence; crystal- 
line 1,025 

Shale, brown, highly bituminous 1, 048 

Shale, green, and limestone, gray, fossiliferous 1, 063 

Limestone, gray; nonmagnesian; hard; in sand 1, 088 

Limestone, buff, hard, with rounded grains of crystal- 
line quartz in drillings 1, 095 

Sandstone; clear quartz, fine grains, many well 
rounded; but an unusual number ill-rounded or 

chipped ; some gray limestone 1, 105 

Shale, green, hard, fissile, noncalcareous 1, 125 

St. Peter sandstone (top, 437 feet below sea level): 

Sandstone; grains well rounded, largest 0.75 milli- 
meter in diameter; drillings red from superficial 
staining grains with ferric oxide 1, 135 

Analyses ofrockfrovi boring near Letts."' 



At 833 
feet. 



At 545 
feet. 



CaCOs- 
MgCOs- 
CaSO^. 
SiOa... 
FeO... 
FeaOs-. 
AI2O3.. 
H2O... 



51.93 
42.02 



3.24 
1.20 



52.42 

41.85 

.21 

2.68 



1.42 



.37 

2.34 

.16 



100. 50 



100. 03 



a Made in chemical laboratory of Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa. 



SPRINGS. 



As the chief water-bearing formations are cut by the major stream 
ways, springs are by no means uncommon in the county. The 
alluvial gravels underlying the abandoned flood plains of Cedar and 
Iowa rivers discharge large amounts of ground water into the rivers 
and their tributary creeks by means of springs and seepages. Strong 
springs emerge from glacial gTavels along the bluffs bordering the 
river valleys. In the southern tier of townships the creeks are fed by 
springs discharging from the country rock, the leading horizon here 
being the top of the shale of the Kinderhook group. 



LOUISA COUNTY. 579 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Columbus Junction. — At Columbus Junction (population, 1,185) 
water for the city supply is obtained from a well 16 feet in diameter 
and 20 feet deep, sunk in the sand and gravel of the flood plain of 
Iowa Kiver a short distance below its junction with the Cedar. 
Although distant about one-fourth mile from the channel, the water 
of floods overflows the area of the well. The supply is large and a 
distinct inflow is noticed from the up- valley side. The pumping does 
not affect two wells about 200 feet away. When the well was dug 
water could not be pumped out through a 64nch pipe as fast as it 
came in. The water is found in a bed of clean gravel and is pumped 
to a tank with a capacity of 57,000 gallons. The gravity pressure is 
95 pounds and the fire pressure 140 pounds. There are 2 miles of 
mains, 15 fire hydrants, and 120 taps. The consumption is 18,000,000 
gallons a year, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway being a 
large consumer. The waterworks are owned by the town. 

Wapello. — Water for domestic supply of Wapello (population, 
1,326) is obtained from city wells from points driven 20 feet in the 
sands and gravels of the flood plain on which the town is built. So 
large is the supply that driven weUs placed at intervals along the 
streets afford fire protection, being pumped by steam as from so many 
hydrants. Five drive points are attached by a 5-inch pipe along the 
top. 

The depth of the principal water-bearing formations below Wapello 
(588 feet above sea level) can not be closely predicted because of the 
deformation of the strata. The southward dip of the strata is unin- 
terrupted to the north county fine, but south of this fine the dip is 
reversed and the deeper strata are so upwarped that at Burlington 
they stand higher than at any point south of Cedar County. The 
limit of the southward dip, the position of the bottom of the trough, 
at which the ascent toward Burhngton begins, has not been deter- 
mined. The dip of the St. Peter sandstone from West Liberty to 
Letts is 11 feet a mile. If the dip continues at this rate as far south 
as Wapello the St. Peter should lie about 615 feet below sea level, or 
1 ,203 feet below the surface ; but it is possible that the dip is reversed 
north of Wapello and that the St. Peter may be found 100 to 200 feet 
nearer to the surface. The depth of the old drift and alluvium-filled 
valley in which the channel of Iowa River lies is unknown. Possibly 
it may cut deep into the shales of the Kinderhook group, whose base 
here should be about 200 feet above sea level provided the southward 
• dip continues this far south of Muscatine County. Between the base 
of the Kinderhook and the top of the next heavy shale, the Maquoketa, 
there are about 300 feet of Devonian and Silurian limestones in whose 



580 



UlSTDEEGEOUND WATEK EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



crevices water may be foimcl should the drill fortunately strike them. 
Beneath the Maquoketa shale, the base of which lies here about 298 
feet below sea level, are limestones with some shales (Galena to 
Platteville) , which will probably yield some v^^ater. The yield will be 
increased b)^ water from the St. Peter sandstone, which in this area 
seems to be exceptionally thick and may afford a supply adequate 
for the town. If it should not it may be necessary to sink the well 
to formations lying 500 to 600 feet below the summit of the St. Peter, 
or to a total depth of 1,800 or 2,000 feet, in order to augment the 
supply materially. 

The waters will probably be strong in sulphates, though by no means 
beyond the limits of potability. The waters of the St. Peter and the 
deeper formations should be better in quality than those of higher 
strata. The closed pressure of the well should be 20 to 30 pounds. 

Minor supplies. — Information concerning minor village supplies in 
Louisa County is presented in the following table: 

Minor village supplies, Louisa County. 





Nature of supply. 


Depth of v/ells. 


Depth 

to 
water 
bed. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Head below curb. 


Town. 


From— 


To— 


Com- 
mon. 


Shallow 
wells. 


Deep 

wells. 






Feet. 
25 
8 
16 
4.5 
18 
18 
20 


Feet. 
100 
52 
22 
55 
26 
120 
200 


Feet. 
75-100 

9- 15 

16- 20 

45 


Feet. 
75 
50 
18 
36 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Elrick 


Driven and bored wells. . 

Driven wells 

Dug and bored wells 

Wells 

Drilled and open wells. - 




- 8 
-16 
-33 




Fredonia 












Newport 

Wyman 


80-120 
25 


20 
75 


40 
70-200 


-10 
-10 


-40 







WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Louisa County; 

Typical wells of Louisa County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 73 N., R. 2 W. 
(PARTS OF Jef- 
ferson, Elliot, 
AND Wapello). 

W.Clark 


Sec. 8.. 


Feet. 
60 

127 

210 

107 


Feet. 


Sand 

do.... 


Slope of bluff of Iowa River. 




See. 11 


Yellow clay, 30; sand 30. 
Upland. Yellow clay, 40; blue 

clay, 80; sand. 
Upland. Yellow clay, 30; sand, 

6; blueclay, 80; sand, 14; blue 

clay, 25; sand, 25; blue clay, 

30; rock at bottom. 
Second bottoms, loam, sand. 




Sec. 11 






Dr. Parsons 


Sec. 23..... 




Sand 






and gravel, 31; blue clay, 60; 
wood and black loam, 10; 
sand with water, 6. 



LOUISA COUNTY. 

Typical ivells of Louisa County — Continued . 



581 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 73 N., R. 3 W. 
(parts of Wa- 
pello and 

- MoBNiNG Sun). 

Concord School 


NE. J sec. 18 

NE. -1 sec. 20 

NW. 1 sec. 22 

NW. Jsec. 29 

NE. iNE. Jsec. 2. 

NW. isec. 9 

SW.iNE.Jsec. 12 

SE. JSE. isec. 16. 

SW. isec. 20 

Morning Sun 

E. Isec. 31 

Sec. 24 


Feet. 
300 

140 

300 

76 

152 

126 
110 

141 
126 
162 

70 

247 
123 

150 

176 
ISO 
124 

180 

120 
209 

60 
115 


Feet. 

8 

135 




Upland ravine. Drift, 8; lime- 
stone, 15; "soapstone," 148; 
dark shale, 30; "soapstone," 
99. 

Upland. Drift, 135; shale, Kin- 
derhook, 5. 

Drift, 90; shale, 210. 




Sand 


W. D . Jamison 


Cyrus Hewitt 

T. 73 N,, R. 4 W. 
(PAKTS OF Morn- 
ing Sun and 
Marshall), 


73 

95 
104 

118 
40 
65 




Drift, 73; limestone, 3. 


Sand 


Yellow clay, 22; blue clay, 1 16; 
sand, 14. 

Drift, 95; limestone, 31. 

Yellow clay, pebbly, 25; dry 
yellow quicksand, 5; blue 
clay, 74; broken limestone, 6. 

Drift, lis; limestone, 23. 

Drift, 40; rock, 86. 


D. C. Marshall 




Limestone . . 
do 


J. K. Brown 


Town 


Limestone. . 
Sand 

Sand 

....do.... 


Drift, 65; limestone, with some 


T. 74 N., R. 2 W. 
(PARTS OF Jef- 
ferson AND Port 
Louisa). 

P. B. Stetson 

T. 74 N., R. 3 W. 

(PARTS OF WA- 

p E L L , Port 
Louisa, Grand 
View, and Jef- 
ferson). 

Joseph Schofleld 

Average of several 
wells. 

T. 74 N., R. 4 W. 
(parts of Wa- 
re l l , Mar- 
shall, and Co- 
lumbus). 


shale, 97. 

Yellow clay, 8; blue clay, 42; 
sand, 5; blue clay, 10; sand, 5. 

Yellow clay, 10; blue clay, 8; 

old soil, 3; blue clay with sand 

at 70 and old soil at 160; sand 

at bottom. 
Low upland. Soil 4; loess and 

yellow clay, 40; blue clay, 76; 

sand, 3. 

Yellow clay, 80; blue clay, 58; 




NW. i NW. i sec. 
35. 

SE.isec.8 

SW.iSW.isec.27. 
Cairo 




Sand 

do 


Lyman Blufi 


sand, 12. Water head, 110. 
Upland; all drift. 




do 


All drift. 




150 
45 


Gravel 


Soil, 8; yellow clay, 25; blue 




SW. isec. 29 

SW. isec. 32 

E. isec. 33 

SE.i SE. isec. 20. 
NE. isec. 28 


clay, 83; gravel, 8. 
Drift, 150; with sand at 120; 


R. S. Cummings 

Jos. Bates 


Limestone . - 


shale, 30. 
Drift, 45; limestone, 75. 
Yellow clay, 70; blue clay, 68; 


T. 74 N., R. 5 W. 
(Elm Grove; 
PART OF Colum- 
bus). 

L. M. Sampson 

Evan Paris 


53 
95 




sand, 1; blue clay, 25; sand and 
clay, 23; dark drift, 22. 

Loess, 10; bowlder clav, 40; sand 




3; rock, 7. 
Drift, 95; sandstone, 20. 



582 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells of Louisa County — Continued. 



Owner. 



liOcation. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Source of 
supply. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 75 N., R. 3 W. 
(PART OF Grand 
View). 



Joseph Wagner. 



NE.iNW. isec.3. 



Sec. 6. 



FeH. 
265 



Feet. 



Sand. 



W. W. Wagner. 



M. A. Gray. 



L. S. Gresham. 



Roy Letts. 



B. W. Hafl. 



John Sneider . 



T. 75 N., R. 4 W. 
(Concord; parts 
OF Columbus 
and Oakland). 

C. Estle , 

M. A. Turklngton. . . 



D. Overholt. 



T. 75 N., R. 5 W. 
(PARTS OF Colum- 
bus and Union). 

General section 

Ruben Stapp 

J. W. Garner 

D. W. Overholt 

Martin Schaum 

T. 76 N., R. 5 W. 
(parts of Oak- 
land AND Union). 

Edward Murdock.. 
J. Lucky 



.do. 



SW. J sec. 6. 



..do... 



N. * sec. 22. 



W. J SW. \ sec. 27. 
NE. JNE. Jsec. 9. 
SE. \ sec. 14 



SE. iSE. I sec. 19. 
NE.iSW.Jsec.24. 

SE.iNW.isec.35 
Near Letts 



150 



84 



100 

78 



153 
300 



.do. 



.do. 



.do. 



.do. 
.do. 



.do. 
.do.. 



SW. iNW.isec.3, 
S. 4 sec. 10 



150 
215 



Sand. . , 
do. 



SE. i sec. 29. 



.do. 



Near Columbus 
Junction. 



Sec. 16 

Cotter Station. 
Columbus City 
SE.isec.25... 

Sec. 27 



.do. 



NW. Jsec. 6.. 
NW. isec. 18. 



400 

136 
170 
166 



152 
133 



150 
133 



Sand 

Sand and 
gravel. 



Ridge. Yellow clay without 
pebbles, 28; red sand, 30; blue 
clay, 38; quicksand with water 
4; blue, pebbly clay, 158; sand 
with water, 7. 

Yellow clay and sand, 15; blue 
clay, 60; coarse gravel, 2; 
sticky blue clay with wood be- 
low, 47; sand, 13. 

Loess, 2; yellow sand, 16; bowlder 
clay, 40; quicksand, 20; old 
soil and wood, 4 inches; dark 
blue stony clay, 2; sand with 
gas and water. 

Soil, 6; yellow clay, 50; quick- 
sand, 40; white and blue clay 
mixed, 74; sand with gas and 
water. 

Loess, 12; peat, 3; blue clay, 65 
quicksand, 1; blue clay, 3 
quicksand, 1; blue clay, 55 
sand, 10. 

Yellow clay, 20; blue clay clear 
of pebbles, 14; peat, 1; quick- 
sand, 4; blue clay, 6. Head 
of water, 16. 

High knoU. Loess, 22; yellow 
sand and pebbles, 42; blue 
clay, 1; gray sand with water, 
19. 

Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 60; 
sand with water and gas, 20. 

Foot of Mississippi bluff. Yel- 
low clay, 4; blue clay, 28; 
white sand, 26; red clay, 1; 
red sand with water, 19. 

Yellow clay, 34; yellow sand 8; 
blue clay, 96; sand with wa- 
ter and gas, 15. 

Yellow clay, 18; quicksand, 3; 
blue clay, 70; yellow clay and 
gravel, 20; blue clay and gravel 
30 (?); sand to bottom. 



Water and gas in basal sand. 

Loess, 5; yellow till, 16; yellow 
sand, 3; blue " sand," 26; white 
sand, 80; dark bluish hard 
"sand," 45; light soft sand, 40. 

Bottom. Alluvium, 8; blue 
pebbly clay, 72; sand, 2; blue 
clay, 14; sand, 68. 



Yellow clay, pebbly, 15-20; blue 
pebbly hard clay, sand 2-15 at 
from 125 to 150 feet from surface, 
with water; blue clay. 

Drift, 150; shale, Kinderhook, 
250. 

Drift, 133; sandstone, 3. 

Loess, 13; blue till, 157; sand. 

Loess and yellow tiU, 35; blue 
till, 125; sand and gravel, 6. 

Drift, 65; sandstone, 3. 



All drift. 
Do. 



UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 583 

MAHASKA COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Topographically Mahaska County comprises an upland plain, 
sloping from an elevation of about 900 feet in the northwest to about 
800 feet in the southwest, across which Des Moines, Skunk, and 
North Skunk rivers flow southeastward in approximately parallel 
courses and into which they have carved their valleys to depths 
ranging from 100 to 200 feet. Between these valleys broad, flat, 
remnants of the former rolling drift plain remain. In places the 
streams are bordered by sharp rock terraces, but as a rule they have 
gradually sloping valley sides wliich rise from floors half a mile to 3 
miles wide. 

Only near the borders of the larger valleys, and particularly near 
the Des Moines Valley, is the topography rough and broken, but the 
tributary streams extend into all parts of the area, draining it so 
completely that ponds and lakes exist only on the flood plains. 

GEOLOGY. 

The bottom lands of all the larger streams are covered with alluvial 
deposits consisting of alternating layers of sands and silts that afford 
an abundant supply of water to drive point wells, few of which exceed 
30 feet in depth. The water is usually good, though in some wells 
it has a slight odor or taste due to organic matter deposited in the 
silts. 

Except on the flood plains of the streams, the entire surface is 
covered, in places to a depth of 10 feet, with the light yellow clay 
called loess; and everywhere beneath the loess is a deposit of uncon- 
solidated clay and gravel in heterogeneous mixture, though showing 
in many places definite layers and lenses of stratified sand and gravel, 
the whole forming the glacial drift of Kansan age. Old soils, peat, 
and forest beds found locally beneath the Kansan drift, accompanied 
by weU-defined layers of sand and gravel and in places resting on 
tiU, give evidence of an older drift, the Nebraskan. The whole drift 
commonly rests on layers of coarse sand and gravel immediately 
overlying the bedrock. The drift yields moderate quantities of water 
to dug and bored wells from 15 to 30 feet deep; small pockets of 
sand at depths ranging from 100 to 200 feet supply many wells, the 
largest suppHes being obtained from the thick deposits of gravel at or 
near the base of the drift. These gravels can not be traced as a dis- 
tinct bed over large areas, but wherever found they yield an unfailing 
supply of water which is generally hard but is satisfactory for domestic 
and farm use. In many places large open wells are dug down into 
the shale below in order to form a reservoir for water from gravels 



584 UNDEKGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

resting on the shale and thus maintam a large supply. Such wells 
should be carefully protected from pollution by surface drainage. 

From southwestern Oskaloosa an old preglacial valley extends 
northwest and southeast, crossing Spring Creek Township and enter- 
ing Harrison Township about the middle of its north line. The H. 
Crookham well (E. ^ SW, i sec. 29, Spring Creek Township) passes 
through 40 feet of soil and till and then 80 feet of fine yellow sand, 
which changes to coarser sand and gravel below without striking 
rock. Water began to come in at 45 feet and increased downward. 
Abundant good soft water stands 85 feet below the curb of the 
well. To the northwest this old valley passes underneath the farm 
of J. B. Cruzen (NE. i sec. 34, Madison Township), whose well passes 
through 196 feet of drift, chiefly sand, to bedrock. Across the road, 
T. J. Ferree's well reaches bedrock at 172 feet after passing through 
90 feet of drift and 82 feet of sand. At a depth of 167 feet woody mat- 
ter was found mixed with the sand. 

The rock underlying the drift consists chiefly of Carboniferous shale, 
with a few beds of sandstone, limestone, and coal belonging to the 
Des Moines group of the Pennsylvanian series. (See PL XIII.) In 
narrow strips along the three principal streams, however, the rocks 
have been eroded away, and the underlying hard Mississippian lime- 
stone ("St. Louis limestone") becomes the country rock. The "St. 
Louis limestone" unconformably underlies the Pennsylvanian coal 
measures throughout the county and is readily distinguished in 
drilling by its hardness, its thin, soft, interbedded marly layers, and 
its thickness, 20 to 40 feet being common. 

The shales of the Des Moines group are comparatively dry; only 
the coal and sandstone layers are water bearers, and the coal waters 
are always, and sandstone waters usually, impregnated with iron, sul- 
phur, and other minerals. In a few places, however, thick local lenses 
of sandstone furnish excellent water. Chief among these is the 
brownish red sandstone underlying New Sharon and other portions 
of the northeastern part of the county, from which the New Sharon 
Electric Light Co. well and several farm wells in the vicinity draw 
their supply. The granular white sandstone of the "St. Louis" 
yields water of such quantity and quality as to give it locally the name 
of the "white water sandrock," Even above this thin sandy layers 
alternating with heavy limestone beds in many places yield a moderate 
quantity of water, which as a rule is hard but is rarely mineralized 
if the water from the coal measures is properly cased out. On the 
whole, the "St. Louis" is the most satisfactory aquifer in the county. 

Only a few weUs passing the upper limestone have failed to find the 
sandstone, but three such have been reported ; two in Scott Township — 
that of Fred Oswandle (SW. { sec. 2), 250 feet deep and that of the Wil- 
liams Brothers (sec. 13), 317 feet in depth— and one at the AUandale 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 585 

stock farm (NE. | sec. 22, Union Township). These wells probably 
all draw their supply from the limestone which immediately underlies 
the "St. Louis limestone;" and two of the three, the Oswandle and 
Allandale wells, jdeld water that is very strongly mineralized. Unless 
the deep aquifers are to be sought, drilling below the sandrock layer 
of the "St. Louis limestone" is to be discouraged. 

In general, the upper limestone of the "St. Louis" is reached 
about 120 feet below the uplands, and the sandstone about 20 to 40 
feet deeper. The depth, however, varies greatly. Between Skunk 
River and the Des Moines the "white water sandrock" is found at 
depths ranging from 150 to 250 feet, and the water is everywhere 
repoi^ted good. South of Des Moines River it lies somewhat deeper 
and in many wells is strongly mineralized. Between Skunk and 
North Skunk rivers, many wells draw from this bed at depths of 150 
to 175 feet. The bed thus rises to the north and east, though perhaps 
not so often drawn upon in that direction, owing to the fact that the 
drift waters there are better and that there are numerous sandstone 
layers in the overlying Des Moines group. 

The quality of all these waters unfits them for use in boilers, for 
which purpose it is, as a rule, necessary to impound rain water. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SHALLOW FLOWING WELLS. 

In Mahaska, as in the adjoining counties, the drill used in coal pros- 
pecting may strike a vein of water under such pressure as to cause it to 
flow from the top of the hole, though, as a rule, without much force. 
Most of these holes are located in low valleys or draws, and the 
aquifer is ordinarily a gravel layer low in the drift or a sandstone or 
coal seam of the Des Moines group. Many of these holes are aban- 
doned and forgotten, but when advantageously located with respect 
to pasture lands they are cased and retained for stock supplies. 

Such are the two flowing wells on the farm of C. A. Coryell, 1 mile 
southeast of Olivet, Scott Township. One well, 80 feet deep, yields 
about two-thirds gallon per minute of strong ixiineral water flowing 
from a coal vein; the other well, one-fourth mile south, is 52 feet deep, 
enters sandrock at 40 feet, and jdelds 6 gallons per minute of excel- 
lent water; the water rises 8 feet above the surface. A third well, 
167 feet deep, also in Scott Township, on the farm of Con Ellis, 
1^ miles southeast of Tracy, is drilled on a valley side, and reaches its 
aquifer in rock described as "dark limestone with flint" in the Des 
Moines group; the water has a strong mineral taste. 

On the farm of Ed De Long (NE. i sec. 26, Scott Township) a 47- 
foot weU yields a 2|-gallon flow with head 18 feet above the surface; 
the aquifer is a heavy bed of sand beneath the till. This is an excel- 
lent stock well. 



586 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

SPRINGS. 

Many springs issue on valley sides, most of them flowing from the 
Des Moines group, but a few from drift deposits. The impervious 
stratum which collects the downward percolating waters and brings 
them to the surface, where it outcrops on the valley sides, is com- 
monly a shale bed. Many of these waters are mineralized, and some 
of the springs yield sufficient water to form a permanent supply for 
stock. If such springs are advantageously located in pasture land 
they are piped into tanks. 

The most interesting spring reported is on the farm of Edward 
Edris, 2| miles northeast of Oskaloosa. This spring is said to have 
formed 10 or 12 years ago after the closing of a coal mine in the 
vicinity, where underground waters gave so much trouble that the 
mine was abandoned. It flows about 75 gallons per minute, and the 
water has a local reputation for its medicinal properties. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

New STiaron. — The public supply of New Sharon (population, 1,122) 
is obtained from a well drilled to a sandstone horizon in the Des 
Moines group. Three wells have been drilled, all reaching the same 
aquifer, but only one is now used. The well, which is 9 inches in 
diameter and cased 80 feet to the sandstone bed, has yielded 35 
gallons per minute. 

Tlie water is pumped by a gasoline engine into an elevated tank, 
having a capacity of 43,000 gallons, and is distributed by gravity 
through 2 miles of mains under pressure of about 45 pounds. Twenty- 
one fire hydrants and 160 taps utilize about 15,000 gallons daUy. 

Shallow drift wells are common in the city, but an excellent water, 
like that used by the city, may be found in the same or similar lenses 
of reddish-brown sandstone near the base of the Des Moines group 
at depths ranging from 40 to 175 feet. The water is very pleasant 
to taste, neither hard nor soft nor mineral. Should the drill pass 
through shales of the Des Moines without finding this water, the 
sandstone horizon of the "St. Louis limestone" might be found 40 
to 50 feet below. 

Oskaloosa. — The public supply of the city of Oskaloosa (popula- 
tion, 9,466) is owned by the Oskaloosa Water Co. and is operated 
under a 20-year franchise, dating from November 12, 1899. 

The supply is obtained from 15 driven wells, 6 inches in diameter 
and about 50 feet deep, put down to bedrock in the alluvium and 
sands underlying the flood plain on the north side of Skunk River, 
3^ miles north of the city. Each casing carries a 7-foot Cook strainer 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 587 

and is connected with piping in such a way that all siphon into an 
open well, 34 feet deep and several feet in diameter, in the bottom 
of which are 11 other drive points. The wells on the north and 
farthest from the river end in coarser sand and supply much more 
water than those nearer the river. 

The pumping station is on the south river bank immediately oppo- 
site the wells. A cable from this plant runs a centrifugal pump in 
the main well, raising the water to a cistern from which it is forced 
into the mains by two steam pumps. A large open reservoir has 
been cut into the bank on the south side in such a way as to impound 
some storm waters, and into this water from the river is pumped 
directly in order that sedimentation may take place. In emergencies 
water can be pumped from this reservoir. An ordinary pressure of 
110 pounds is maintained at the plant, and a fire pressure of 185 
pounds is obtainable. 

A large main leads from the pumping station to the filtration plant 
at the north edge of the city, where six Hyatt filters (two with a 
capacity of 250,000 gallons and four with a capacity of 150,000 gal- 
lons), and one Jewell filter (capacity 500,000 gallons) are utilized to 
filter the water through sand before it passes into the standpipe and 
mains of the city. It is estimated that about 1,300,000 gallons a day 
are filtered, and only in case of emergency is the water passed directly 
into the mains. The ordinary pressure on the mains from the filter 
plant is 35 pounds, but a pressure of 100 pounds or more may be had' 
for fire engines. 

A standpipe 20 feet in diameter and 130 feet high connected with 
the city mains stores the reserve and equalizes the pressure and flow. 
The greatest objection to the use of this water is that the mains are 
flooded with unfiltered water with every serious fire. 

An artesian well, 2,517 feet in depth, was sunk by the city in the 
center of the city square about 1875, partly for the purpose of obtain- 
ing a flowing well for city supply and partly to prospect for coal and 
other mineral. No record has been preserved and little is now known 
of the well, save that at 800 feet a strong aquifer was reached which 
gave a head only 40 feet below the curb. This was tested by a steam 
pump throwing a 4-inch stream for 48 hours without lowering, but the 
water was so strongly mineral as to be unfit for drinking. Tlie well 
has never been utilized. 

Some time previous to 1888 a well was sunk to a depth between 
2,800 and 3,000 feet. Two or three companies were engaged in drill- 
ing this well, litigation ensued, and the well was abandoned after a 
cost to the city of $2,800 or $3,000 — an extraordinarily small sum for 
so deep a weU, if the depth is correctly reported. 



588 



UNDEEGKOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



Record of strata to 1,200 feet in city well at Oskaloosa (PI. XIII, p. 526). 
[Based on drillers' logs. Assignments to formations by W. H. Norton.| 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Quaternary (50 feet thick; top, 843 feet above sea level) : 

Soil, black 

Clay, joint 

Sand and gravel 

Clay, blue 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian series — 

Des Moines group (111 feet thick; top, 793 feet above sea level) — 

Fire clay 

Slate, black 

Coal 

Sulphur (pyrite) 

Limestone 

Soapstone 

Sandstone, gray 

Plumbago, traces (?) ' 

Sandstone, gray 

Mississippian series — 

"St. Louis limestone" and Osage group ('M9 feet thick; top, GS2 feet above sea 
level) — 

Flint 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Plumbago, traces (?) 

Sandstone 

Slate, black 

Slate, white 

Porous rock 

Limestone 

ICinderhook group (110 feet thick; top, 233 feet above sea level) — 

Slate 

Devonian and Silurian (356 feet thick; top, 123 feet above sea level): 

Marble, hard 

Limestone, very dark, hard; with streaks of sandrock, and mica; also fossils at 935 

feet 

Sandstone, hard, gray 

Gypsum and magnesia 

Feldspar (calc-spar?) 

Sandrock, porous 

No samples 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (124 feet penetrated: top, 233 feet below sea level) — 

Slate, black 

Slate, blue 

Limestone 

Slate, blue 



Feet. 

5 

33 

3 

9 



19i 
12" 



12 



4 

15 

9 

1 

10 

50 

20 

10 

330 

110 



Feet. 

5 

38 

41 

50 



63 

97 
107 
1075 
127 
139 
1485 
149 
161 



165 
180 
189 
190 
200 
250 
270 
280 
610 



870 



100 


970 


7 


977 


5 


982 


15 


997 


5 


1,002 


74 


1,076 


19 


1,095 


20 


1,115 


25 


1,140 


60 


1,200 



Outside of the city water, which is generally used, the chief supply 
comes from shallow drift wells, which, with few exceptions, are unfit 
for domestic use, owmg to unavoidable contamination from the sur- 
face, cesspools, coal mines, and open wells. 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 589 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives details of typical wells in Mahaska County: 

Typical wells of Mahaska County. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


217 




360 


63 


182 


40 


179 


25 


140 


27 


120 




220 


38 


124 


30 


170 


134 


600 


S5 


135 


80 


128 


128 



Source of supply. 



Head 
below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 75 N., R. 16 
W. (Gaefield 

AND PART 

OF Speing 
Ceeek). 

Sewer Pipe Man- 
ufacturing Co. 



Oskaloosa. 



Sandstone ("St. 
Louis")- 



Feci. 
35 



Oskaloosa Light 
& Power Co. 



Blake Wilson. . 
J.W.Hunt 



Oskaloosa. 



.do. 



J. K. Hook. 



SE. isec. 28... 

4i miles south- 
west Oska- 
loosa. 

SE. isec. 29... 



do 

Sandstone (Des 
Moines). 

Sandstone ("St. 
Louis"). 



143 
59 



T. 75 N., R. 15 
w. (parts of 
Spring Creek 
AND Adams). 

H. Crookham... 

Spring Creek 

Coal Co. 
A. H. Rogers 

T.76N.,R. 15W. 
(parts Adam,s 
AND Spring 
Creek). 

Moses Barr 



Sec. 29. 



Drift sand. 



W. G. W. An- 
derson. 



SE. isec. 11.. 
NVf. isec. 3. 



SE. isec. 19... 



SYi. i sec. 19. . 



Sandstone ("St. 

Louis"). 
Sandstone (Des 

Moines). 



Sandstone (Des 
Moines?). 



Chiefly "St. 
Louis." 



85 
100 



J, N. Allgood.... 
J. A. Reynolds.. 



NE. isec. 35. 
Sec, 15 



Sandstone ("St. 

Louis"). 
Sand 



6 inches diameter; good clear 
water. Clay, yellow and 
blue, and slate and soapstone 
shale, lOO-f; gravel, some 
water, 5; limestone, solid, 
60-1- ; sandstone, white po- 
rous, water-bearing, 50-1- ; 
limestone, shaly, 2; test 1|- 
inch stream one-half day; 
curb 5 feet below Minneap- 
olis & St. Louis R. R. 

Unused account mineral. 
Yields 6 to 8 gallon flow un- 
der pump. Clear; pleasant 
taste. 

Test 1544- barrels per day. 



Slightly mineral. Soil and clay 
and sand, red, 27; slate, 
chiefly coal, fine clay, lime- 
stone, 46; sandstone "white 
water rock," 37; soft porous 
sand, 30. 



Good water in SO-foot beds; 

sand and gravel. 
4 inches diameter. Pumps 2J 

gallons only. 



Bowlder clay, 60; blue clay, 
soft, 65; wood fragments com- 
mon, log 1 foot thick at bot- 
tom; sand and gravel, 9; 
white sandstone, 35-I-. 

Clay, yellow, bowlder, 35; clay, 
blue, bowlder, 50; shale, 23; 
coal "blossom," 1; clay shale, 
red, 18; limestone and white 
clay interbedded, 38; sand- 
stone (fine water), 10; lime- 
stone, 331; clay shale, light 
colored, 4; sliale, thin, 2; 
limestone and shale, 88. 
Head, 100 feet; lowered to 
180 feet on heavy test ; 4-inch 
casing to sandstone, which is 
fine water bearing and yields 
45 barrels in 24 hours. All 
water united below. Prob- 
ably ends in Kinderhook, 



73 



590 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 
Typical wells of Mahaska County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 76 N., R. 16 
W. (Madison). 

BenCruzen 

J. B. Cruzen. . . . 


S. J sec. 28 

SE. isec. 34... 
Madison 

SW.Jsec. 5... 


Feet. 
216 

196 

172 

225 


Feet. 
50 

19; 


Sandstone (' 

Louis"?). 

Sand 


St. 


Feet. 


Soft water; yields 3 gallons per 
minute. 


T J Ferree 


... do 




To bedrock. Wood in sand at 


Bert Stiger 


150 


Lime stone 

sandstone. 

Sand 


or 


85 


base. 
Good, hard water. 


C. W. Bartlett... 


NW. Jsec. 9.. 


120 
282 

175 
198 


"m" 

115 

85 + 








Mrs. R. H. Davis 


Sandstone (' 

Louis"). 

■'St. Louis" 

Sandstone (' 

Louis"). 


'St. 

"stV 


92 
90 


Good water. Strong test. 

Strong test without lowering. 
Strong well. 


W. B. Stiger.... 
C L. Steddon 


NE. isec. 8... 
Lacey . . 


T. 74 N., R. 15 
W. (Harrison). 




Pekay Mine 

MissLullis 

Owen Mobley... 

T. 74 N., R. 17 

W. (PART OF 

Jefferson). 


NW. J sec. 20.. 

6 miles south- 
east Oska- 
loosa. 

5 miles south- 
east Oska- 
loosa. 


225 
225 

188 


35 

26 

20 


Sandstone (' 
Louis"?). 

Sandstone (' 
Louis"). 

Limestone.. 


'St. 
'St. 


135 


4 gallons per minute on test. 






Walter Jones 

W. T. Knowles.. 


5 miles east 
Bussey. 


105 

203 
100 


15 

20 
24 


Sandstone (Des 

Moines). 
do 






Catherine Strain 

T. 75 N., R. 17 
W. (Scott; 
PART of Jef- 
ferson). 


SE.isec. 14... 


Sandstone (' 
Louis"). 


'St. 




Good hard water. 


J. H. Evans 

E. S. Godfrey, 


W. isec. 25... 
li miles south- 


171 

167 


90 
15 


Sandstone (' 
Louis")- 

Limestone . . 


'St. 




Soil and clay, 38; sand, 4; blue 
clay, 48; slate, 10; limestone, 
40; sandstone, 31. Cased to 
limestone. 

Flows mineral. 


J. J. Henry 

W. R. Lacey.... 


east Tracy. 
SE. isec. 13... 

NE.isec.l... 


177 
198 


19 


Sandstone (' 
Louis"). 

"St. Louis" 


'St. 


120 


Soft water. Strong well. Clays, 
19; slate, 51; coal, 3h; soap- 
stone, etc., 644; limestone, 16; 
sandstone, 23. Cased 142 feet 
to limestone. 

Strong well, test 3484- gallons 
per minute. Surface, 50; 
blue clay, 6; slate, gray, 8; 
sand, 2; sandstone, U; coal, 
J; bowlder (?),§; coal.f; fire 
clav, 1; gray slate, 9; fireclay, 
i; slate, black, 50; sandstone, 
2; limestone, 27; sandstone, 
39. 

Plenty of good water. 


Wra. Velthuzen. 


N W. i sec. 1 . . 
SW. isec. 23.. 


102 
145 


'""2!"' 


Drift sand.. 






Abe Bartlows... 


"St. Louis" 






T. 74 N., R. 14 
W. (Cedar). 








R. Parsell 

T.74N.,R.16W. 
(Des Moines). 


NW. i sec. 5 . . 


207 




Sandstone ("St. 
Louis"). 




Base of Des Moines at 97 feet. 


D. M. Covey 

Fred Oswandle. . 


SE. isec. 3.... 
S W. i sec. 2. . . 


215 
250 


40 
38 


Sandstone (' 

Louis"). 
Osage (?)... 


'St. 




Good soft water. 

Soil and clay, 38; slate, 22; 










limestone, 20; slate and soap- 
stone, 110; hard blue lime- 
stone, 60; sand. Water very 
salty and mineral. Head 
varies with rainfall and 
pumps down rapidly. 
"White water rock" (sand- 
stone in "St, Louis"). 



VAN BUEEN COUNTY. 
Typical wells of Mahasha County — Continued. 



591 



Owner. 



T.74N.,R.16W. 

(Des Moines)— 

Continued. 

D. D. Davis 



Williams Bros... 



T. 77 N., R. 16 
W. (Prairie ). 

Town of New 
Sharon. 



Minneapolis & 
St. Louis R.R. 

New Sharon 
Electric Light 
Co. 



C. G. Tice 

W. Hite 

T. 77 N., R. 15 
W. (Union). 

Allan Bros 



Location. 



S W. i sec. 29. 



Sec. 13. 



New Sharon.. 
New Sharon.. 



Sec. 19. 



Southwest of 
New Sharon. 



NE.Jsec. 22.. 



Depth. 



Feet. 
118 



246 
150 



170 
256 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Feet. 
32 



123 
110 



100+ 



Source of supply. 



Sandstone ("St. 
Louis"). 



(?). 



Sandstone (Des 
Moines). 



Drift sand. 



Sandstone (Des 
Moines). 



do 

Drift sand. 

Osage (?).. 



Head 
below 
curb 



Feet. 
95 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



Surface, 32; slate, 8; coal, 2; 
slate, 28; limestone, 25; sand- 
stone, 23. Water stands at 
top of sandstone. Cased to 
limestone. 

Surface, 42; slate, 58; coal, 5; 
slate, limestone, and shale 
alternating, 212. Gradual in- 
crease of water in limestone 
layers. Weak head, may be 
pumped out. 



Test, 35 gallons per minute. 
Soil, 2^-; clay, yellow above, 
blue below, 77|; sandstone, 
red and white, 70; shale, 
black and gray, 5. Test 35 
gallons per minute, 9-inch 
casing to sandstone. 

Water scanty. 

Soil and yellow clay, 25; sand, 
50; shales, 22; coal, 2; fire 
clay, 3; shales, 8; light shales, 
25; sandstone, white shales, 
40. Pumped 23J hours per 
day for six weeks during 
drought, yielding constantly 
5 gallons per minute without 
lowering. Water from white 
sandstone at 135 feet. Used 
chiefly for boilers. 

White sandstone with FeSa 
concretions. 

Plenty of water in sand over 
shale. 



Clay and sand, 75; limestone, 
solid, 20; slate, 12; limestone, 
thin layers, 100; sandstone, 
15. Tastes very strongly of 
mineral salts. Pouring in 
test: 7 barrels without rise of 
head. 



VAN BUREN COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Van Buren County consists of a once continuous and well-nigh 
level plain modeled by glacial ice, now deeply and intricately carved 
by running water so that only remnants of the initial surface 
remain in the broad flat and imperfectly drained prairies of the north- 
ern part of the county and in the narrow flat-topped divides which 
separate the more closely spaced streamways of the south. 

Des Moines River has trenched the upland to a depth of 100 feet or 
more, crossing the country diagonally from northwest to southeast. 
Fox and Little Fox rivers hold courses parallel with that of the De§ 



592 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Moines and have widened their valleys to a greater degree propor- 
tionately than has the larger river. 

GEOLOGY. 

The lowest beds exposed in the county belong to the Osage group 
of the Mississippian series. They include at the base the upper part 
of the Burlington limestone, consisting of chert with a few thin beds 
of limestone or of luny shale (the "Montrose cherts" of Iowa Survey 
reports). The chert, although too hard to be cut by the drill, is for- 
tunately brittle and is readily broken by the impact of its blows. On 
this chert rests the lower division of the Keokuk limestone, a blue- 
gray, coarse, subcrystallme, and thinly bedded limestone. Next in 
ascending order comes a bed of shale 40 feet thick, distinguished by 
the geodes which it carries. Broken by the drill, these hollow balls 
furnish to the slush bucket crystals of quartz or calcite and chips of 
mUky white translucent chalcedony. Hardly to be distmguished 
from the geode-bearing shales in well records is a bed of overlying 
blue shale and interbedded limestone layers. 

The Osage group is overlain by the "St. Louis limestone," which 
consists of sandy magnesian limestones, shattered limestones made 
up of sharp angular fragments, and compact granular limestones, the 
total thiclaiess reaching nearly 90 feet. The larger part of the county 
is covered by the Pennsylvanian series, with its beds of shale, «sand- 
stone, and coal, underlying fine clay. 

Not exposed within the county, but underlying the "Montrose 
cherts" is the lower part of the Burlington limestone, which forms a 
valuable water bed. This limestone rests on heavy shales (Kinder- 
hook group), which are entered by some of the deeper wells. Near 
Utica these shales lie about 400 feet below the surface of the upland. 

Resting on bedrock or separated from it by stratified sands and 
gravels lies a massive, tough, blue, stony clay, known as the Ne- 
braskan drift. Upon the Nebraskan lies another stony clay, kno^vn 
as the Kansan drift. These two drifts may be parted by sands and 
gravels (Aftonian). The Kansan in its unweathered portions is a 
blue hard till hardly to be told in drillings from the Nebraskan 
except that the latter is usually of a darker tint. In its weathered 
portions the Kansan is a yellow or reddish stony clay, in places 40 
to 50 feet thick. Both drift sheets contain lenses of sand and gravel 
laid down by water from the melting ice. 

The entire county, with the exception of the present flood plains 
of the rivers, is covered with loess, a yellow or gray sUt 2 to 10 feet 
thick. 



VAjST BUEElsr COUNTY, 593 

UNDERGBOUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Sheet water is found so near the surface m river sands and gravels 
on the flood plains of the larger streams that it is tapped by driven 
and open wells. Such wells form the chief domestic supply for the 
towns located on Des Moines River. On Fox River the alluvial area 
is still more extensive in proportion to the size of the stream. 

In places the base of the loess supplies house wells. The chief 
water beds of the drift, however, are sands interbedded between the 
successive sheets of stony clay, beneath the earhest tUl, parting it 
from bedrock. These beds supply very many wells on the more level 
uplands. 

Where drift sands fail to furnish sufficient water there is a good 
prospect of finding it at moderate depths in some of the Mississippian 
limestones or cherts. A number of wells to the Mississippian are 
reported, however, which range from 270 to something more than 400 
feet in depth. The deepest of these are sunk a few feet into the 
Kinderhook, but so far as known no wells in the county have failed 
to find water above this heavy shale. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Bonaparte. — The waterworks at Bonaparte (population, 597), 
owned by the town, are used for fire protection and street sprinkling 
only. Water is pumped from Des Moines River to a standpipe. The 
pressure is from 65 to 125 pounds. There are 2 miles of mams and 
28 fire hydrants. 

Bonaparte (and also Keosauqua) is about 644 feet above sea level 
and hence the base of the Kinderhook should be reached at 275 to 
300 feet above sea level. The drill will then pass into 200 to 300 
feet of Devonian and Silurian limestones, the latter possibly includ- 
ing a water-bearing sandstone near its base. The underlying dry 
Maquoketa shale rests on heavy Hmestones (Galena and Platteville), 
in which water should be obtained above the bituminous shales 
which here occur near the base of the Platteville limestone. The 
St. Peter sandstone should be reached at about 500 feet below 
sea level or 1,100 feet below the surface. A well 1,300 feet in depth 
should obtain an adequate supply of water of fair quahty with a 
head of perhaps 50 feet. As security against the possibihty of the 
St. Peter sandstone faihng to yield enough for a city supply, the 
contract should provide for drilhng, if necessary, to 1,600 feet. 

Farmington. — Farmington (population, 1,165) draws its pubHc 
supply from Des Moines River. Water is pumped raw into a reser- 
voir with a capacity of 300,000 gallons and distributed thence under 
36581°— wsp 293—12 38 



594 



UNDEKGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



a pressure of 80 pounds. There are 16 fire hydrants and 2 miles of 
mains. The water is not used for domestic purposes, open or driven 
house wells being still utilized for this purpose. The waterworks are 
owned by the town. 

A flowing well, 705 feet deep, is reported by C. A. Wliite ^ at 
Farmington (elevation, 567 feet). Its depth would take it to the 
Silurian sandstone beds, and it was probably from these that the 
flow occurred. Large flows may be expected here from about 350 
feet below sea level or about 920 feet below the surface, and a well 
for city supply should be sunk to this depth not only to get more 
water but also to improve its quahty. This depth would take it to 
either the crystalhne Galena dolomite (which in this area is often 
erroneously called by drillers the St. Peter sandstone) or to the St. 
Peter sandstone. The water should head at from 670 to 700 feet 
above sea level, and should be entirely potable, although its mineral 
content will not be low. 

Minor supplies. — Supphes of minor villages are summarized below: 
Town and village supplies of Van Buren County. 





Nature of supply. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Depth 
to 

water 
bed. 


Head below curb. 


Town. 


Shallow 
wells. 


Deep 
wells. 


Birmmgliam 


Wells 


Feet. 
20-65 
20-60 
15-20 

20-n2 
1&-30 
15-60 

70-100 
10-40 


Feet. 
150-200 

26' 

40 


Feet. 
60 
30 
20 
112 


Feet. 


Feet. 
25 


Wells and cisterns 






Douds Leando 

Kilboume 


Driven, bored, and open wells 

Cisterns, open, and drilled wells.. 


12 
15 
15 
8 
40 


6 




Open wells 




Mount Sterling 

Mount Zion 








Wells and cisterns 


100 
45 


46' 


60 


Stockport 


Wells 









WELL DATA. 



The following table gives data of typical wells in Van Buren 

County : 

Typical wells in Van Buren County. 



Owner. 



T. 67 N., R. 10 

W. (PART OF 

Des Moines), 
William Teter.. 
W.C. Fritz.... 



T. 67N., R. 11 

W. (PART OF 

Jackson). 
A. U. Benson.. 







01 





s-^ 


Location. 


^ 




si 


^1 




ft 


^° 


rS 














fi 


fl 


« 


«^ 




Feet. 


In. 


Feet 


Feet. 


Sec. 8 


83 

82 


12 
4 




65 
62 


5 miles south- 


east of Can- 










tril. 










NW.-lsec.l2.. 


290 


4 


280(?) 


290 



Source of 
supply. 



Gravel and 

sand. 
Sand 



Sandstone... 



MS 



Feet. 
35 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



Yields 50 barrels a day. 

Yields 20 barrels a day; 
water iron bearing. 



Yields 2 gallons a niinule; 
water suli)hur bearing. 



1 White, C. A., Rept. Iowa GgoI. Survey, vol. 2, 1870, pp. 272, 355. 



VAN BUREN COUNTY. 



595 



Typical wells in Van Buren County — Continued. 



Owner. 



T. 68N., K. 10 
W. (part of 
DesMoines). 

Edwin De Ford 

J. M. Silver.... 

Manning. 



T. 69N.,R. 10 
W. (part of 
Van Buren). 

L.R. Plowman. 



Siegel 



Britt. 



Drum- 



in ond. 



T. 70N.,R. 10 
W. (Lick 
Creek). 



T. 70N.,R. 11 
W. (Vil- 
lage). 

S. E. McGrew.. 



James Elerick. 



T. 68N.,R. 11 

W. (PART OF 

Jackson). 
Holland. 



T. 69 N., R. 8 
W. (Harris- 
burg). 

Cresswell 



Enderby. 



Location. 



Sec. 27 

NW.isec.29.. 
NW.isec.31.. 



Kilbourne. 



SE.isec. 28. 



NW. isec.13.. 



SE. i sec. 32... 



Pittsburg . 



SE. i NW. 1 
sec. 26. 



SW. Jsec. 21. 
Sec. 20 



SW. isec. 8... 



SW. isec.ll. 



SE. Jsec. 12... 



Feet. 
350 



290 
151 



112 



405 
400 



121 



In. 






Feet. 
200 



(?) 
63 



110 



40 
100 



-2 -a 



Feet. 
270 



250 
110 



2051 



Source of 
supply. 



Limestone . 
do 



Gravel and 
sand. 



Limestone . 



.do. 



...do. 



.do. 



Limestone. 



Siliceous 
rock. 



Gravel . 



Limestone. 



Feet. 



Remarks, 
(logs given in feet). 



Yields 5 gallons per min- 
ute. 

Yields 2 gallons per min- 
ute. 

Yellow clay, 50; blue 
till, 60; water-bearing 
gravel and sand, 41. 



Hill slope; water salty, 
flowing when first 
drilled. 

Upland. Yellow clay, 
reddish clay, light-blue 
clay, dark-blue clay, all 
without sand, 63; lime- 
stone, 87; shale, 3. 

A little caving yellow 
sand under yellow clay, 
with a little water. 
Rock hard limestone 
with some flint. 

Drift clays, 80; black 
sand with foul water, 
10; shale, black 30; 
limestone and shale, 
100; limestone, shale at 
bottom. Water pumps 
down 6 to 200 feet. 

Des Moines River bot- 
toms. Alluvium, 16; 
shale, 10; limestone; 
shale at bottom. 



Creek bottom. Drift, 
110; limestone, 84. 



Water lowers under 
pumping to 47 below 
curb. 

Upland. Yields 5 gal- 
lons per minute. Most- 
ly limestone, except 4 
feet of water-bearing 
stone at 250, and sili- 
ceous rock ("quartz 
rock") near bottom. 



Yellow clay, 23; dark- 
blue clay with some 
sand 65 feet from top, 
181; "rock," rather 
soft, 1|; water-bearing 
clay and sand with 
some gravel, 12. 



Yellow clay, 92; lime- 
stone, yellowish to 
white, 6; limestone, 
white, in thin strata, 
water bearing, 34. 

Yellow clay, 50; blue clay 
with gravel 90 feet be- 
low curb, 70; lime- 
stone, 1. 



596 UNDEKGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells in Van Buren County—Continued. 



Owner. 



T. 69 N., R. 8 
W. (Hauris- 
bueq)— Con. 

C. Davis 



T. 69 N., E. 9 

W. (Wash- 

I N G T O N , 
PARTS OF 

Henry and 
Van Buren) 

C.Miller 



H. B. Edmun- 
son. 



T. 70 N., E. 8 
W. (Cedar). 

George Watson. 

William Brooks 



Location. 



Sec. 8. 



1 J miles north- 
east of Keo- 
sauqua. 



SE. J sec. 26.. 



1 J miles north 

'of McVeigh. 

Utica 



Feet. 
318 



50 

400 



In. 



ft 



Feet. 

85 



111 






Feet. 



Source of 
supply. 



Sand. 



as 



Feet. 



Eemarks. 
(logs given in feet). 



Yellow clay with some 
sand, 35; blue joint 
clay, 5; yellow clay 
with layers of sand and 
some water, 16; hard 
blue till, 29; coal meas- 
ure shales, 17: white 
limestone, 15; blue 
limestone with some 
pyrite, 70; shale, 58; 
limestone, cherty and 
sandy, 3; limestone, 
gray, piuk, and black, 
38; rock, hard, gray, 
cuts the drill, 32. 



Gray clay, 8; sand, 32; 
gravel with water, 2; 
coal, 3; white lime- 
stone, 8; lime and sand, 
8; gray limestone, 30; 
reddish sandstone, 3; 
gray sandstone, 12; 
blue shale, 56. 

Yellow clay, no sand, 90; 
blue clay into 3 inches 
of sand at base, 21; blue 
shale, 55; ocher, 3; 
brown limestone, 10; 
shales alternating with 
limestone, 41; rock, 
very hard, dark, could 
not penetrate it (most 
all chert?) 4. 



Water from white sand 
beneath light-blue clay. 

Yellow clay, 56; light- 
blue clay, 23; dark-blue 
clay, 29; limestone, 257; 
alternate shale and 
limestone, 25; shale 
(Bjnderhook), 10. 



WAPELLO COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson and W. H. Norton. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Wapello County lies about midway between the center and tbe 
southeast comer of the State. Owing to the deep dissection of the 
Kansan tUl plain by the tributaries of Des Moines River the surface 
is generally rough and irregular, the only notable exception being in 
the northeast quarter, where the upland plain is but slightly rolling. 
This area is drained by Cedar Creek and its tributaries into Skunk 
River. These master streams conform to the general southeasterly 



WAPELLO COUNTY. 597 

trend of the more important streams in the eastern part of the State. 
The Des Moines enters at Eddyville, in the northwest corner of the 
county, and leaves just below Eldon, in the southeast corner, flowing 
the entire distance through a broad, deep valley of preglacial origin, 
on the floor of which it has developed a flood plain a mile or two in 
width. The drainage is complete. The relief, though broken, varies 
only from about 625 feet in the Des Moines Valley at its point of exit 
from the county to about 900 feet near the southwest corner. 

GEOLOGY. 

Save where removed by stream erosion, the surface of the entire 
county is covered with a fine light-gray clay, in few places more than 
a few feet thick, which is easily identifiable with the southern loess. 
On the floors of the deeper stream valleys this loess is replaced by 
darker alluvial silts. These are especially prominent on the bottoms 
of the Des Moines Valley, where they cover not only the present 
flood plain, known as the ''bottom," but also form several terraces, 
the most conspicuous of which is known as the ''second bottom." 

Underneath the loess and resting unconformably on the country 
rock is a thicker layer of Kansan drift, composed of mixed clay, sand, 
and gravel. 

The country rock consists chiefly of Carboniferous shale, including 
some beds of sandstone and coal, and belongs to the Des Moines 
group of the Pennsylvanian series. (See PL X, p. 374.) In the 
deeper valleys in the northeast corner of the county, and m the Des 
Moines VaUey for more than half the distance across the county, 
the streams have cut through the Pennsylvanian shales and sand- 
stones to the "St. Louis limestone" of the Mississippian series. 
Below the upper limestones of the "St. Louis" a soft sandstone, 
belonging to the same division and popularly known in this region 
as the "white water sandrock," occurs in a few places. All the strata 
have a very slight southern dip, and in working for coal gentle folds 
and a few small faults have been noted. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Water in Wapello County is obtained from the alluvium, the drift, 
the Des Momes group, the "St. Louis limestone," and from deeper 
rocks. Each is an important source of water in some localities, 
though the first three vary greatly in both quantity and quality. 
The only distinct water province is that formed by alluvial deposits 
of the Des Moines Valley and its chief tributaries. 

In the belt of alluvium half a mile to 2 miles wide lying along the 
Des Moines River valley floor and in very much narrower strips in 



598 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

the lower ends of the tributary valleys bands or belts occur, in which 
water may be found in sandy or gravelly layers, usually withm a 
few feet of the surface. Such water is commonly obtained by means 
of drive points, though dug and bored Vv^ells are numerous. 

The most common source of water in the county is the drift. 
Rarely are any wells now found which secure a supply of water from 
the loess, though in earlier years the sand near the base of the deeper 
portions of loess 3delded a supply sufficient for the scanty needs of 
the pioneer. The drift wells are generally dug or bored to 20 to 30 
feet, though some reach 120 to 130 feet before striking abundant 
water. The shallower wells find a meager supply m sand pockets 
and small veins in the bowlder clay. The most prolific source is, 
however, in a heavy layer of sand and gravel at or near the base of 
the drift. This layer, when found directly overlying the shale, is in 
some places cemented into a ferruginous conglomerate and is so 
similar to the Aftonian gravel as to suggest an older drift sheet. 

The drift waters when uncontaminated are of good quality and, 
being comparatively easy of access and comparatively free from dele- 
terious mineral matter, are generally used for domestic purposes. 
Most of them contain carbonate of lime, and occasionally a fer- 
ruginous precipitate forms in them when they are exposed to the air, 
but neither of these is particularly baneful. 

In villages and in the vicinity of the coal mines these shallow 
waters are subject to pollution and should be used with caution. 
The quantity supplied from the gravel bed at the base of the drift is 
in some places sufiicient for all demands of even large stock farms, 
but generally the drift wells are insufficient except for household 
use or for small farm supplies. Large open wells must be dug to 
increase inflow, and to form suitable storage reservoirs, or the drill 
must be resorted to and a rock well be tried. 

The Des Moines group (or ''Lower Coal Measures," as it is popularly 
called) is composed chiefly of shales with a few beds of sandstone 
and coal. The shales are of no value as water bearers, as they are 
very impermeable and therefore comparatively dry. Water is com- 
monly found in the coal beds, but it is not potable, owing to the 
abundance of iron and sulphur compounds it carries in solution, this 
being characteristic of most of the waters of this group. Some sand- 
stone lenses are so free from mineral as to afford satisfactory supplies, 
but these are local and uncertain. 

Many of the best farm wells of the northern and western portions 
of the county penetrate the coal measures and enter the ''St. Louis 
limestone," the upper part of which consists of a compact, even- 
bedded wliite limestone 20 to 30 feet thick, with cherty and marly 
layers. In some wells a good supply of hard water is found in the 
joints, and in the underlying calcareous sandstone of the "St. Louis," 



WAPELLO COUNTY. 599 

known as the "v/hite water sandrock," a supply of good liard water 
is obtainable in quantities sufficient for all wells for stock. Tliis 
water is rarely mineralized, and it wnll probably prove to be the 
most satisfactory source in the county. It is not much used except 
in the northwest corner on account of the depth at which it lies and 
the expense of drilling to it. 

Whatever doubt may exist as to the correlation of the deeper sand- 
stones (see p. 605) there is fortunately no doubt as to the abundant 
store of water in the upper of the two. It supplies the wells of the Ot- 
tumwa Iron Works and the first well drilled by the Morrell Co., whose 
initial flow is reported at 800 gallons per minute with a 5|-inch bore 
through the water bed. The Young Men's Christian Association well 
did not reach tliis horizon if its depth is correctly reported. In the 
Morrell well No. 4 a small flow was obtained from 975 to 1,190 feet; 
when the well pierced the lower strata of tliis aquifer from 1,190 to 
1,240 (1,260 ? feet), a flow of 1,100 gallons was tested. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

At Larson (formerly Marysville) bored wells draw their supply 
from the sand and gravel layers of the drift at depths ranging from 
20 to 40 feet, though at one point a mile south of the village a drift 
weU 130 feet deep is reported. 

A typical deep drilled well is reported by J. P. Hawthorne, 2 miles 
southeast of Larson. Tliis well penetrates about 100 feet of drift and 
at 200 feet found a strong water-bearing sandstone. The water tastes 
of sulphur, but is a good stock water, yielding strongly to windmill 
with only slight lowering below the 30-foot level. It probably draw^ 
from a sandstone lens in the Des Moines group. 

One of the deepest stock wells of the county is on the farm of Nor- 
man Reese, 4 miles south and 2 east of Larson. The record as 
reported by A. G. Leonard is given to show the relations of the drift, 
the Des Moines group, and the ''St. Louis limestone." 

Record of ivell of Norman Reese. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth- 



Feet. 

Drift clay 60 

Sand 3 

" Soapstone" 15 

Shale, gray 30 

" Soapstone" 20 

Shale, black carbonaceous 7 

Coal 3J 

Shale, blue 15' 

"Soapstone" I 10 to 15 

Shale : 8 

Soapstone 10 to 14 

Shale, black I 100 

Limestone ("St. Louis") alternating with thin, blue layers of "sandstone" { 182 



Feet. 

60 

63 

78 

108 

128 

135 

1384 

153i 

IG?" 

175 

188 

288 

470 



600 UNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

The record shows the characteristic sand horizon at the base of a 
60-foot layer of drift. No sandstone lenses are reported in the Des 
Moines group (coal measures), of which 222 feet were penetrated; 
the ]\Iississippian was entered to a depth of 182 feet. 

Higliland wells about Dahlonega are chiefly bored and dug in the 
drift from 20 to 40 feet. The well of George D. Robertson (sec. 19) is 
typical. It is 40 feet deep and 4 feet in diameter and does not reach 
bedrock. The water enters from sand at 18 feet and stands ordina- 
rily about 10 feet below the surface, but in dry weather the well may 
be pumped out by the windmill. The best drift aquifer evidently lies 
very deep here, for in several places in the northeastern part of the 
township the heavy sand layer at the base of the drift is reached only 
at 120 feet. 

On the farm of F. J. Remir, 2 miles northeast of Dalilonega, several 
wells indicate two quite persistent water beds. The composite sec- 
tion follows : 

Record of tuells on farm of F. J. Remir, near Dahlonega. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil 

Clay, yellow, and loess with light-colored sand. 

Clay, black, with gravel; drift 

Sand and gravel 



Feet. 
2- 3 
10-12 
10-20 



Feet. 
2- 3 
12-15 
22-35 



Temporary hillside springs not uncommonly issue from the sand 
at the base of the loess. 

A few wells are drilled into rock. Among these the most noted is 
that at the county farm in the SE. J sec. 32, Highland Township 
(T. 73 N., R. 13 W.), 462 feet in depth, which reached limestone of 
the ''St. Louis" at 200 feet and its water-bearing sandstone at about 
230 feet. The head is very low, standing about 200 feet below the 
surface and requiring a gasoline engine and force pump. 

The J. Haines farm well, a mile southwest of the village of Kirk- 
ville, draws its supply from the "St. Louis" at a depth of 177 feet. 
A strong flow of water was procured in sandstone of the Des Moines 
group at a depth of 110 feet, though caving prevented its utilization. 
The average well about Kirkville is 20 to 40 feet deep in drift, though 
wells are drilled deeper on stock farms. 

Shallow drift wells are common in the vicinity of Eddyville and 
many in the valley utilize the sand and gravel underneath the allu- 
vium. Good rock wells are, however, more common than in any 
other part of the county, owing to the proximity to the surface of 
the sandstone of the ''St. Louis," the best water bed of this region. 
The limestone of the "St. Louis" is quarried in the bluffs a mile south 
of Eddyville and the sandstone is exposed immediately underneath. 



WAPELLO COUNTY. 601 

Among these rock wells may be mentioned that of A. J. Gardiner 
on the upland (SW. i sec. 19, T. 73 N., R. 15 W.), 220 feet in depth, 
wliich enters the rock at 55 feet and the sandstone at 214. The well 
of G. F. Glass, 3 miles southeast of Eddyville on the river bottom, 
enters rock at 25 feet and the sand rock at 50 feet, the total depth 
being 75 feet. The C. H. Leander well, 3 miles north of Dudley, 185 
feet deep, reached coal measures at 24 feet and the sandstone of the 
"St. Louis" at 157, after passing but 7 feet of limestone. The well 
of George Stevens, 2 miles northwest of Dudley, is 205 feet in depth; 
that of James Harris, 1^ miles southwest of Kirkville, is 177 feet; and 
that of Joe Johnson, 2h miles south of Eddyville on the river bluff, is 
but 120 feet. 

One of the most interesting wells in this vicinity is that of Stephen 
Lewis, just south of Eddyville (sec. 7, Columbia Township). It is a 
characteristic blowing well. As stormy weather approaches the 
water becomes turbid and the well rumbles and roars with a rush of 
air which jars and rattles the pump. Although the water is derived 
from the sandstone of the "St. Louis" at a depth of 80 feet, the air 
apparently issues from the limestone at a depth of perhaps 60 feet. 
The well was drilled in 1903, and at that time the phenomenon was 
most pronounced, but it has gradually decreased since. 

A. J. Leonard, 2 miles northeast of Munterville (sec. 9, Polk), 
reports water at a depth of 124 feet, beneath 24 feet of limestone. 
Another well 1^ miles east of Munterville reached the ''St. Louis" at 
210 feet and penetrated it 20 feet, when an abundant supply was 
found. Near Blakesville the limestone was struck at a depth of 360 
feet. A well in the NW. J sec. 27, Green Township, reached the "St. 
Louis" at 350 feet and its water-bearing sandstone at 370 feet. 

Owing to the thickness of the drift, the slight probability of secur- 
ing satisfactory water in the coal measures, and the depth to the 
"St. Louis," few wells have been drilled in the southeastern part of 
the county. In the vicinity of Agency some bored wells reach a 
depth of 100 feet or over, though depths of 20 to 35 feet are most 
common. A small flowing well was secured in the SE. J sec. 24, 
Agency Township, the flow coming from the Des Moines group at 44 
feet. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Eddyville. — Eddyville is 676 feet above sea level and wells there 
should find the same artesian waters as at Ottumwa, but at greater 
depths. The water-bearing sandstone found at 417 feet below sea 
level at Ottumwa was presumably the St. Peter and should be found 
at Eddyville at about 550 feet below sea level or about 1,225 feet 
below the surface. The logs of the Ottumwa wells are conflicting 
and no set of drillings has ever been preserved. It is possible that the 



602 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

lower sandstone is the St. Peter, and this would be found at Eddyville 
at about 1,375 feet from the surface. It is quite probable that a well 
1,500 feet deep would suffice for the town, but more copious flows can 
be had by drilling deeper, the supply increasing to 2,000 feet at least. 

The static level is such as to bring the water to the surface with a 
probable pressure of 20 pounds. In quality it should be a good 
potable water of the sodic-magnesic sulphated class, provided that the 
upper waters of the Carboniferous and Silurian are cased out. In all 
probability gypsum or anhydrite will be found in the Silurian, and 
water-tight casing should be driven to the Galena. 

Eldon. — The location of Eldon (elevation, 630 feet) in the Des 
Moines Valley gives it an elevation so low that artesian water will be 
found within moderate distance of the surface and wUl rise to the 
curb under a good pressure. The Des Moines Valley extends here 
approximately along the line of strike of the strata, and the Ordo- 
vician dome of southeastern Iowa causes a slight rise toward the 
southeast, the dip from Keokuk to Ottumwa measured on the St. 
Peter being 1.6 feet to the mile. At this rate the water bed supposed 
to be the St. Peter at Ottumwa (PL X) would be encountered at 
Eldon at 400 feet below sea level, or about 1,030 feet below the sur- 
face; but the absence of complete and reliable data both at Ottumwa 
and at Keokuk makes accurate estimates impossible. Above the 
supposed St. Peter, water may be expected in the limestones of the 
Devonian and SHurian; below the St. Peter, for several hundred feet, 
the flow should be largely increased from creviced and porous dolo- 
mitic beds and intercalated sandstones. 

If the upper Mississippian waters are cased out the well should 
supply a potable water of fair quality of the sodic-magnesic sulphated 
class. Sodium sulphate may be the chief mineral m solution, but 
some sodium chloride, or common salt, wUl also be found. The pres- 
sure of the water at the curb may reach 20 to 25 pounds. 

Ottumwa. — The public water-supply franchise for Ottumwa (popu- 
lation, 22,012) was granted to the Public Water Co. in December, 
1903, for a period of 25 years. The water was formerly drawn from 
a power canal leading from Des Moines River opposite Turkey Island 
down past the main pump house in the city, 1^ miles below. Dams 
across the two channels of the river connected with a levee divert 
the water into the canal, and this stiU furnishes the greater part of 
the power necessary to operate the plant. 

The water is now obtained in part from a well 20 feet in diameter 
and 25 feet deep, sunk on the island just above the levee. An infil- 
tration gallery, 250 feet long and 7 by 8 feet in cross section leads 
into the well. As this supply is inadequate tlie additional amount 
necessary is taken direct from the river through an 8-mch intake 
pipe. 



WAPELLO COUNTY. 603 

A pumping station at the well on the island is equipped with two 
electrically driven pumps, each having a capacity of 5,000,000 gallons 
a day, which force the water against a head of 44 pounds through 
the two 24-inch pipes leading to the main pumping station. To 
avoid danger of accident during high water these pumps are set in a 
steel tank 18 feet square and 15 feet deep, the top being well above 
high-water level, and the suction of both connected with a header 
through which water may be drawn from the well, the river, the sedi- 
mentation basin, or all of them. 

The main pumping plant is in a modern fireproof station 67 by 90 
feet. Water and steam are both provided for power, the former 
through the canal, which operates five turbines under a head of 7^ 
feet. These furnish sufficient power for most of the year. Four 
horizontal boilers supply the steam power. Two water-power pumps, 
one having a capacity of 2,000,000 and the other of 3,000,000 gallons, 
are connected with a 125-horsepower Corliss engine m such a way 
that they may be operated by steam if necessary. There is also a 
steam turbine pump having a capacity of 5,000,000 gallons. Two 
electric generators, one driven by water and the other by steam, gen- 
erate the current needed to operate the pumps on Turkey Island and 
the pumps at the auxiliary station at the reservoir and light the 
company's buildings. 

The city is built on two levels, the business district being on the 
"second bottom" of Des Moines River and the modern residential 
district on the bluffs, about 180 feet above. It therefore requires 
two waterworks systems. The lower level is supplied with water 
under a head of 210 feet, from a reservoir of 2,000,000 gallons capac- 
ity, receiving its supply directly from the pumps of the main station. 
The higher part of the city is supplied with water under the same 
head by a motor-driven pump located at the reservoirs. 

Two standpipes, each 56 feet in height and 6 feet in diameter, 
located on the 24-inch mains, one at either pumping station, regulate 
the flow in the pipes and give head to operate an old series of 
Jewell filters when the river water is in such condition as to require 
filtering. 

A new sedimentation basin at the island station and a clear-water 
reservoir at the nearer station are contemplated at an early date.^ 

On the "second bottom" of Des Moines River, a terrace about 20 
feet above low water, driven wells have generally replaced the older 
open dug weUs. These average between 15 and 20 feet in depth 
between Main Street and the river and have a maxunum of about 30 
feet in the vicinity of the fair ground. The water occurs in alluvial 
sand so fuie that ordinary screens are of no use, and 60 to 120 gauze 
is required with large exposure. 

1 Eng. Record, vol. 53 (1906), No. 13, p. 430. Fire and Water Eng., Feb. 3, 1906, p. 54. 



604 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Between Main Street and the foot of the bhiflfs bored wells fitted 
with 6-inch drain tiles are common. The fineness of the alluvial silt 
and sand causes the water to be somewhat turbid. 

On the bluff dug wells are still used though the supply there is from 
the drift and is meager and of poor quality. Cisterns are frequently 
used for domestic supply. 

A sprmg worthy of mention is that of William Wheaton in the 
northeastern portion of the city, from which 75 to 100 barrels per 
day flow. The water is stored in a tank by means of wind and gas 
engines and sold for household use throughout the city. 

On the south side of the river practically all the wells are driven, 
the only exceptions being in the west end where the sandstone of the 
''St. Louis" is found within 15 or 20 feet of the surface and is occa- 
sionally utilized; the well of B. A. Williams enters it to a depth of 
80 feet. The average well is about 24 feet in depth. The water- 
bearing sand is here overlain by 10 to 12 feet of yellow clay and is 
generally coarser than on the north side. The water is generally 
good though hard, and is inexhaustible. After a time the point is 
coated over with sand cemented into a conglomerate with lime and 
iron. The fact that but a few feet of loamy clay separates the city 
from its water supply makes tliis sand a questionable source of supply. 

The Wabash Railroad Co. uses for boiler supply a battery of 17 
driven wells wliich reach the rock. The water is pumped into a 
30,000-gallon tank, from wluch about 10,000 gallons a day are used 
without ever running short. Though somewhat hard, the tliin scale 
which forms breaks easily and the water does not cause foaming. 

Similar results are obtained at the Dam Manufacturing Co. plant, 
where all of the water used comes from the alluvial sands. In the 
open heater a slight yellow iron precipitate is formed and a thin flaky 
scale forms. The water stands 10 to 12 feet below the surface. 

The country rock at Ottumwa is the Des Moines group. (See 
PI. X, p. 374.) For the nature and tliickness of the deeper formations 
dependence must be placed entirely on the identifications of the 
driller's logs, in the absence of any drillings from any of the wells. In 
a number of important points these logs are in substantial agreement, 
and correlations may be made with considerable assurance. But the 
real natures of several strata and their places in the geologic column 
remain in doubt because of the total lack of direct lithologic evidence. 

After passing through tliin superficial deposits the drill penetrates 
the rapidly alternating hmestones, cherts, shales, and sandstones of 
the ''St. Louis limestone" and the Osage group. The shales of the 
Kinderhook are reached at about 200 feet above sea level and appar- 
ently extend to about 40 feet above sea level or even lower. Leaving 
the Eanderhook, the drill passes into a complex of limestones with 
more or less shales interbedded at different horizons, the whole 



WAPELLO COUNTY. 605 

attaining a tliickness of 300 to 375 feet. The lower 125 to 150 feet 
of tliis complex is described by one log as ''limestone/' as "caving 
rock" by a second, and as ''shale" by a tliird. The drill next 
encounters a sandy limestone from 75 to 125 feet thick. As at least 
some of the drillers seem to have had wide experience, and as they 
speak of the arenaceous dolomites of the Prairie du Chien group in 
the same terms it is quite probable that it is here a true arenaceous 
limestone rather than a hmestone which crushes under the drill into 
crystalline sand. All logs agree that this sandy limestone rests on a 
water-bearing sandstone from 75 to 100 feet thick, whose top may be 
reckoned at about 430 feet below sea level by an average of proba- 
bilities, although variously placed in the logs. Below tliis lies 100 
feet of limestone from wliich the drill passes into 20 feet of green 
shale overlying a white sandstone 40 feet tliick whose summit stands 
at about 630 feet below sea level. 

Either the first or the second of these sandstones is the St. Peter, 
but which of the two it is must be left in doubt, although the question 
could be settled at once by inspection of cuttings if these had been 
preserved. Favoring the theory that the lower sandstone is the St. 
Peter is the fact that it is called a white sandstone and that it is over- 
lain by a shale definitely stated to be green. We seem to have here 
the association of the St. Peter sandstone and the green shale of the 
Platteville found in all near-by deep wells, as indeed it is found in 
almost all the deep wells of the State. The fact that no shale is 
reported overlying the upper sandstone favors tliis reference. The 
upper sandstone and the sandy limestone wliich rests upon it, then, 
fall to the Silurian and may be taken as the equivalent of the water- 
bearing Silurian sandstones found at Centerville and Washington 
and certified at these two stations by cuttings of the strata. 

Bearing against this reference is the thinness of the beds interven- 
ing between the two sandstones, which must represent the entire 
thickness of the Maquoketa, Galena, and Platteville. At Centerville 
these beds are about 290 feet thick, at Washington about 450, and at 
Pella upward of 500 feet tliick, and at Ottumwa the logs allow for 
them only about 120 feet. (See PI. X, p. 374.) The fact that the 
Maquoketa is absent from the section, as no shale underlies the upper 
sandstone, is not decisive, since it is also absent at Centerville, 
although present in force at points north and west of Ottumwa. 

If the upper sandstone is assumed to be the St. Peter, the shale 
reported in one well at from 137 to 307 feet below tide must be 
referred to the Maquoketa, but as tliis rests directly upon the "sandy 
limestone" and as less than 150 feet intervene between the shale and 
the sandstone the same difficulty recurs as to the thinning out of the 
Galena and Platteville. 



606 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



If it be assumed that the lower of the two sandstones is the St. 
Peter, the drill at about 1,300 feet passes out of it into the Prairi-e du 
Chien group, with perhaps still lower terranes undistinguished from 
it with the evidence at hand, the whole formhig a complex of lime- 
stones, sandy limestones, and sandstones extending, according to the 
logs, to the bottom of the deepest well, 1,562 feet below sea level. 
The description of these strata as given in the Ottumwa well logs is 
altogether similar to that given of the Prairie du Chien wherever 
found. In a general way the Prairie du Chien at Ottumwa tallies with 
the beds below the St. Peter at Centerville. From 800 to 1,250 feet 
below sea level these beds are generous in their yield. 

The Ottumwa Iron Works well is 1,150 feet deep and 6 inches in 
diameter; casing to 600 feet packed with lead at bottom. The curb 
is 648 feet above sea level. The original head was 50 feet above curb; 
the present head is above curb. Water comes from 1,040 feet. Tem- 
perature, 62° F. The well was completed in 1888, at a cost of $3,000. 

This well has shown loss of pressure. It still overflows and is used 
to supply water-closets at the works. The lessened flow is attributed 
to defective packing and to the loss in the well of a smaller pipe that 
was being inserted. The sinking of other weUs has not affected the 
discharge. The strata penetrated are said to be mostly limestone to 
the water bed at 1,040 feet, and below that sandstone. 

The Artesian Well Co. weU No. 1 has a depth of 2,047 feet and a 
diameter of 8 inches; cased to 1,200 feet. The curb is about 648 feet 
above sea level. The original head was 108 feet above curb by pres- 
sure; the present head is 103 feet above curb. The original and 
present flow is about 700 gallons per minute. Water comes from 
1,015 feet. The temperature is variously reported as 70° F. and 67° 
F. Date of completion, 1889. In 1904 the well was repaired by 
recasing to 30 feet below the curb, where a leakage was found to occur. 



Driller's log of Artesian Well Co. {well No. 1) at Ottumwa. 





Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Loam 


Feet. 

21 

21 

14 

30 

60 

19 

41 

30 

195 

160 

380 

96 

110 

200 

19 

319 

332 


Feet. 
21 


Limestone 


42 


Shale 


56 




86 


Limestone 


146 


Shale 


165 


Sa.nrlstnnfij flinty 


206 


Sandstone . . . . . 


236 




431 


Shale 


591 


Limestone 


971 




1,067 


Sandstone, white. , 


1,177 




1,377 


Slate 


1,396 


Limestone . 


1,715 




2,047 







WAPELLO COUNTY. 607 

The Artesian Well Co. well No. 2 is 1 ,552 feet deep and 8 inches in 
diameter; cased to 1,200 feet; packed down 100 feet with concrete. 
The curb is about 648 feet above sea level and the head about 76 feet 
above curb. The flow is about 300 gallons a minute, the water com- 
ing from 1,250 feet. Temperature, 70° F. The well was completed 
in 1897 by J. F. Kearns, of Ottumwa. 

The Young Men's Christian Association building well is 800 feet 
deep. The curb is about 648 feet above sea level and the head, by 
pressure, 9 feet above curb. The flow is 33 gallons a minute; tem- 
perature, 65° F. The well is used to supply a swimming pool and 
baths. 

The packing house well No. 1 of John Morrell & Co. (Ltd.) has a 
depth of 1,110 feet. The curb is 643 feet above sea level. The first 
flow came in at 280 feet, and increased at 710 feet, the main flow 
being struck at 1,015 feet. The well was completed in 1888. It was 
reamed out in 1892 by the original drillers, J. P. MUler & Co., to a 
diameter of 12 inches to 19 feet, 8 inches to 518 feet, and 5f inches to 
bottom. The flow was then 800 gallons a mmute. The pumping 
capacity in 1908 was 207 gallons a minute. The head in 1895 was 35 
feet above curb; in 1896, 32 feet above curb. The loss of flow was 
gradual and was attributed to fUhng with sediment. No repairs have 
been made since 1892. 

Driller's log of packing-house well No. 1 of John Morrell & Co., Ottumwa. 

Depth 
in feet. 

Surface 80 

Slate 100 

Slate and lime 110 

Lime and sand 215 

Solid lime 255 

Water flowed 280 

Lime 312 

Lime and streaks of sand 330 

Lime 360 

Shale 440 

Solid rock 625 

Flow increased 710 

Sandstone (water l:)earing) 1, 015 

Sandstone 1, 100 

Packing-house well No. 2 of John Morrell & Co. (Ltd.) has a depth 
of 1,554 feet and a diameter of 10 inches to 25 feet, 9f inches to 97 
feet, 8 inches to 540 feet, 6 inches to 994 feet, 5 inches to 1,320 feet, 
and 4 inches to bottom; casing, from surface to 25 feet, from 437 to 
540 feet, from 842 to 994 feet, from 1,244 to 1,320 feet. The curb 
is 643 feet above sea level. The original head was 57 feet above 
curb; the head in 1893, 49 feet above curb. The original flow was 



608 



UNDERGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



1,000 gallons a minute, and the tested capacity in 1908, 214 gallons 
a minute. No repairs. Loss attributed to filKng with sediment. 
The water comes from 1,085 feet. Temperature, 64° F. The well 
was completed in 1892 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

Driller's log of packing-house well No. 2 of John Morrell & Co., OttUTnwa. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Surface 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Caving rock 

Sandy limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Caving rock 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Shale and sand.. 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Sandv limestone 



Feet. 



71 
344 
90 
150 
35 
140 
130 
65 
65 
110 
15 
70 
170 
50 
24 



Feet. 

17 

25 

96 

440 

530 

680 

715 

855 

985 

1,050 

1,115 

1,225 

1,240 

1,310 

1,480 

1,530 

1,554 



Packing-house well No. 3 of John Morrell & Co. (Ltd.) has a depth 
of 1,702 feet and a diameter of 10 to 6f inches; casing, 8 inches from 
surface to 1,360 feet, later, 10 inches from surface to 76 feet; from 
1,360 to 1,702 feet uncased. The curb is 643 feet above sea level and 
the original head was 50 feet above curb. The original flow was 
1,500 gallons a minute; pumping capacity, in 1908, 244 gallons a min- 
ute. No repairs. Temperature 67° F. The well was completed in 
1898 by J. P. Kearns, of Forrestville, N. Y. It was first bored to 
1 ,702 feet with a diameter of 8 inches below 425 feet. As some trouble 
was experienced with caving rock at from 1,210 to 1,360 feet, and as 
the well yielded only 900 gallons a minute, it was reamed to 10 inches 
to a depth of 1,360 feet and an 8-inch pipe inserted to tliis depth, when 
the discharge was increased to 1,500 gallons a minute. 

Packing-house well No. 4 of John Morrell & Co. (Ltd.) has a depth 
of 2,205 feet and a diameter of 12 to 6| inches; casing to 1,310 feet, 
with hemp packer. The curb is 643 feet above sea level. The head, 
in 1905, was 46 feet above curb. The original flow was 1,450 gallons 
a minute; tested capacity in 1908,1,500 gallons a minute. A small 
flow came in at 1,190 feet; a flow of 1,100 gallons, tested, at 1,260 
feet, and of 1,450 gallons, tested, at 1,896 feet; all rocks were water 
bearing between 1,451 and 1,896 feet; no increase at 2,205 feet. 
Temperature, 70° F. The well was completed in 1905 by J. P. Mller 
& Co., of Chicago. 



WAPELLO COUNTY, 



609 



Driller's log'^ of packing-house well No. 4 of John Morrell & Co., at Ottitmwa {PI. X, 

p. 374). 




Siu'face 

Small stone and rock 

Limestone and shale, mixed 

Shale and limestone ■ 

Limestone, solid 

Streaks of shale and stone 

Limestone 

Shale 

Sandy limestone 

Sandstone and limestone, small flow 

Water rock (1 ,100 gallons flow) 

I^imestone (water bear ng) 

Shale, green 

Sandstone, white 

Limestone, with streaks of shale 

Sandstone, white 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone 

Sand or sandy limestone 

Limestone with crevices 

Sandstone, white 

Limestone with streaks of sandstone 

Limestone 

Limestone, sandy 

Limestone 

Sandstone, white 

Limestone, sandy, with crevices 

Limestone 

Limestone, sandy, or hard sandstone 

Limestone 

Limestone, sandy, or hard sandstone 

Sandstone 

L mestone, hard 

Sandstone, with streaks of limestone 

Same as above, but thicker streaks (15 to 20 feet) 

Limestone, hard 

Limestone, sandy 



Feet. 
22J 
63J 
334 
205 
35 
50 
60 
170 
125 
115 
50 
20 
16 
38 
11 
5 
25 
10 
58 
28 
34 
58 
22 
57 
10 
33 
15 
65 
45 
45 
15 
27 
19 
129 
73 
62 
30 
15 



Feet. 

22^ 

96 

430 

635 

670 

720 

780 

950 

1,075 

1,190 

1,240 

1,240 

1,276 

1,314 

1,325 

1,330 

1,355 

1,365 

1,423 

1,451 

1,485 

1,543 

1,565 

1,622 

1,632 

1,665 

1,680 

1,745 

1,790 

1,835 

1,850 

1,877 

1,896 

2,025 

2,098 

2,160 

2,190 

2,205 



0- Log below 1,240 feet sent by driller to the Survey. Log above this depth supplied by the company, 
probably from the log of another driller. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Wapello County: 

Typical wells of Wapello County. 



Owner. 



John Curtis 

James Harris 

George Stevens. . . 
C. H. Leander... 

Joe Johnson 

S. H. Lamis 

A. J. Gardiner. . . 
J. P. Hawthorne. 
G. F. Glass 



Location. 



3 J miles east of 

'Eddyville. 
14 miles southwest 

'of Kirkville. 

2 miles northwest 
of Dudley. 

3 miles north of 
Dudley. 

24 miles south of 

"Eddyville. 
2J miles east of 

Eddyville. 
3J miles south of 
Eddyville. 

2 miles south of 
Farson. 

3 miles southeast 
of Eddyville. 



Depth. 



165 
177 
205 
185 
120 

80 
220 
217 

75 



Depth 
to rock. 



91 
9 
20 
40 
16 
25 
55 
100 
25 



Source of supply. 



Sandstone ("St. 

Louis"), 
do 



.do. 
.do. 



Sandstone (Des 

Moines?). 
Sandstone ("St. 

Louis"). 
Sandstone (Des 

Moines). 
do 



Sandstone ("St. 
Louis"). 



Head 

below 
curb. 



100 
125 



Hemarks. 



Hard water. 

A good well. 
Good soft water. 
Good water. 
A blowing well. 
Hard water. 
" Sulphur taste." 



36581°— wsp 293—12- 



-39 



610 UNDEKGEOUND WATER EESOUKCES OF IOWA. 

WASHINGTON COUNTY. 

By W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Washington County is situated in the third row of counties north 
of the Missouri hne and in the second west of Mississippi River. Its 
relief is due almost wholly to the dissection of an ancient plain of 
glacial drift molded by a continental glacier to a well-nigh flat and 
even surface. The rivers of the area have cut their valleys in this 
once continuous upland to depths of 175 feet and more. Bordering 
the larger streams the country is "broken" into a succession of 
ridges and closely spaced ravines. The interstream areas, however, 
are still largely uncarved by any sharp or well-marked channels and 
form tabular divides traversed by shallow swales that mark the 
beginnings of the tributary streams. The area may thus be divided 
into fiat uplands, called "prairies," and slopes, called "breaks" where 
somewhat rugged. Iowa River forms part of the eastern boundary 
of the county, but as it saps the right-hand valley bluffs its bottom 
lands lie outside the county limits. Skunk River flows over a wide 
alluvial floor. English River has developed a flood plain 1^ miles 
wide for nearly 6 miles from the western county line. 

GEOLOGY. 

Washington County lies wholly within the area of outcrop of the 
Mississippian series, of which the Kinderhook group, the Osage group, 
and the "St. Louis limestone" are exposed to view. The lowest 
group, the Kinderhook, includes heavy shales overlain by earthy 
magnesian limestones and gritstones, the total thickness being esti- 
mated at 200 feet. Upon the Kinderhook rests the Osage group, 
made up of massive coarsely crystalline limestones. In the southern 
and southwestern parts of the county the Osage is overlain by the 
"St. Louis limestone," consisting of limestones, shale, and sandstones. 
Some of the limestone is a breccia; that is, it is composed of angular 
fragments cemented together. Small isolated patches of coal meas- 
ures are also found in this county — outliers of the coal fields of the 
Des Moines group. (See Pis. X, XIV.) 

The Pleistocene of Washington County includes but two drift 
sheets. Immediately upon the country rock lies the Nebraskan 
drift sheet — a tough, hard, dark-blue stony clay, in many places con- 
taining small fragments of coal and bits of wood, and in some places 
at its base glacial gravels. Directly upon the Nebraskan or sepa- 
rated from it by stratified sands and gravels and in a few places by 
an old soil or forest beds — interglacial deposits known as the Aftonian — 
lies the Kansan drift sheet. Tliis stony clay is normally blue in color 
but is oxidized and turned yellow for a considerable distance below 



WASHINGTON COUNTY. 611 

its surface. Upon the Kansan lies the loess — a thin, yellow, or gray 
gritless silt or dust deposit, which everywhere mantles the uplands of 
the county. The average depth of the Pleistocene over the county 
probably exceeds 100 feet. ~ 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

The water-bearing beds of Washington County consist of the allu- 
vial sands and gravels of the flood plains of the rivers, the glacial 
sands and gravels of the Pleistocene, and the limestones of the 
Mississippian. The first named are Hmited to portions of the valleys 
of Skunk and English rivers and their larger affluents. The second 
forms a province as wide as the entire county. The third, or Missis- 
sippian, also includes all the county with the exception of a deep 
buried river channel extending from northwest to southeast through 
the town of Washington, and hence designated the Washington 
channel. Along the line of this ancient river valley the limestones 
have been cut away to great depth and water is sought and found in 
glacial sands. 

On the flat uplands ground water stands high, and house weUs and 
wells adequate for small farms with little live stock may be obtained 
in many places within 50 feet of the surface. 

A soft gray silt, underlying the yellow loess and attaining in places 
a thickness of 15 feet, supplies many shallow wells. A second water 
bed, consisting of streaks of reddish sand and gravel varying in 
thickness from 2 to 3 feet up to 20 and even 30 feet underlies the 
yellow pebbly clay of the area. A portion of this sand is often 
cemented to "hardpan"; and a good roof of hardpan overlying 
water-bearing sand and gravel may be reckoned as distinct good 
fortune to the well maker. 

A third water bed is found in layers of reddish sand and gravel 
underlying the blue pebbly clay of the drift (either the Nebraskan 
or the unaltered Kansan) and resting on the country rock. This sand 
is said by driUers to be thin and seldom supplies water in adequate 
amount. 

Washington channel supplies many deep wells from its buried 
sands. In the town well of Washington a large amount of water was 
struck at 235 feet in these sands, and a number of farm wells tap 
them at depths exceeding 200 feet. 

The chief water beds of the county are those of the bedrock. The 
upper rock layers broken by preglacial weathering into spalls, caUed 
''shelly rock" by drillers, constitute a waterway of much importance. 

The limestone of the Osage group, which is found immediately 
underlying the drift over the larger part of the county, yields copious 



612 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECBS OF IOWA. 

supplies from porous layers and from seams separating massive beds. 
Some drillers report that the cherts and flinty beds interleaved with 
the limestones of the Osage are especially reliable as water carriers. 
Water-bearing crevices, where the drill drops a foot or more, are said 
not to be uncommon in this easily soluble limestone. 

Water may also be found in the "St. Louis limestone" which forms 
the country rock over the southwestern part of the county. 

The thick shales of the Kinderhook group wiU be found dry. When 
they are reached without obtaining a sufficient supply of water the 
question of going deeper should be carefully considered. If this is 
decided against, the well may be shot with nitroglycerin at the top 
of the shale, the well having been filled up to this height if the drilling 
has been continued below it. The well of Mr. L. Stout, in Brighton 
Township, reached a depth of 425 feet, having been sunk 215 feet in 
the Kinderhook. The well was then plugged at the top of the shale 
and shot with nitroglycerin, the flow being trebled in amount by 
the operation. In case tliis heroic treatment is not successful, the 
only course remaining is to abandon the drill hole and drill again in 
some other place, as torpedoing a well makes it impossible to sink 
it deeper. 

Some notes may be added as to conditions in different townships. 
In Brighton Township wells about Verdi are from 80 to 120 feet in 
depth and draw their water from a blue flinty limestone with some 
streaks of shale which may be referred to the Osage. In Marion 
Township a highly mineralized corrosive water is found in drift sands 
and gravels, rock not being reached. In West Franklin, Duck Creek, 
and Seventy Six townships weUs find the rock usually at about 100 
feet, and obtain water in the ''shelly rock" immediately beneath the 
drift. In the latter township, however, a strip of "deep country" 
extends from the Keokuk County line for 5 or 6 miles on the north 
side of Crooked Creek and parallel with it. There rock is said to lie 
from 200 to 400 feet from the surface and most wells are "sand wells." 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Ainsworth: — At Ainsworth (population, 408) the waterworks are 
owned by the town. Distribution is made by compressed air under 
a pressure of 65 pounds. There are three-fourths of a mile of mains, 
7 fire hydrants, and 60 taps. The capacity of the system is 12,000 
gallons daily and the consumption is but 4,000 gallons. 

Washington. — The town of Washington (population, 4,489) draws 
its supply from deep wells. The consumption per diem is 200,000 
gallons. The domestic pressure is 47 pounds and the fire pressure 
from 90 to 100 pounds. There are 9 miles of mains, 73 fire hydrants, 
and 600 taps. The waterworks are the property of the city. 



WASHINGTON COUNTY, 613 

Record of strata of a well drilled in Washington previous to 1888 {PI. X, p. 374; PI. 

XIV, p. 548). a 

Pleistocene (350 feet thick; top, 738 feet above sea level): 

Sand, gravel, blue clay; forest bed with peaty naatter and in teet. 

cones of Abies nigra at 115 feet 115 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

Ktnderhook group (108 feet thick; top, 388 feet above sea 
level) : 

Shales, dark; in part calcareous; samples to 432 

Devonian (74 feet thick; top, 280 feet above sea level): 

Limestones and shales; at 458 feet, limestone light colored 
magnesian, with fragments of Atrypa reticularis Linn, and 

Athyris vittata Hall; samples to 500 

Silurian (170 feet thick; top, 206 feet above sea level): 
■ Sandstone; calciferous at 532 feet; purer at 585 feet; continu- 
ing to 632 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (101 feet thick; top, 36 feet above sea level) — 
Shale; bluish or greenish, some with sand; some with 

calcareous matter ; samples continuing to 793 

Galena and Platteville limestones (297 feet thick; top, 65 
feet below sea level): 

Limestone, grayish; samples 803-963 

Limestone and dark fine-grained, carbonaceous shale.. 1,020 

Limestone; facies of Platteville 1, 059 

Sandstone 1, 082 

Shale, arenaceous 1, 084-1, 095 

St. Peter sandstone (128 feet thick; top, 362 feet below sea 
level) : 
Sandstone, pure white, granular; resembling refined 
sugar; some drillings changed to reddish or brownish 

by atmosphere and moisture; samples from 1, 100-1, 200 

Shale, bluish 1, 228 

Prairie du Chien group: 

Shakopee dolomite (2 feet penetrated; top, 490 feet below 
sea level) : 
Sandstone, gray 1, 230 

City well No. 1 has a depth of 1,611 feet and a diameter of 10 to 4| 
inches; casing, 10-inch to 244 feet, 6J-inch to 461 feet, 5|-inch from 
563 to 818 feet, 4i-inch from 1,400 to 1,468 feet. The original head 
was 44 feet below curb; head in 1896, 54 feet below curb; head in 
1907, 133 feet below curb. The well is now pumped with air lift; 
capacity, 95 gallons per minute. The temperature is variously 
reported as 72° and 74° F. The well was completed in 1891 by 
J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

City well No. 2 (Pis. X, XIV) has a depth of 1,217 feet and a diame- 
ter of 12 to 6 inches. The head is 58 feet below curb. Water was 
found at 300 feet, but was cased out, the present supply coming 
from 1,105 feet; capacity, 62 gallons per minute. The well was 
completed in 1897 by O. G. Wilson. 

a Adapted from report by Calvin: Am. Geologist, vol. 1, 1888, pp. 28-31. 



614 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

City well No. 3 has a depth of 1,808 feet; casing, 14 inches to 256 
feet, 10 inches to 610 feet, and 8 inches to 1,470 feet. The curb 
is 738 feet above sea level; the initial head was 100 feet below the 
curb; head in 1911, 70 feet below curb. The capacity under com- 
pressed air is 300 gallons per minute. The water comes chiefly from 
1,808 feet. The well was completed in 1908 by C. B. Brant, of 
Indianapolis, Ind., at a cost of $10,000. 



Water levels in Washington city well No. 


S while well 


was 


being 


drilled 




Geologic division. 


Depth. 


Head 
below 
curb. 




500 
563 
1,215 
1,365 
1,670 
1,808 


200 


Silurian . 


120 




110 




95 




83 


St. Lawrence formation 


80 







Description of strata of city well No. 3 at Washington. Depth 

in feet. 

Quaternary (235 feet thick; top, 738 feet above sea level) 235 

Carboniferous (Mississippian?): 

Sandstone, buff and reddish buff; microscopic angular grains; 

flint of same color 242 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

Kinderhook gi'oup (198 feet thick; top, 503 feet above sea 
level) : 

Shale, light blue, plastic, gritless 265 

Shale, hard, brownish drab, fissile 360 

Shale, hard, green gray, calcareous; in rounded chips; 

washed 385 

Devonian (101 feet thick; top, 305 feet above sea level). 
Silurian (29 feet thick; top, 204 feet above sea level): 

Dolomite, light buff; siliceous, with microscopic quartzose 
particles, and cherty, with white calciferous sandstone; 
grains fine, imperfectly rounded; chips show microscopic 

quartz crystals 534 

Dolomite, dark drab mottled; light-gray, pyritiferous, slightly 
quartzose residue ; with white chert ; some quartz , as above . . 563 
Ordovician : 

Maquoketa shale (147 feet thick; top, 175 feet above sea 
level): 
Shale, light gi'een, plastic; noncalcareous; in molded 

masses 563 

Shale, drab, hard noncalcareous 615 

Shale, green, hard, noncalcareous 620 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone (398 feet 
thick; top, 28 feet above sea level): 

Dolomite, dark brown, granular crystalline, argilla- 
ceous, of Galena facies; and yellow, earthy; 

3 samples 710-790 

Limestone, light gray; rapid effervescence; cherty; 

7 samples 900-980 

Limestone, light drab and yellow-gray; with 
brown, and highly inflammable shale 1, 030 



WASHINGTON COUNTY. 615 

( )rdovician — Continued. 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone (398 feet 
thick; top, 28 feet above sea level) — Continued. 

Shale; as above; with light brown and gray lime- I'epth in feet. 

stone 1, 037 

Shale ; hard green ; and limestone as above ] , 043 

Limestone, light yellow-gray and brown; rapid 

effervescence; 4 samples 1, 050-1, 085 

Dolomite, brown, hard, crystalline 

Shale, hard, green, fissile; and sandstone; white 
rolled noncalcareous grains; larger grains about 
0.8 millimeter diameter (in log of earlier well 
this horizon is given as sandstone 2 feet, arena- 
ceous shale 16 feet) 1, 090 

St. Peter sandstone (103 feet thick; top, 370 feet below 
\ sea level): 

Sandstone, white; well rounded grains, larger up to 

1 millimeter diameter; 2 samples 1, 115-1, 117 

Sandstone, fine; grains imperfectly rounded, rusted, 

native color, white; 7 samples 1, 150-1, 208 

Prau'ie du Chien group: 

Shakopee dolomite (142 feet thick; top, 473 feet 
below sea level): 
Shale, light green; in hard molded masses; 

some quartz sand 1, 211 

Dolomite, gray, cherty; some oolitic, highly 
arenaceous chert; drillings largely sand; 
grains reach 1 millimeter in diameter; 2 

samples '. 1, 215-1, 230 

Dolomite, light yellow-gray, crystalline; con- 
siderable quartz sand and green shale 1, 235 

Dolomite, gray-bui^, arenaceous; some chips 

show embedded grains 1, 250 

Dolomite, light gi'ay, arenaceous; some em- 
bedded grains; some sand 1, 280 

Sandstone; as at 1,165 feet; sample misplaced. 1, 310 

Dolomite, light drab, arenaceous; some sand 

and embedded grains 1, 320 

New Richmond sandstone (27 feet thick; top, 615 
feet below sea level) : 
Sandstone, white; grains imperfectly rounded, 
secondary enlargements; larger grains of 0.8 

millimeter diameter 1, 360 

Dolomite, pink; considerable quartz sand in 

drillings 1, 370 

Sandstone; as at 1,360 feet; cherty; some oolitic 

chert 1, 380 

Oneota dolomite (210 feet thick; top, 642 feet below 
sea level) : 

Dolomite, pink, and buff; a large part of drill- 
ings quartz sand 1, 390 

Dolomite, light gray-buff 1, 415 

Chert, white; in large chips, some oolitic; 2 

samples 1, 420-1, 425 

Dolomite, light gray, clean of sand; and 
whitish, pink, and brown; with siliceous 
oolite in places; 2 samples 1, 445-1, 590 



616 



UNDERGBOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA, 



Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (150 feet thick; top, 852 feet below sea 
level) : 

Sandstone, white, fine; grains imperfectly rounded; Depth in feet. 

2 samples 1, 595-1, 600 

Sandstone, white; larger grains reach 1 and 1.2 

millimeters diameter 1, 612 

Sandstone, fine, white 1, 620 

Sandstone, white, hard; in chips and detached 

grains; secondary enlargements; 2 samples 1, 625-1, 650 

Dolomite, gray; much sand 1, 670 

Sandstone, white, fine 1, 705 

Sandstone, as above, and light-gray dolomite 1, 730 

St. Lawrence formation (68 feet penetrated; top, 1,002 
feet below sea level): 

Dolomite, light gray and whitish; drusy pyrite at 

1,745; 2 samples 1, 745-1, 770 

Dolomite, light pink 1, 808 

Driller's log of city well No. 3 at Washington. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Subsoil, white and blue clay 

Quicksand 

Clay, blue 

Quicksand 

Clay, blue 

Quicksand 

Shale, white 

Shale, brown 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, brown 

Limestone, gray 

Limestone, brown 

Limestone, giay 

Shale, blue. ..." 

Shale, brown 

Shale, blue 

Shale, brown, sandy 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, brown, shelly 

Limestone, brown, hard 

Limestone, gray 

Limestone, brown, hard 

Limestone, gray 

Limestone, blue, and sandstone 

Sandstone, white, hard 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, red, shelly, hard 

Limestone, gray, hard 

Sandstone, white, soft 

Limestone, red 

Sandstone, white, soft 

Limestone, gray 

Limestone, gray, soft 

Limestone, white, hard 

Sandstone, white, soft 

Limestone, gray, hard 

Sandstone, white, soft 

Limestone, gray, hard 

J^imestone, pink, hard 



Feet. 



65 

5 

35 

12 

118 

7 

118 

25 

50 

40 

62 

7 

29 

42 



35 
28 
27 
10 

228 
22 
40 
18 

103 

4 

15 

123 
12 
10 
5 

20 
80 

110 
80 
30 
40 
63 
5 



Feet. 

65 

70 

105 

117 

235 

242 

360 

385 

435 

475 

527 

534 

563 

605 

620 

700 

735 

763 

790 

800 

1,028 

1,050 

1,090 

1,108 

1,211 

1,215 

1,230 

1,353 

1,365 

1,375 

1,380 

1,400 

1,480 

1,590 

1,670 

1,700 

1,740 

1,803 

1,808 



Wellman. — The public supply of Wellman (population, 724) is 
drawn from eight 3-inch wells 70 feet deep, located 50 feet apart and 
joined to a single steam pump. Their combined yield more than equals 
the capacity of the pump— 225 gallons per minute. The two best 
wells yield 149 gallons per minute and one of these alone can supply 



WASHINGTOlsr COUNTY, 



617 



80 gallons. The wells are situated about 10 feet above the level of 
Smith Creek and head 4 inches below the curb. Rock was here 
reached at 30 feet from the surface. Water is distributed from a tank, 
whose capacity is 3,500 barrels, through more than a mile of mains. 
There are 12 fire hydrants and 54 taps. The domestic pressure is 60 
pounds and the fire pressure 100 pounds. The daily consumption is 
6,500 gallons. The works are the property of the town. 

Minor supplies. — The water suppHes of minor villages are described 
in the following table : 





Minor village supplies in 


Washington County. 






\ 
Town. 


Nature of supply. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
water 
bed. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Head above or below 
curb. 


Shallow 
wells. 


Deep 
wells. 


Crawfordsville 


Dug, bored, and drilled wells 


Feet. 
15-140 
20-150 
20- 62 
30-190 
18- 55 
18- 50 


Feet. 

"'"ioo" 


Feet. 

60-100 

55 


Feet. 
-10 
- 6 


Feet. 
-20 




Wells 


+ 6 


Rubio .. 


Driven, bored, and drilled wells. . 




50 
25 
35 


-20 
-35 
-10 






-30 to —60 


West Chester 




-30 









WELL DATA. 



The following table gives data of typical wells in Washington 

County : 

Typical wells in Washington County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Remarks. 


T. 77 N., R. 9 W. 
(part of Lime 
Creek). 

George G. Sigler 

Carris 


SW. i NW. i sec. 
25. 

NW. isec.32 

IJ miles south of 

Nira. 
1 mile south of Nira 

Northeast of Eeota 
do 


Feet. 
92 

168 
180 

90 


Feet. 
78 

140 
179 

89 

100 
125 


Limestone. . 
Sandstone... 


Valley. Diameter, 2J inches. 
Water also in sand at 60 feet; 
discharge J gallon per minute. 
Heads 2 feet above curb. 

Ends in shale. 






Creek bottom. Flowing well; 


T. 76 N., R. 9 W. 
(Seventy Six). 

0. K. Stoutner 




now failing. 










SE.isec. 18 

SW. isee. 17 

Sec. 19 


450 
450 
551 

136 
113 
270 
130 




" Depth of drift, 450 feet. " 


Tallman 






Do. 


P. H. Tallman 






Joint and dark brown clay, 60; 




SW.Jsec.34 

SE.isec. 35 

SE.isec.27 

NE.isec.27 


100 
100 
170 
114 




sand, 10; clay, 70; rock, h; 
clay, yellow and brown, and 
changeable, mixed with some 
gravel, 60; shale light gray, 
gritless, with a bed of bluish 
rock 30 feet thick, and bed of 
rock in the middle, 250; sul- 
phur, very hard, 4; rock, softer, 
to 551 feet, where water was 
struck; water salty and laxa- 
tive. 


D. Monroe.. 






D. Fisher 


Limestone . . 
do 


Heads 70 feet below curb. 


D. Fisher 


Same level as preceding well. 




Heads 30 feet below curb. 



618 



TJNDEEGKOUND WATER EESOUKCES OF IOWA. 
Typical ivells in Washington County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
roplc. 


Source of 
supply. 


Remarks. 


T. 76 N., R. 9 W. 
(Seventy Six)— 
Continued. 


2i miles southwest 
"of Lexington. 


Feet. 
330 

130 
1.30 
90 
160 
100 

140 
220 


Feet. 




No rock except a shell of soap- 
stone at 100. No water. 


William Hamilton. 


100 
105 
75 
120 
100 


Limestone . . 


Charles Kreger 

A. S. Tuft 


NW.i-sec.Sl 

SW.J-sec.SO 

SW. Jsec. 5 

2 miles southwest 
of Lexington. 

S Isec. 12 








William Stoutner... 


Limestone . . 


Plenty of water in shell roek. 


T. 75 N., R. 9 W. 
(PART OF Dutch 

Creek). 

Curtis Wells 




James Brinntng 


NW. isee.35 

NE. J sec. 32 


130 






,T. W. Augustine 

W. Horning 

B. Engle 




Drift, 110. 


About 2 miles 

southwest of 

Grace Hill. 
About 1 mile 

southwest of 

Grace Hill. 
Sec. 13 


230 
130 


80 
100 
220 

'"'ioi' 




Drift; limestone; shale; lime- 




stone. Heads 90 feet below 
curb. 








T. 76 N., R. 8 W. 
(Cedar; part of 
Franklin). 

D. Monroe 


NW.isec.31 

NE.isec.31 

SW. isec.6 


90 
102 


Gravel 




McCurdy 

T. 75 N., R. 8 W. 
(parts of Frank- 
lin AND Wash- 
ington). 

Charles Guy 






Drift, 190. 


Alexander Houk 


3 miles west of 
Washington. 

See. 7 


236 

425 
150 
313 


110 






T. 75 N., R. 7 W. 
(PART OF Wash- 
ington). 

County poor farm.. 
John Graham 




Wood and seeds at 236, below 


IJ miles east of 
Washington. 

Sec. 22 

Sec. 6 


250 
20 

125 

50 
113 

37 

160 




blue clay. 


T. 74 N., R. 8 W. 
(Brighton; part 
OF Marion). 

L. Stout 


Limestone . . 

Sand and 
gravel. 

Sand 


Foot of bluff, Skunk River bot- 


T. 74 N., R. 7 W. 
(PART OF Ma- 
rion). 

William Hamilton. . 


toms; clay, 20; limestone, 190; 
shale, 215. 

Upland. Red clay, 30; bastard 


T. 70 N., R. 7 W. 
(Jackson). 

George Foster 


Sec. 23 


shale, a blue clay with few if 
any pebbles, 100; sand and 
gravel, 20. 

Ends in sand under 200 feet of 


See. 26 


soft blue clay. 
Same altitude and place as pre- 




T. 75 N., R. 6 W. 
(Oregon). 








ceding. 
20 feet above railway station. 




2 miles south of 
Ainsworth. 

Richland 




168 
240 






T. 74 N., R. 9 W. 
(Clay; part of 
Dutch Creek). 

John Fleig 


Limestone. . 


Water in rock at 165. Heads, 


Henry Lewers 


NW.Jsec.3 


120 feet below curb. 
Heads 100 feet below curb. 







CHAPTER XI. 
NORTH-CENTRAL DISTRICT. 

INTRODUCTION. 

By W. H. Norton. 

The north-central district comprises the 11 counties of Butler, 
Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, 
IMitchell, Winnebago, Worth, and Wright. The predominant dip of 
the Paleozoic strata is southward. (See PI. VII, p. 272.) In the 
northern part of the area the strata dip gently toward the east, the 
axis of the trough lying apparently in Floyd County. In Floyd and 
Butler counties a strong southwestward dip is evident. The gradient 
of the St. Peter southwest from Osage to Fort Dodge is about 9.5 feet 
per mile and from Mason City south to Hampton is nearly 20 feet 
per mile. 

The rocks immediately underlying the drift in JVIitchell, Worth, 
and Floyd and most of Butler and Cerro Gordo counties are Devo- 
nian; in the remainder of the area, except in western Kossuth County, 
where Cretaceous formations appear, the rocks are Mississippian. 

The geologic and artesian conditions in the eastern half of the area 
are fairly well known through the records of wells at Osage (PI. VII, 
p. 272), Charles City, Mason City (PI. V, p. 238), and Hampton; but 
in the western half the only well reaching the Paleozoic sandstones 
is that at Algona, of which practically nothing is known. 

The Paleozoic rocks thin rapidly toward the west and north, and 
some of the formations probably disappear. Thus, at Ermnetsburg, 
a few miles beyond the western boundary of the area, from the bottom 
of the Cretaceous to the top of a rock called granite by the drillers, is 
but 632 feet. (See PL XVI, p. 672.) If the Algonkian or Archean 
rocks were really reached at this depth, the entire Paleozoic is here 
comprised within little more than 600 feet, though at Des Moines it 
exceeds 3,000 feet; if the bottom of the well is in dolomite, as the 
drillings indicate, and this belongs to the Prairie du Chien group, the 
same narrow hmit is set to a body of rock which in eastern and 
central Iowa ranges in thickness from 1,700 to 2,000 feet. 

Pennsylvanian rocks appear only in a few townships of Humboldt 
County. The Niagara is probably present only in greatly attenuated 

619 



620 UNDEEGKOUIsrD WATEE RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

beds, and the Devonian may thin out before it reaches Kossuth 
County. The Maquoketa may persist throughout the area, and the 
Galena and Platteville probably underlie it all, although they seem 
to become increasingly shaly toward the west. If the deeper sand- 
stones have been correctly correlated, the St. Peter maintains a 
thickness of about 100 feet to the extreme northern and western 
boundaries of the area — a fact of prime importance in the matter of 
artesian supphes. In the eastern counties the divisions of the 
Prairie du Chien group are well marked, and the Jordan, St. Lawrence, 
and Dresbach formations are also distinguishable. In the south- 
western counties the dolomites of the Prairie du Chien group may 
become increasingly arenaceous and give place in part to sandstones. 

If the ^Minnesota well records are correctly interpreted, the St. 
Peter sandstone should be found in the northern tier of counties at 
about 600 feet above sea level, and in the southern tier, along the 
south line of Wright and Franklin counties, at about 300 feet below 
sea level. Thus, it is so near the surface that its waters, together 
with those of the limestones and sandstones immediately below, can 
be exploited at no very great expense over the entire area with fair 
chances of success. Wells carried 400 or 500 feet below the base of 
the St. Peter will in most places tap the water beds of the Prairie du 
Chien and Jordan or their western equivalents, and should reach the 
shales of the St. Lawrence formation. It will hardly be advisable to 
drill through these shales to the Dresbach sandstone. The red 
clastic beds (Algonkian ?) found in Minnesota may occur also in this 
area, but as these beds yield Httle water their exploitation is hardly 
more warranted than is that of granite or quartzite. 

The artesian waters of this area are of high grade. (See pp. 139- 
141, 145-147.) 

BUTLER COUNTY. 

By M. F. Arey. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

In Butler County the soil is everywhere fertile and tillable and 
agriculture is the principal occupation. There is no large city in 
this county, but there are eight or nine towns and villages, with 
population ranging from 400 to about 1,150. With two exceptions, 
Alhson and Bristow, which are on the prairie level, the towns are in 
the valleys of the principal streams. 

The area is crossed from the north and west by three tributaries 
of Cedar River. Shell Rock River traverses the northeast corner for 
a distance of 20 miles or more, its drainage area comprising about 
three-eighths of the county. West Fork of Cedar, draining an equal 
area, flows in a somewhat more easterly course through the south- 



BUTLER COUNTY. 621 

central part of the county for more than 30 miles. The rest of the 
county, embracing principally the south row of townships, is drained 
to Beaver Creek. These streams and their larger tributaries, with 
two or three minor exceptions, have broad flood plains of alluvium, 
which constitute fully one-tliird of the area of the county. 

Between West Fork of Cedar and the Beaver is a ridge of Kansan 
drift, which begins in the southern part of Madison Township (T. 
91 N., R. 18 W.) and the northern part of Washington Township 
(T. 90 N., R. 18 W.), and extends to nearly the central part of Mon- 
roe Township (T. 90 N., R. 17 W.). Another ridge begins in the 
west-central part of Albion Township (T. 90 N., R. 16 W.) and 
extends east on through Beaver Township (T. 90 N., R. 15 W.), 
reaching its maximum height about 80 feet above the valley of the 
Beaver, not far from New Hartford. There is also a beautiful clus- 
ter of wood-crowned hills of Kansan drift in sees. 26, 27, and 35, 
Madison Township. 

The lowan drift plain is 10 to 15 feet above the valleys of the 
smaller streams and 30 to 40 feet above the valleys of the larger 
streams. The natural drainage is better developed than in most 
counties where lowan drift prevails. 

GEOLOGY. 

Throughout the northern and eastern portions of the county, com- 
prising three-fourths of its area, the drift rests on the Cedar Valley 
hmestone of the Middle Devonian series (PL VII, p. 272) ; in nearly 
three-fourths of the remainder it lies on the Lime Creek shale of the 
Upper Devonian; in scarcely more than one township in the south- 
west corner is it shown by outcrops to rest on the Kinderhook group 
of the Mississippian series. 

The Cedar VaUey Hmestone in this county shows at the top a layer 
characterized by thin plates with conchoidal surfaces. Predomi- 
nantly and characteristically, however, it consists of an inferior hth- 
ographic rock which is much jointed, shows numerous thin clay part- 
ings, and usually yields no water. At the base of the hthographic 
layers is a soft, earthy limestone which shows water-worn channels 
of considerable size. 

The outcrops of the Lime Creek shale, so far as observed in the 
county, belong chiefly to its upper beds, described by Calvin as the 
Owen substage,^ the lower part (Hackberry substage of Calvin) being 
seen in but one locahty. The upper beds in the main are readily 
pervious to water, as are the sandstone and much-jointed limestone of 
the Kinderhook group. 

lArm. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 1, 1897, pp. 162-166. 



622 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA, 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Water is obtained from the Buchanan gravel, from the sandstone 
of the Kinderhook group, from the base of the upper division of the 
Lime Creek shale (Owen substage of Calvin), from the shelly rock 
layers of the Cedar Valley limestone, and from the earthy limestone 
just below the lithographic beds of the Cedar Valley limestone. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

In the part of the county northeast of the valley of the Shell 
Rock, and including all of Fremont and the northeast halves of But- 
ler and Dayton townships, the drift is everywhere thin and rock 
reaches the surface in many places. Several kettle holes and small 
ponds occur along the northern border. Little trustworthy informa- 
tion concerning the wells of this district could be obtained, but a 
drilled well in the north half of Fremont (sec. 22, T. 93 N., R. 1 5 W.), 
which was completed in 1904, is beheved to be typical. The well is 
5 inches in diameter and 87 feet deep and ends in soft limestone 
underlying the lithographic beds. The water is medium hard and 
plentiful. 

Log of well in Fremont Township. 



Material. 



Soil and drift (lowan), followed by gravel (Buchanan) 

Clay, yellow, and shelly stone 

Lirnestone (Cedar Valley); some clay partings 

In the valley of Shell Rock River, a tract about 20 miles long 
and 2 to 3 miles wide, the wells range in depth from 10 to 30 feet, 
are dug or driven, and obtain an abundance of good water in 
the Buchanan gravel, which everywhere a.nd to an unusual depth 
underhes the alluvium. The towns of Greene, Clarksville, and Shell 
Rock are in this district. Part of Greene is on an elevated bench 
where the wells are about 50 feet deep, but the wells in the plain 
have an average depth of 25 feet and are mostly driven. Greene 
has a public well located one-haK mile north of the railroad station, 
on top of a gravel ridge 30 feet or more above the river plain; this 
well is wholly in sand and gravel and is 25 feet deep; water stands 
in it constantly to a depth of 10 or 12 feet. At ClarksviUe many 
wells enter the shelly rock about 5 feet, although many stop in the 
gravel. At Shell Rock, at a point where rock is found in the river 
bod, wells are drilled to a depth of 50 to 80 feet, 50 to 60 feet being 
in rock. The water is hard as compared with that in the driven wells 




BUTLEE COUNTY. 623 

in the southeast part of the town, which are 20 to 30 feet deep. The 
water is of excellent quality. 

In the northeastern part of the elevated lowan plain lying between 
the Shell Rock and West Fork of Cedar the drift is thin, but in the 
southwestern part it ranges from 100 to 200 feet. The wells on this 
upland range in depth from 65 to 207 feet. The shallower wells 
end in drift, the deeper penetrate rock to distances ranging from 
15 to 140 feet. 

In West Point Township (sec. 32, T. 92 N., R. 17 W.) a well 200 
feet deep is 40 feet in rock; water is plentiful but hard. Most wells 
in tliis vicinity are 160 to 180 feet deep. In east half of sec. 22, 
same township, a weU 80 feet deep wholly in drift, yields good water 
in abundance. 

In Bennezette Township, in the NE. i sec. 19, T. 93 N., R. 18 W., 
is a well 207 feet deep. The owner reported 60 feet of drift, 39 feet 
of loose rock, and bottom of well in solid rock. The loose rock is 
believed to belong to the upper division of the Lime Creek shale. 
The owner reports a little water in this material. A part of the 
material below this is believed to belong to the lower division of 
the Lime Creek shale, the well ending in Cedar Valley limestone. 
Another well one-half mile south gives good water at a depth of 
189 feet. Another a mile north is but 75 feet deep. 

In Pittsford Township, in the NE. i sec. 5, T. 92 N., R. 18 W., 
is a well 106 feet deep, the lowest 6 feet in loose rock, believed to be 
the Cedar Valley limestone. At Dumont driven wells find water at 
15 to 50 feet. Rock occurs at 60 feet in the town, but on a hill to 
the north the drift is 95 feet deep. 

On the alluvial plain of West Fork of Cedar River is a tract 2 to 3|- 
or 4 miles wide and about 30 miles long, on which water is obtained 
by driven or dug wells ranging in depth from 10 to 30 feet, the 
differences being due largely to the great thickness of the Buchanan 
gravel, any part of which ordinarily yields water. 

The western end of the upland region between the plain of the 
West Fork of Cedar and that of Beaver Creek is wide and is more 
varied in elevation and character than are other parts of the county. 
This district narrows toward the east until it is occupied almost 
exclusively by the Kansan morainic hills. Accurate data for wells 
in the western part were not generally obtained, but it is reported 
that most wells in this region are shallow and end in gravel. Two 
miles north of Austinville, in sec. 10, T. 90 N., R. 18 W., a well 40 
feet deep, 3 feet in limestone of the Kinderhook group, yields a 
plentiful supply of hard water. A broad valley of a tributary of 
the Beaver shares with the latter the most of the northern area of 
Monroe Township (T. 90 N., R. 17 W.) in which the wells are all 
driven and shallow. 



624 UNDEKGKOUND WATER KESOUECES OF IOWA. 

In the eastern third of tliis district the ridge of loess-crowned 
Kansan drift hills dominates the topography almost wholly. Wells 
in tliis area range in depth from 55 to 190 feet and most of them 
end in gravel. 

Near the center of sec. 27, Beaver Townsliip, a drilled well, 101 
feet deep, penetrates rock to an unknown extent. In the NW. | 
sec. 27 a drilled well on top of a hill 70 feet above the creek valley 
is 190 feet deep and obtains a plentiful supply of water in gravel 
beneath blue clay. In sec. 15 a drilled well 122 feet deep passes 10 
feet into limestone. 

The alluvial plain of Beaver Creek is narrower than the other 
valley plains but is in other respects similar, except that in the first 
2 or 3 miles of the course of the creek through the southwest corner 
of the county it is much constricted by steep stony bluffs which 
are held up by limestone of the Kinderhook group. Most of the 
wells in this valley are driven to depths of 10 to 16 feet. The deeper 
gravels are more heavily stained with iron and give to the water a taste 
so disagreeable that many prefer the shallower wells. New Hart- 
ford, Parkersburg, Aplington, and AustinviUe, towns on the Illinois 
Central Railroad, are situated wholly or in part in this valley, and 
obtain their water supply largely from the gravels just below the 
alluvium. 

In the narrow strip of upland south of Beaver Creek water is 
obtained by drilled or driven wells. 

In the southeast part of Parkersburg, at an elevation of 30 or 40 
feet above the railroad station, a well 142 feet deep ends in gravel 
just above the rock. In South Parkersburg a drilled well gives the 
following section : 

Section of drilled well in South Parkersburg. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Drift 

Limestone; water bearing, but not suilicicntly so 

Soapstone; described by driller as a greasy, solid clay. 
Limestone; iirm; water plentiful, good, but hard 



Feet. 
142 

28 

87 

5 



Feet. 
142 
170 
257 
262 



No rock outcrops in this vicinity. The nearest exposure is a 
limestone belonging to the upper division of the Lime Creek shale 
(Owen substage of Calvin), 3 miles northeast. It is believed that 
the limestone above the "soapstone" belongs to this upper division 
and that the "soapstone" belongs to the lower division of the Lime 
Creek shale (Hackberry substage of Calvin). The limestone in 
which the well ends must be the Cedar VaUey limestone. 



BUTLER COUISTTY. 625 

Three miles due west of Parkersburg a drilled well is 65 feet deep, 
the last 5 feet being in rock, undoubtedly the upper division of the 
Lime Creek shale. 

In the east half of sec. 32, Washington Township, a drilled well 
30 feet deep is 14 feet in rock. This well is in the Kinderhook area 
and the surface is at least 40 feet above the creek level. The water is 
somewhat iron tainted. The nature of the rock could not be ascer- 
tained. 

SPRINGS, 

Small springs are not uncommon in some portions of the county, 
many having their source in the drift and issuing from slopes where 
the interglacial gravels or sands chance to be exposed. A few springs 
issue from limestone or sandstone beds, exposed by stream erosion. 
Such a spring is in the SE. J sec. 11, Pittsford Township, near a 
quarry in the Cedar Valley limestone. Another is near the center of 
sec. 31, Washington Township. The rock is limestone of the Kinder- 
hook group. Yet another spring is in the SW. | sec. 28 of the same 
township. The rock is sandstone of the Kinderhook group. Springs 
of the type first mentioned are in the SW. J sec. 29, Fremont Town- 
ship, and in the NE. I sec. 11 and the SW. | sec. 15, West Point 
To^vnsllip. Several springs in Shell Rock Township afford water 
for the stock in the pastures. A. Best,, of Clarksville, obtains a 
good supply of excellent water from a hillside spring piped to his 
buildings. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Allison. — ^Allison (population, 495) pumps its supply by gas engine 
from an 8-inch well drilled to 180 feet, reacliing rock at 40 feet. The 
water bed is limestone. The well was completed in 1899. A deep 
well would probably reach the St. Peter sandstone at 1,000 feet (50 
feet below sea level), and a well 1,100 feet deep should give a supply 
ample for the town. 

Greene. — Greene (population, 1,150) pumps by steam from a dug 
well 20 feet in diameter and 25 feet deep, all in sand and gravel. The 
well is walled with limestone. The head is 10 feet below the curb 
and does not lower on pumping. The well was completed in 1900. 

New Hartford. — New Hartford (population, 482) obtains a supply 
by windmill from a driven well 2 J inches in diameter and 28 feet deep, 
wholly in gravel. The curb is on a slope 10 feet above the river. 
The well was completed in 1896. 

Shell Rock. — The town of Shell Rock (population, 741) obtains 

its supply from a dug well 10 feet in diameter and 15 feet deep, 5 of 

which is in limestone. A force pump run by water power is used. 

The water is used for washing and for stock. There are 35 taps. 

36581°— wsp 293—12 40 



626 



UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



The curb of the well is 10 feet above the river level. It was com- 
pleted in 1900. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Butler County: 

Typical wells of Butler County. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Date of 
comple- 
tion. 



Elevation of curb. 



Diameter. 



Depth. 



E. IT. Stewart 

Chicago Great 

Western Railway. 

Private 

Electric Light, 

Heat & Power 

Co. 



Bristol; on lowan drift plain. . 
do 



Dumont; on alluvial plain. 
Parkersburg; in valley 



1906 
1906 



Feet. 



Inches. 
5 
10 



Feet. 



10 feet below rail- 
way station. 



122 
300 



15-50 
90 



Owner. 


Depth to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Casing. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Pumped by— 


Use. 


R. H. Stewart 


Feet. 
48J 
40' 


Limestone 


Feet. 
48.5 


Feet. 
52 


Hand . . 




Chicago Great 

>Vestem Railway. 

Private 
















Electric Light, 
Heat & Power 
Co. 


14 


Limestone 


20 


76 


Steam; Bell pump; 
lowers slightly. 


General; 120 
taps. 



CERRO GORDO COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Cerro Gordo County is divisible into two distinct topographic 
provinces. An area nearly coextensive with the western tier of 
townsliips shows a thick deposit of Wisconsin drift, typical morainic 
topography, poor drainage, and numerous lakes, ponds, and swamps; 
the rest of the county shows a much thinner layer of drift (lowan) 
and a smoother topography. The drainage system in the lowan 
area is, however, well developed, many of the streams havmg cut 
into the bedrock. 

The formations exposed in the county ^ include glacial drift (Wis- 
consin and older), Mississippian limestone, and Devonian strata 
consisting of limestone at the top, shale in the middle, and limestone 
at the base. The rock formations dip gently to the southwest; 
hence, if the drift were removed, they would outcrop in parallel 
bands crossing the county with a northwest-southeast trend. Thus 
the Devonian shale lies next below the drift in a belt that extends 



1 Calvin, Samuel, Geology of Cerro Gordo County: Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 7, 1897, pp. 144 
et seq. 



CEREO GOEDO COUNTY, 627 

through Mason City (PI. V, p. 238) ; toward the southwest it passes 
beneath younger strata of limestone, and farther northeast it is 
absent and the underlying older Devonian strata are found immedi- 
ately below the drift. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Water is obtained from the glacial drift, the limestone above the 
Devonian shale, the limestone immediately below the shale, and 
deeper limestone and sandstone formations. The Wisconsin drift is 
so imperfectly drained that where it occurs the ground-water table 
is near the surface and nearly all the porous beds are saturated. 
Many of the wells are very shallow, but some draw from beds of sand 
and gravel at greater depths. Where the Wisconsin drift sheet is 
absent (PL III) , the drift is too thin and well drained to be a reliable 
aquifer. In the western part of the county, the limestones above the 
Devonian shale will furnish large supplies, but farther northeast, 
where the shale is near the surface, these limestones fail as a source of 
water, and the Devonian limestone that lies stratigraphically below 
the shale constitutes the most important water bearer. 

In the western tier of townships dug and bored wells are common 
but there are also numerous drilled wells, which either end in drift 
or enter rock. Elsewhere in the county drilled wells are the dom- 
inant type, and several have been sunk to considerable depths. 

HEAD. 

Water from the Galena dolomite and the St. Peter sandstone rises 
at Mason City to a little over 1,100 feet above the sea, which is slightly 
above river level, but at that place is about 140 feet below Clear Lake, 
130 feet below Burchmal, and 90 feet below Thornton. Drilling by 
the municipality a.nd by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- 
way at Mason City seems to show that the water in the still deeper 
sandstones is under less head. 

In the west, the water from the limestone immediately underlying 
the drift will probably rise considerably higher than 1,100 feet above 
sea level, but if a deep well were drilled the head would probably be 
lowered as greater depths would be reached. In the relatively low 
area at the east base of the high morainic belt, the water from drift 
and from the limestone below the drift is under good pressure and wdl 
flow in certain tracts, as along West Fork of Beaver Creek. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Clear Lake. — At Clear Lake (population 2,014) about one-half of 
the residents depend on the city waterworks, the supply for which is 
taken from the lake; the rest use private wells, most of which are 



628 



UNDERGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



shallow and end in drift. The distribution system consists of a 
standpipe, more than 3 miles of mains, 35 fire hydrants, and about 
140 taps. The average daily consumption is estimated at 60,000 
gallons. 

Dougherty.— The railway well at Dougherty (population, 171) ia 
417 feet deep and ends in shale which probably is the Maquoketa, It 
is reported to have been pumped at 90 gallons a minute and to have a 
normal water level of 135 feet below the surface. 

Emery. — The well at Emery, owned by the electric railway company, 
was drilled into shale, but gets its supply from higher horizons. In 
this well the water stands only 5 feet below the surface and the yield 
is large. 

Section of electric railway xvell at Emery. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Drift 

Limestone 

Sandy transition bed 
Shale (entered) , 



Feet. 



Feet. 



Mason City. — The public supply in Mason City (population, 1 1,230) 
is furnished by flowing wells that discharge into 2 large underground 
reservoirs. City well No. 1, which was drilled in 1892 by Henry F. 
Miller, of Chicago, is 1,350 feet deep and 8 inches in diameter. The 
elevation of the curb is 1,077 feet above sea level, water level at 
curb. The water beds are variously reported at 426 and at 537 feet 
above sea level. As the supply at 426 feet above sea level was far 
from sufficient, drilling was continued to 1,350 feet, where the drill 
encountered a crevice in the St. Lawrence formation and the flow 
was lost. The well was then plugged at 651 feet. 

City wells Nos. 2, 3, and 4 are 651 feet deep and 5 inches in diameter. 
The curb is 1,077 feet above sea level and the water level is at curb. 
Water is obtained at a depth of about 600 feet in a porous limestone, 
said to be 40 inches thick, lying above the Decorah shale. The tem- 
perature of the water is 49° F. 

City wells Nos. 5 and 6, located about 500 feet from the reservoir, 
are 616 feet deep and 10 inches in diameter, and are cased to a depth 
of 50 feet. Normally the water flows above surface, but is lowered 
80 feet by pumping. 

City wells Nos. 2, 3, and 4 were drUled in 1892 at the corners of 
a parallelogram 60 feet long and 40 feet wide, the other corner being 
occupied by city well No. 1. This space, excavated in rock to the 
depth of 16 feet, forms the reservoir into which the wells discharge. 
The natural flow of wells 1 to 4 combined was 60 gallons a minute. 



CERRO GORDO COUNTY. 



629 



In 1894 the wells were cased and an air lift was installed, 200 feet 
below the surface, increasing the discharge to 150 gallons a minute, 
from the four wells. All six wells still flow and furnish under com- 
pressed air an average of 400,000 gallons a day with a maximum of 
650,000 gallons. 

The water is pumped from the reservoir directly into the mains, 
the combined capacity of the three pumps being 2,100 gallons a 
minute. There are 15J miles of mains, 108 fire hydrants, and about 
1,000 taps. Approximately one-half of the people are supplied froin 
the city waterworks; the other half depend on private wells, most of 
which are drilled only a short distance into rock and furnish only 
small amounts of water. 

Record of strata in Mason City waterworks well No. 6. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Devonian and Silurian (?): 

Dolomite, light yellow-gray , subcrystalline; in sand 

Dolomite, brown, crystalline; in small chips 

Limestone, blue-gray, rapid effervescence; crystalline; much yellow-gray flint 

Dolomite, brown, crystalline; considerable calcite 

Limestone, light gray and blue mottled; rather slow effervescence; some brown 

dolomite 

Limestone, brown; rather slow effervescence; considerable calcite 

Dolomite, light gray, crystalline, vesicular, fossiliferous 

Limestone, blue-gray, crystalline; of rapid effervescence; and dolomite, light yel- 
low, hard, in small chips and sand 

Dolomite, crystalline, brown; 2 samples '. 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale — 

Limestone, brown; of rapid effervescence; dark-brown inflammable shale; 

and blue-gray limestone of rather slow effervescence 

Shale, medium dark blue-gray, highly calcareous; in large chips 

Limestone, blue-gray, argUlaceous; rather slow effervescence; some brown 

dolomite 

Limestone, medium dark blue-gray, argillaceous; in fine chips; 2 samples 

Shale, medium dark blue-gray, highly calcareous; in chips; 2 samples 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone — 

Limestone, light gray and whitish, dense, fine-grained; rapid effervescence; 

in large flakes 

Dolomite, gray, crystalline; chips of drab clay shale 

Dolomite, dark brown, vesicular, cherty; 2 samples 

Chert and dark-gray dolomite 

Limestone, as at 315 feet 

Chert, gray; and dark-gray dolomite; 2 samples 

Dolomite, brown; much chert 

Limestone, yellow-gray, earthy; rapid effervescence \ 

Limestone, blue-gray; and chert 

Limestone, earthy, whitish, and light-yellow; Trenton facies; 16 samples 



Feet. 



15 
5 

25 

15 

4 

21 

33 

15 

7 

140 



Feet. 

10 

50 

80 

110 

140 
150 
167 

175 
200 



215 
220 

226 
265 
300 



315 
320 
345 
380 
364 
385 
418 
433 
440 
580 



City well No. 7 has a depth of 865 feet and a dimeter of 10 inches; 
casing, 10 inches from surface to 50 feet, 8 inches from 620 to 750 feet. 
The curb is 1,109 feet above sea level; the head at a depth of 220 feet 
was 40 feet above the curb ; after passing the St. Peter it was about 
the same as in the wells in the reservoir. The only water bed men- 
tioned is at 70 feet. The well is 470 feet from the wells in reservoir 
and 700 feet from well No. 6. It was completed in 1910 at a cost of 
$2,579 by W. L. Thorn, of Platteville, Wis. 



630 UNDEEGKOUND WATEK EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Description of strata in well No. 7, Mason City waterworks. 

Devonian (and Silurian?) (210 feet thick; top, 1,109 feet above 
sea level) : 
Limestone, cream-yellow, finest grain; subconchoidal frac- Depth in feet. 

tiire ; rapid effervescence ; in large chips 25 

Limestone; as above; and dark blue-gray compact, non- 

magnesian limestone ; in small chips 50 

Dolomite, drab, crystalline; in flaky chips; light-gray lime- 
stone of rapid effervescence ; some dark-blue fissile shale. 75 
Limestone, brown -gray; subcrystalline ; rather slow effer- 
vescence; in large chips 100 

Limestone, light gray; rather slow effervescence ; in sand . . 110 
Limestone, drab, subcrystalline, vesicular; rather slow effer- 
vescence; 3 samples 140 

Dolomite, light brown-gray; in sand 150 

Limestone, buff, vesicular, with molds of fossils; rather slow 

effervescence, with lighter nonmagnesian limestone 160 

Dolomite, buff, compact 170 

Limestone, drab, brownish, compact; rather slow efferves- 
cence; with limestone of lighter tint and rapid efferves- 
cence 190 

Dolomite, drab and brown ; in coarse sand 200 

Ordovician : 

Maquoketa shale (90 feet thick; top, 899 feet above sea level): 
Shale, light blue-gray, calcareous, laminated; in large 

chips; also some buff dolomite 210 

Dolomite, buff, saccharoidal 220 

Shale, light blue-gray, calcareous; in chips; 2 samples. 240 

Dolomite, drab and brown, vesicular; some brown 

inflammable shale 250 

Shale, blue-gray, highly calcareous; in large chips; 4 

samples 290 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone (450 feet thick; 
top, 809 feet above sea level): 

Dolomite, gray ; in coarse sand 300 

Limestone, gray and buff; considerable calcite; rapid 

effervescence 310 

Limestone, gray, soft; in large chips; rapid efferves- 
cence 320 

Limestone, fine saccharoidal, greenish gray; rapid effer- 
vescence; in sand with powder of shale 330 

Dolomite, gray, vesicular; in places cherty, crystalline; 

5 samples 380 

Chert, light gray ; and blue-gray shale 390 

Chert, light gray; shale; and hard argillaceous dark- 
gray limestone 400 

Dolomite, dark gray, vesicular; and chert 410 

Dolomite, dark buff-gray; disk of crinoids 420 

Limestone, dark gray, saccharoidal; moderately rapid 

effervescence; in large flakes; 3 samples 450 

Limestone and shale; limestone of Trenton facies, 
earthy, grayish-buff; in chips; fossiliferous; efferves- 
cence rapid a 460 



CERRO GORDO COUNTY. 



63X 



Ordovician — Continued . 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone (450 feet thick; 
top, 809 foet above sea level) — Continued. Depth in feet. 

Limestone, buff, nonmagnesian 470 

Limestone, whitish or light gray, earthy, nonmagnesian; 
in flaky chips often of considerable size; in places 

fossiliferous; 12 samples 590 

Limestone, as above, but blue-gray 600 

Limestone, green-gray; and shale 610 

Limestone, cream-colored 620 

Limestone, blue-gray; crystalline; in coarse sand 630 

Limestone, blue and yellow-gray; in flaky chips; 2 sam- 
ples 650 

Shale, green; in molded masses, calcareous; 2 samples. 670 

\ Shale, as above; some chips of hard dark limestone of 

rapid effervescence 680 

Shale, green; in molded masses; 2 samples 710 

Shale, green; fine, gritless, noncalcareous ; in splintery 

chips 720 

Limestone, blue-gray; rapid effervescence; some hard 

noncalcareous green shale 730 

Shale, hard, green, noncalcareous; in large chips; some 

limestone 740 

St. Peter sandstone (77 feet thick; top, 359 feet above sea 
level): 

Sandstone, white; rounded grains, rarely exceeding 0.7 

millimeter in diameter; 2 samples 760 

Sandstone, as above, but slightly finer; 2 samples 780 

Sandstone, as above; largestgrains attainO.8 millimeters 
in diameter; some light-yellow limestone and green 

shale ; 2 samples 800 

Sandstone, clean; as at 780 feet 810 

Sandstone, white; with calcareous cement 820 

Prairie du Chien group: 

Shakopee dolomite (40 feet penetrated; top, 285 feet 
above sea level) : 
Dolomite, light gray and light brown; in fine sand; 

considerable quartz sand; 3 samples 824-850 

Sandstone, calciferous; or limestone, highly arena- 
ceous; grains fine, about 0.6 millimeter in diam- 
eter; white, well rounded 860 

Driller's log of city well No. 7, Mason City. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Sand. 
Lime, 
Lime, 
Lime, 
Lime, 
Lime, 
Lime, 
Lime, 
Lime, 
Shale 
Lime, 



white 

blue and white... 

gray 

white 

brown 

brown, and shale . 

fray bluish 
rownand gray., 
in soft thin layers . 
brown 



Feet, 
i 
26 
19 
40 
6 
5 
5 
10 
8 



Feet. 



4 
30 
49 
89 
95 
100 
105 
115 
123 



22 



146 



632 UNDEEGROUND WATEE RESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Log of city well No. 7, Mason Cify— Continued . 



Lime, brown, and shale 

Lime, gray 

Lime, brown and gray 

Lime, brown and gray, and stiale 

Lime, blue 

Lime, blue, with shale 

Lime, blue 

Lime, blue and gray 

Lime, gray and white 

Lime, gray, and shale 

Rock, gray brown 

Rock, gray and white 

Lime, gray and white 

Lime, gray and bluish 

Shale and clay 

Shale, clay, and brown lime 

Shale and clay 

Sandstone (St. Peter) , 

Lime, gray and white 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


15 


160 


22 


182 


28 


210 


15 


225 


13 


238 


7 


245 


64 


309 


14 


323 


23 


346 


61 


407 


135 


542 


46 


688 


6 


594 


31 


625 


93 


718 


20 


738 


9 


747 


73 


820 


44 


864 



The Lehigh Portland Cement Co. has two wells located in sec. 33, 
Lime Creek Township, just north of city limits. They have a depth 
of 405§ feet and a diameter of 12 inches to 14i feet and 10 inches to 
405i feet. The head is within 10 feet of the surface. On bailing 
with sand pump for 1 hour at a rate of about 45 gallons a minute the 
water fell to 30 feet below surface. The well was completed in 1911 
by J. B. Lowe & Co., of Mason City. These wells were sunk as a 
reserve supply in case the Calamus Creek reservoir supply proved 
inadequate. 

Description of strata, well No. 2, Lehigh Portland Cement Co., at Mason City. 

Depth in feet. 

Soil, black; no sample 4 

Devonian (and Silurian?): 

Limestone, light colored ; no sample 20 

Limestone, light buff and blue-gray compact; rapid effer- 
vescence ; in large chips 20 

Limestone, light gray, dense; earthy luster; rapid efferves- 
cence 30 

Dolomite, crystalline, buff; in sand 40 

Dolomite, drab, crystalline ; in small chips 50 

Dolomite, darker drab ; rather slow effervescence; with drab 
fissile shale and some nonmagnesian light-colored lime- 
stone ; 2 samples 70-80 

Dolomite, dark gray, hard, vesicular; with casts of fossils; 

in large chips 90 

Limestone, nonmagnesian, yellow-gray, compact, litho- 
graphic; conchoidal fracture 100 

Limestone, gray buff, hard; rather slow effervescence; sub- 
crystalline ; in sand and small chips 110 

Dolomite, blue gray, crystalline; in small chips 120 

Limestone, light brown -gray; in thin flakes; moderately 
rapid effervescence 130 



CEEKO GOEDO COUNTY. 633 

Devonian (and Silurian ?) — Continued. 

Limestone, light brown-gray; in sand at 140 feet; in large Depth In feet. 

flakes at 150 feet; rather slow effervescence; 2 samples 150 

Limestone; rather slow effervescence; gray buff at 160, 180, 
and 190 feet; drab at 170 feet; hard; in small chips; 4 190 

samples Dolomite, brown, crystalline; 2 samples 210 

Limestone, light yellow, lithographic; nonmagnesian con- 

choidal fracture 220 

Ordovician : 

Maquoketa shale : 

Limestone, brown; moderately rapid effervescence; con- 
siderable brown and black inflammable shale 230 

Dolomite, drab, hard; some blue shale; 2 samples 250 

Shale, blue, pyritiferous; highly calcareous; in sand; 4 

\ samples 290 

Limestone, highly argillaceous; or shale, highly calca- 
reous, blue 300 

Gralena and Platteville limestones: 

Limestone, drab; rapid effervescence; 2 samples 320 

Limestone, light buff, saccharoidal, minutely vesicular; 

moderately slow effervescence ; in large chips 330 

Limestone, as above, but cherty ; 3 samples 360 

Chert, white 370 

Chert, white, with hard drab dolomite; 3 samples 400 

The well of Jacob E. Decker & Sons has a depth of 604 feet and a 
diameter of 10 inches. The elevation is about 1,092 feet above sea 
level and the head 8 feet below the curb; cased to ISJ feet. The 
capacity is 225 gallons a minute, the water coming from a depth of 
100 feet; temperature, 50° F. The well was completed in 1911 at a 
cost of $1,850 by W. L. Thorn, of Platteville, Wis. 

Description of strata in Jacob E. Decker & Sons' well at Mason City. 

Depth in feet. 

No samples 220 

Limestone, hard, fine grained, brown, nonmagnesian 220 

Maquoketa shale : 

Shale, blue-gray, laminated; in large chips; some brown 

inflammable shale 230 

Limestone, light blue-gray, argillaceous; 2 samples 250 

Shale, and highly argillaceous blue-gray limestone; 5 sam- 
ples 300 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone: 

Limestone, brown, crystalline, nonmagnesian 310 

Shale, blue; some white macrocrystalline nonmagnesian 

limestone 320 

Dolomite, blue-gray; 3 samples 350 

Chert; some limestone and shale; 5 samples 400 

Limestone, yellow-gray, crystalline; mostly of slow efferves- 
cence, with chert and shale; 2 samples 420 

Limestone, nonmagnesian, yellow-gray and whitish, earthy; 
16 samples 600 



634 



UNDEKGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OP IOWA. 



The Chicago & North Western Railway well, located 1 mile 
north of the station, has a depth of 862 feet and a diameter of 10 
inches to 53 feet, 8 inches to 650 feet, and 6 inches to bottom; casing, 
over the shale of the PlattevUle from 660 to 749 feet. The curb is 
1,124 feet above sea level and the head 24 feet below the curb. The 
tested capacity is 6,500 gallons an hour after 10 hours' continuous 
pumping with cylinder set 200 feet below the surface. Water comes 
from 650 feet, above the shale, rising within 16 feet of the surface and 
supplying 1,000 gallons an hour, and from 746 feet, with rise of water 
2 feet in tube and testing (at 756 feet) 1,440 gallons an hour. The 
main supply is in the St. Peter at 862 feet. The head of this lower 
water is reported at 117 feet below the curb. Date of completion, 
1900. 

Driller's log of railway well, near Mason City. 



Loam, clay, and gravel 

Limestone 

Shale 

Sandstone 

Mud 




Depth. 



Feet. 
16 
676 
765 
859 
862 



The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well No. 1 has a depth 
of 1,473 feet and diameter of 8 to 6 inches. The curb is 1,128 feet 
above sea level. The original head was 2 feet below curb and the 
head in 1896 was variously reported at 30 and 75 feet below curb. 
The capacity is small, being insufficient to keep a small steam pump 
running. The well was completed about 1879 by Swan Bros., of Minne- 
apolis. The well has long been abandoned; in 1896 it was used — or 
misused — as a depot sewer. The water was not found inadequate in 
quantity, but its quality as a boiler water was inferior to that supplied 
by the city. 



Record of strata in Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well No. 1 (PI. V,-p. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene and Recent (28 feet thick; top, 1,128 feet above sea level): 

Black loam 

Clay ^ 

Devonian and Silurian (276 feet thick; top, 1,100 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, brown, soft, argillaceous 

Dolomite, hard, light bluish gray, granular, subcrystalline; some lighter and softer, 
briskly effervescent limestone 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, hard, brown 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (57 feet thick; top, 824 feet above sea level)— 

Shale, blue 



70 
119 



57 



Feet. 



217 
304 



361 



CEEEO GORDO COUNTY. 



635 



Record of strata in Chicago, Mihvaukee & St. Paul Railway well No. 1 {PI. V, p. 238) — 

Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Ordovieian— Continued. 

Galena dolomite (350 feet thick; top, 767 feet above sea level) — 

Limestone, magnesian, hard, pale buff 

Limestone, magnesian, flinty, impure, bluish gray; earthy luster 

Platteville limestone (75 feet thick; top, 417 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, green, slightly gritty; with chert and particles of magnesian limestone. . 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous, yellow 

St. Peter sandstone (85 feet thick; top, 342 feet above sea level) — 

Sandstone, fme, white; grains rounded and ground 

Prairie du Chien group (308 feet thick; top, 257 feet above sea level)— 
Shakopee dolomite- 
Dolomite, white 

New Richmond sandstone— 

"Mixed lime and sandstone" (no sample) 

Oneota dolomite — 

Dolomite, light gray 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (70 feet thick; top, 51 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, buff and white 

St. Lawrence formation (174 feet thick; top, 121 feet below sea level) — 

Dolomite, hard, gray; flakes of rather hard, green shale 

Shale, greenish, highly arenaceous; fragments of dolomite 

Dresbach sandstone (45 feet thick; top, 295 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, gray; larger grains, rounded; many smaller angular fragments; 

with some greenish shale 

Cambrian or pre-Cambrian (?) (5 feet penetrated; top, 340 feet below sea level): 

"Granite." The sample so labeled consists of sandstone similar to the above, 
rounded grains about 0.25-0.35 millimeter in diameter, with some dolomite, chert, 
and shale; none of the constituents of granite are present except quartz 



Feet. 
50 
300 

55 
20 



113 
50 
145 



116 
58 



Feet. 
411 
711 

766 
786 

871 

984 
1,034 
1,179 

1,249 

1,365 
1,423 

1,468 
1,473 



The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well No. 2 has a depth 
of 816 feet and a diameter of 6 inches. The curb is 1,135 feet above 
sea level. The original head was 30 feet below curb; head m 1908, 
126 feet below curb. The tested capacity is 120 gallons a minute. 

Driller's log of Chicago, Milwaukee &. St. Paul Railway well No. 2, near Mason City. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 
Sandstone 
Shale. 



Feet. 
36 
659 
30 
35 
56 



Feet. 
36 
695 
725 
760 
816 



The American Brick & Tile factory has a well 207 feet deep, and 
the Mason City Brick & Tile factory one 304 feet deep. The water 
rises within about 20 feet of the surface in the former and about 30 
feet in the latter, or to about 1,100 feet above sea level in each. Both 
wells yield large supplies. 

Rockwell. — The city well at Rockwell (population, 700) passes 
through glacial drift, limestone, and shale, and ends at a depth of 236 
feet in limestone beneath the shale. The water stands 20 feet below 



636 UNDEKGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

the surface, or 1,110 feet above the sea, lowering about 25 feet on 
pumping for 12 hours at 60 gallons a minute. The water is pumped 
into an air-tight cylinder from which it is deUvered by air pressure. 
The total length of mains is one-half mile, and there are 10 fire 
hydrants. Only a few homes have service connections, and the 
total daily consumption probably does not exceed 5,000 gallons. 

FLOYD COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer andW. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The smooth surface of the lowan drift plain extends over Floyd 
County but is moderately dissected by a number of small parallel 
streams which flow southeastward The thickest drift is found in 
the northeast in an area which includes the eastern and central parts 
of Cedar, nearly all of Niles, and the extreme eastern or northeastern 
part of St. Charles townships. Here many wells have penetrated 
more than 200 feet of drift, and in one well (NW. { sec. 29, T. 97 N., 
R. 15 W.) a thickness of 365 feet is reported. Throughout most of the 
remainder of the county the drift is relatively thin, the average thick- 
ness probably being less than 50 feet, and along the streams rock 
outcrops are common. The numerous irregularities in the rock 
surface on which the drift rests account for the radical differences 
in the thickness of the latter noted in drilling wells at points not far 
apart and on nearly the same level. 

The rock wliich lies immediately below the drift is probably all 
Devonian in age and consists for the most part of indurated but 
somewhat cavernous limestone. (See PI. V, p. 238; PL VII, p. 272.) 
In the southwestern part of the county, including the southern part 
of Scott and the southwestern part of Union Township, the distance 
to limestone is commonly 75 to 100 feet, but it is not clear from the 
data at hand whether this depth is due entirely to glacial drift or in 
part to the Devonian shale, which is known to be well developed 
in the next county to the west. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

Water is obtained from (1) alluvial and outwash gravels, which are 
practically restricted to the valleys, where they yield freely to some 
shallow wells; (2) glacial drift, which ui most parts of the county is 
too thin and well drained to be a satisfactory source of supply; (3) 
Devonian limestone, which constitutes the best and most largely 
utilized aquifer; and (4) lower formations reached in at least one well — 
the deep well at Charles City. 



FLOYD COUNTY. 637 

In Cedar and Niles townships there are many shallow open wells 
that end in the upper part of the drift, and perhaps even more drilled 
wells that extend to an average depth of nearly 200 feet and draw unfail- 
ing supplies of good water from the lower part of the drift or from the 
limestone. In many of the deepest wells the water level is low, in 
some being 100 feet below the surface. In St. Charles and Floyd 
townships some wells end in alluvial sand and gravel and some in 
porous drift beds, but the best penetrate the limestone and have an 
average depth of more than 100 feet. In Riverton Township, where 
the drift rarely exceeds 60 feet in thickness and is in some localities 
very thin, most of the satisfactory wells penetrate limestone and are 
commonly between 120 and 160 feet in depth. In Pleasant Grove 
Township, where the drift ranges in thickness from less than 10 feet 
to more than 140 feet, the wells are generally drilled into limestone 
and have an average depth of perhaps 100 feet. In Rock Grove and 
Rudd townships the rock is near the surface and is penetrated by 
practically all wells. The most common depths are between 50 and 
150 feet, but in the northern part of Rock Grove Township wells 
approaching 300 feet in depth are reported. Many of the shallow^est 
wells, such as those common in the village of Nora Springs, do not 
yield much water, but abundant supplies are usually found if the 
rock is penetrated some distance. In Rockford and Ulster town- 
ships the drift is also thin and in many places wells must be sunk 
many feet into the rock before obtaining large and dependable sup- 
plies. Depths ranging from 30 to 180 feet were reported. In the 
northern parts of Scott and Union townships, where the limestone 
is generally near the surface, most of the wells are between 50 and 
125 feet deep, but in the southern parts, where the distance to lime- 
stone is greater, most of them are between 100 and 200 feet deep. 

From the head of water in deep wells at Mason City and at Charles 
City it appears probable that flows with slight pressure could be 
obtained from deep wells on the lowest levels in the valley at Marble 
Rock, Rockford, Nora Springs, and elsewhere, but so much excellent 
water can be obtained by drilling a few hundred feet into the lime- 
stone that it would seem unnecessary to sink to greater depths even 
for municipal or industrial supplies. 

SPRINGS. 

The largest springs issue from crevices in the limestone at places 
where the streams have removed the overlying drift. A good example 
is afforded by the spring of C. F. Beelar, in the valley of Shell Rock 
River^ at the south edge of the village of Marble Rock, where a stream 
of several hundred gallons per minute pours from a solution channel 
in the limestone. 



688 



UNDEKGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Charles City. — The city water supply of Charles City (population, 
5,892) is obtained from a well 1,587 feet deep (PL V, p. 238; PI. VII, 
p. 272), drilled by J. F. McCarthy, of Minneapolis, in 1906, at a cost 
of $3,591. The well is 10 inches in diameter to 800 feet, 8 inches to 
bottom, and is cased from top to 250 feet and from 600 to 800 feet; 
no packing was used. The curb is about 1,013 feet above sea level 
and the head of water 10 feet above curb. The natural flow is 200 
gallons per minute; with vacuum of 7 pounds, 900 gallons a minute. 
Temperature, 53° F. The strata penetrated are shown in the follow- 
ing table: 

Record of strata of deep ivell at Charles City (PL V, p. 236; PI. VII, p. 212). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Devoniau (120 feet thick; top, 1,013 feet above sea level): Feet. 

Limestone 14 

Limestone, yellow; rapid effervescence 36 

Limestone, light brown-gray, rather soft, fine granular, crystalline; moderately 

rapid eiTervescence 10 

Limestone, yellow; rapid effervescence 10 

Limestone, like that at 50-60 feet; some fragments of yellow, soft, argillaceous lime- 
stone, probably fallen in 10 

Limestone, highly argillaceous, la light-blue chips, and lunestone hard, gray, of 

moderately slow effervescence; 2 samples 20 

Shale, blue, plastic, calcareous; 2 samples 20 

Silurian? (180 feet thick; top, 893 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, gray, soft, granular, argillaceous; earthy luster; slow effervescence 

Limestone, blue-gray, argiUaceous; some nodules of pyrite; moderately slow effer- 
vescence; 3 samples 30 

Shale, and soft, gray argillaceous limestone 10 

Limestone, blue-gray, argillaceous; rapid effervescence; 3 samples i 30 

Limestone and shale, limestone yellow with sUght quartzose residue; shale blue, 

calcareous; in chips 10 

Dolomite, gray, porous, rather bard, with blue-gray shale; in chips 10 

Dolomite, gray, hard, in part vesicular; ■\\ath molds of fossils 20 

Shale, blue, calcareous; in chips and powder; and limestone, blue-gray, some 
crystalline and of rapid effervescence, some hard, compact, and of slow efferves- 
cence 10 

Limestone, blue-gray, rather hard; moderately slow effervescence; earthy luster... 10 

Lunestone and shale, blue-gray; lunestone varying in rate of effervescence 10 

Dolomite, gray; earthy luster; 2 samples 20 

Dolomite, gray, minutely saccharoidal; some yellow limestone, probably fallen 

from above 10 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (110 feet thick; top, 713 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, blue, calcareous, in powder 10 

Shale and limestone; shale blue; lunestone gray, cherty; slow effervescence. .. 20 

Limestone, gray; moderately slow effervescence, rather hard; in sand 20 

Shale, hght biue-gray; calcareous; in powder with sand of gray dolomite; 4 

samples 40 

Limestone, light gray, hard; rapid effervescence; somewhat siliceous 10 

Shale, blue-gray; with limestone of rapid effervescence 10 

Galena limestone to Platteville limestone (380 feet thick; top, 603 feet above sea 
level)— 
Lunestone, argillaceous, yellow-gray, somewhat siliceous; rapid effervescence.. 10 

Limestone, gray, earthy luster; rapid effervescence; in thin flaky chips; 5 

samples SO 

Limestone, light yeUow-gray, hard, somewhat siliceous, magnesian; cherty at 

500 feet; 4 samples 40 

Shale and limestone, gray 10 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, crystalline, minutely porous, somewhat silice- 
ous; slow effervescence 20 

Limestone, yellow-gray and blue mottled; crystalline; rapid effervescence 10 

Limestone, gray; moderately slow effervescence 10 

Limestone, gray, soft; earthy luster; argillaceous; rapid effervescence; 4 sam- 
ples 40 

Dolomite, hard, crystalline, light gray; effervescence slow; cherty 10 

Limestone, light gray; rapid effervescence; 2 samples 20 

Shale, blue, calcareous; in masses of concreted powder; 3 samples 30 

Shale, buff, calcareous; residue, ocherous, cherty, and minutely arenaceous... 10 

Shale, blue; as at 630 to 6G0 feet 20 

Shale, hard, green, fossiliferous; in chips 30 

Sandstone, highly argillaceous, gray, slightly calcareous; grains fine, rounded, 
of considerable diversity of size; the largest more than 0.5 millimeter in 
diameter; 8 samples ! 70 



Feet. 



100 
120 

130 

160 
170 
200 

210 
220 
240 



250 
260 
270 
290 

300 



310 
330 
350 

390 
400 
410 



420 

470 

510 
520 

540 
550 
560 

600 
610 
630 
660 
670 
690 
720 



790 



FLOYD COUNTY. 

Record of strata of deep well at Charles City — Continued. 



639 



Ordovician— Continued. 

St. Peter sandstone (80 feet thick; top, 223 feet above sea level) — 

Sandstone, white; clean quartz sand grains well rounded and sorted; largest 

1 millimeter in diameter 

Sandstone and dolomite; quartz sand of rounded grains with much white chert 

and gray siliceous dolomite and green shale; granular; 4 samples 

Sandstone, white; clean grains of quartz; fine grained 

Sandstone, white; grains mostly 0.75 millimeter in diameter; calcareous ce- 
ment 

Sandstone, white , 

Prairie du Chien group (300 feet thick; top, 143 feet above sea level)— 
Shakopee dolomite: 

Dolomite, light yellow-gray; in meal; little quartz sand in drillings 

Dolomite, blue-gray and yellow-gray; 2 samples 

Sandstone and dolbmite;'sandstone white, moderately fine grained; dolo- 
mite blue-gray; in fine sand 

Dolomite, blue; shale, white, in powder; and sandstone, white; largest 

grains 1.2 millimeters in diameter 

New Richmond sandstone: 

Sandstone, white; finer than above; with admixture of dolomite in lower 

part; 2 samples 

Sandstone, white; largest grains 1 millimeter diameter; 2 samples 

Oneota dolomite: 

Dolomite, blue, and sandstone; drillings largely quartz sand; 2 samples. . 
Dolomite, brown, drab, and gray; finely arenaceous and cherty; 7 samples 

Marl, white, calcareous; residue argillaceous and quartzose 

Dolomite, white and gray; highly cherty at 1,070 feet; 11 samples 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (80 feet thick; top, 157 feet below sea level )^ 

Sandstone, clean, white; well-rounded grains; many 1 millimeter in diameter . , 

Sandstone; as above, but finer 

Sandstone; as above, coarser; largest grains 1.5 millimeters passing at bottom 
into highly arenaceous dolomite represented in drillings by blue-gray chips. 

Sandstone; as above; clean quartz .sand; 2 samples 

Sandstone, finer, calciferous 

St. Lawrence formation (337 feet penetrated; top, 237 feet below sea level) — 

Shale, green-gray, calciferous, arenaceous; 2 samples 

Sandstone, white, moderately fine grained; chips of dolomite 

No samples 

Shale, greenish, calcareous, glauconiferous, arenaceous; fine rounded grains of 

quartz; 4 samples 

Shale, blue-gray, calcareous, glauconiferous; in easily friable concreted masses; 

arenaceous; 2 samples 

Shale; as above; and greenish, fine-grained, argillaceous, and glauconiferous 

sandstone; 7 samples 

Shale, green-gray, glauconiferous, calcareous, and arenaceous 

Shale; as above; with flakes of hard, dark, greenish-drab shale, noncalcareous 

and nonglauconiferous; very slightly siliceous; 2 samples 

Shale; green-gray, glauconiferous, calcareous, and arenaceous 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 
10 


Feet. 
800 


40 
10 


840 
850 


10 
10 


860 
870 


10 
20 


880 
900 


10 


910 


10 


920 


20 
20 


940 

960 


20 

70 

10 

110 


980 
1,050 
1,060 
1,170 


30 
10 


1,200 
1,210 


10 
20 
10 


1,220 
1,240 
1,250 


20 

10 

120 


1,270 
1,280 
1,400 


50 


1,450 


20 


1.470 


70 
10 


1,540 
1,550 


20 
17 


1,570 
1.587 



The following chemical analyses of drillings from the deep well at 
Charles City were made in the chemical laboratory of Cornell College, 
Mount Vernon, Iowa : 

Analyses of drillings from Charles City well. 



600-610 
feet. 



MgCO, 

CaCOs 

re203 

AI2O3 

SiOj 

H2O 

CaSOi..... 

Total 




100. 05 



640 TJNDERGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

The waterworks system consists of a standpipe, 6 miles of mains, 
56 fire hydrants, and about 450 taps. The water is used for domestic 
purposes by perhaps 1,800 people, or one-tliird of the population, 
and for boiler supplies by both railway companies and by other 
industrial concerns. The average daily consumption is estimated 
at 200,000 gallons. 

Marble Rock. — The village well at Marble Rock (population, 480) 
is 154 feet deep, nearly all of wliich is in rock. It has been pumped for 
12 hours at the rate of 65 gallons a minute without noticeable effect. 
The water normally stands about 60 feet below the surface. The 
system comprises an elevated tank, half a mile of mains, six fire 
hydrants, and about 35 taps. About one-fifth of the people use the 
public supply. 

Nora Springs. — The public well at Nora Springs (population, 985) 
is 8 inches in diameter and 197 feet deep, nearly the entire depth 
being in limestone. It is pumped at the rate of 45 gallons per minute 
without appreciable effect. The water rises to a level 20 feet below 
the surface, or about 1,050 feet above the sea, and is pumped to an 
elevated tank, from wliich it is distributed through three-fourths of 
a mile of mains. There are 14 fire hydrants. Only a few of the 
inhabitants use the public supply; about 4,000 gallons are said to be 
consumed daily. According to Norton, a supply of good water could 
probably be obtained from a deep well sunk to the Galena and 
Platteville limestones, or from these and the St. Peter sandstone 
combined. The summit of the St. Peter should be found at about 
300 feet above sea level, or at about 775 feet below the surface. 
A well 800 or 900 feet deep should be ample. 

FRANKLIN COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Franklin County is divisible into two distinct topographic, geologic, 
and ground-water provinces, the area of Wisconsin drift occupying 
the western part, and the area of lowan drift occupying the eastern 
part. The former has deep drift, a morainic topography, many 
undrained swamps and ponds, and numerous drift wells; the latter 
has thin drift, a nearly level but well-drained surface, and a predom- 
inance of rock weUs. Except in certain localities, the dividing line 
between these two areas is well defined. It crosses the north bound- 
ary about 9 miles east of the west margin, trends southeast, and 
crosses the south boundary about 4 miles west of the east margin of 
the county. 

The rocks upon which the drift rests are chiefly limestones belong- 
ing to the upper part of the Devonian and the lower part (Mssissippian 



TEANKLIN COUNTY. 641 

series) of the Carboniferous. Apparently they dip gently to the 
southwest, so that the oldest formations are found in the north- 
eastern and the youngest in the southwestern part of the county. 
In the northeastern part of Franklin County and also in Cerro Gordo 
County a shale formation is interbedded between Devonian limestones. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

Water is obtained from the glacial drift and underlying limestone, 
and in the deep well at Hampton from the lower sandstone forma- 
tions. In the western morainic area the drift is in general between 65 
and 1 50 feet thick, and because of the poor drainage the pervious por- 
tions are filled with water nearly to the surface. When this area was 
first settled, the water supply was nearly all obtained from shallow 
wells that ended in the upper part of the drift, but many wells 
have recently been sunk to the lower part of the drift and into the 
subjacent limestone, thus obtaining more sanitary, more plentiful, and 
more reliable supplies. In the eastern area, where the drift is thinner 
and a Httle more dissected by streams, it is generally necessary to 
drUl into rock in order to obtain supplies that are at all dependable. 
Most of the wells end in the upper limestone at depths ranging from 
30 to 100 feet, but a few pass through the Devonian shale and end 
in the underlying limestone at depths between 200 and 400 feet. In 
aU weUs that are sufficiently deep the supply is abundant and perma- 
nent. The water from all beds is hard, but is otherwise of good 
quahty unless polluted from the surface. 

SPRINGS AND FLOWING WELLS. 

In the vaUey of Iowa River in the southwestern part of the county, 
in the vaUey of West Fork of Eed Cedar River in the northeast, and 
in a number of low tracts especially at the east base of the high 
morainic area, the water in the ordinary drilled wells rises nearly to 
the surface or, in a few wells, overflows. In other locafities east of 
the morainic belt, the water-bearing beds have been exposed by 
erosion or otherwise, allowing the water to escape in rather large 
springs. The head of the city well at Hampton indicates that the 
water from the deeply buried formations will remain at a lower level 
than that from the formations reached in ordinary drilling. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Hanffpton. — The pubHc supply of Hampton (population, 2,617) 
comes from a group of springs and from a deep well. The springs 
discharge into two reservoirs at about 100 gaUons a minute; and the 
36581°— WSF 293—12 41 



642 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



well has been tested at 160 gallons a minute. There is a standpipe 
and system of mains with about 225 taps. The average daily con- 
sumption is about 150,000 gallons, the water being used for domestic 
purposes by over 1,000 people and for boiler supphes by both railway 
and industrial companies. 

The well is 1,709 feet deep, is cased with lO-inch pipe from surface 
to 190 feet, 8-mch from 588 to 642 feet, 7-inch from 196 to 1,139 
feet, and 6-inch from 1,139 to 1,191 feet; the casing is split to let in 
water. The curb is 995 feet above sea level. The normal head is 50 
feet below curb; under pump the water stands 160 feet below curb. 
The principal water supply is obtained from a depth of 1,100 feet. 
The well was drUled in 1900 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. The 
strata penetrated are indicated by the following log and section : 

Drillers^ log of city well at Hampton. 



Depth. 




Surface 

Shale 

Lime, hard . . . 
Shale, caving. 

Limestone 

Shale. 



Mixture of lime and shale and coating material. 

Very hard rock, which batters drill 

Mixture of rock and soapstone 

Limestone 

Sandy material 

Shale 



Sandstone 

Limestone 

Sandy limestone. 
Hard limestone . . 
Sandstone 



Description of strata in city well at Hampton. 

Pleistocene (52 feet thick; top 995 feet above sea level): 

Till, pale yellow 

Sand, ocher-yellow; witli ociierous clay 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

Kinderbook group (108 feet thick; top, 943 feet above 
sea level): 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, bluish gray, subcrystalline ; of rapid 
effervescence; in coarse chips; fragments of calc 
spar and sparry surfaces indicate that the rock is 
geodiferous; platy fragments of drusy pyrite, in 
some of which the pyrite alternates with laminse 

of black coaly shale 

Shale, blue; 3 samples 

Devonian (360 feet thick; top, 835 feet above sea level): 
Limestone, dark green-gray, earthy; brisk effervescence; 
argillaceous residue; in large chips; some fragments of 
white fine-grained, crystalline limestone 



Depth in feet. 
20 
40 



60 



100-140 



160 



FEANKLIISr COUNTY. 



643 



Devonian (360 feet thick; top, 835 feet above sea level — Con. Depth in feet. 

Limestone, dark drab, fine grained, crystalline, hard; 
residue black; moderately brisk effervescence; 
microscopic grains of crystalline quartz 180 

Limestone, white, compact; earthy luster; also gray 
and cream-colored; saccharoidal, in small chips; 
much argillaceous admixture; effervescence moder- 
ate; residue large, argillaceous, and microscopically 
quartzose 200 

Shale, greenish 220 

Limestone, white, earthy; brisk effervescence; in fine 
sand; some cuttings of shale 240 

Shale, greenish; 2 samples 260-280 

Limestone, white; brisk effervescence; crystalline, in 
\ fine sand masked by argillo-calcareous powder 300 

Limestone, varicolored, dark bluish, saccharoidal, with 
moderate effervescence, and argillaceous residue ; and 
buff, sub crystalline, fine grained, compact, with brisk 
effervescence and little residue 320 

Limestone, light gray, fine grained, subcrystalline, sub- 
translucent; rapid effervescence; in large flakes 340 

Limestone, drab; large dark argillaceous residue; 
effervescence moderate 360 

Limestone, light gray, dense, fine grained, subcrystal- 
line; brisk effervescence; some chips of soft greenish 
saccharoidal limestone 380 

Limestone, light buff, soft, compact, earthy; efferves- 
cence brisk 400 

Limestone, light blue and light buff; hard; brisk effer- 
vescence 420 

Limestone, light brownish, soft: earthy; brisk efferves- 
cence; argillaceous residue 440 

Limestone, blue-gray; earthy luster; fine grained, com- 
pact; brisk effervescence, dark argillaceous residue. . 460 

Limestone, blue-gray; effervescence rather slow; large 
clayey residue; fragments of fossUiferous green shale. 480 

Limestone, gray, subcrystalline; in angular sand; effer- 
vescence brisk 500 

Silurian (78 feet thick; top, 475 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, cream-colored, very soft; earthy; efferves- 
cence moderate; some drab, argillaceous 520 

Limestone, light blue-gray, soft; rather large clayey 
residue; effervescence moderate 540 

Limestone; as above, but with chips of chert siliceous 
limestone, and drab argillaceous limestone 560 

Limestone, white, soft; rapid effervescence; subtrans- 

lucent 580 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (172 feet thick; top, 397 feet above sea 
level) : 

Shale, light chocolate brown, calcareous 600 

Shale, reddish; no reaction for carbons or hydro- 
carbons in closed tube 620 

Shale, light greenish, calcareous 640 



644 UlSTDEEGKOUKD WATEK KESOUKCES OE IOWA. 

Ordovician — Continued. 

Maquoketa shale (172 feet thick; top, 397 feet above sea 
level — Continued . 
Limestone; moderate effervescence; much argil- Depth in feet. 

laceous powder 660 

Gray chert, greenish shale, and red calcareous shale; 

probably fallen from above 700 

Shale, greenish 720 

Limestone, varicolored, in sand; brisk efferves- 
cence ; much greenish shale 740 

Shale, dark greenish, calcareous 760 

Galena limestone to Platteville limestone (410 feet 
thick; top, 225 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, white; brisk effervescence ; much shale 780 
Limestone, buff, and shale, chocolate-brown; con- 
siderable yellow chert , 800 

Limestone, gray and white; brisk effervescence; 
much white chert and argillaceous powder; 2 

samples 820-840 

Shale, green and brown; gray chert 860 

Limestone, gray; l^risk effervescence 880 

Limestone, cream colored; brisk effervescence; in 

fine sand; much argillaceous powder 900 

Limestone, light yellow; highly argillaceous; 2 

samples 920-940 

Shale, light brownish, calcareous 960 

Limestone, light gray; some fossiliferous; cherty; 
brisk effervescence ; in chips; much argillaceous 

powder in some samples; 6 samples 980-1, 080 

Limestone, gray, brisk effervescence; 2 samples.. 1,130 

Shale, green; and gray limestone 1, 140 

Shale, green, indurated; in fine chips 1, 160 

St. Peter sandstone (68 feet thick; top, 185 feet below sea 
level) : 

Sandstone; white grains of clear quartz, well 
rounded, comparatively uniform in size, surfaces 
smooth, with green shale from above; 4 samples. 1, 180-1, 240 
Prairie du Chien group : 

Shakopee dolomite (172 feet thick; top, 253 feet 
below sea level) : 

Dolomite, gray, hard, cherty 1, 260 

Dolomite, gray, cherty, arenaceous 1, 280 

Sandstone, fine grained, white 1, 300 

Dolomite, light buff and gray, cherty; 2 sam- 
ples 1, 320-1, 340 

Dolomite, light buff, arenaceous; considerable 

quartz sand in drillings 1, 360 

Dolomite, blue-gray 1, 400 

New Richmond sandstone (70 feet thick; top, 425 
feet below sea level) : 

Dolomite, blue-gray, and sandstone; large part 

of drillings quartz sand 1, 420 

Dolomite, gray; small fragments of arenaceous 
dolomite and some quartz sand 1, 440 



HANCOCK COUNTY. 645 

Ordovician — Continued. 

Prairie du Chien group — Continued. 

New Richmond sandstone — Continued. 

Sandstone and dolomite; sandstone of St. Peter Depth in feet. 

facies; dolomite gray 1, 460 

Sandstone, white, fine grained, hard 1, 480 

Dneota dolomite (145 feet thick; top, 495 feet below 
sea level) : 

Dolomite, gray and white, cherty; 2 samples. . 1, 500-1, 520 
Dolomite, gray; residue of cryptocrystalline 

quartz 1, 540 

Dolomite, blue-gray; residue as above 1, 560 

Dolomite, gray; 3 samples 1, 580-1, 620 

v^ Cambrian — 
' Jordan sandstone (74 feet penetrated; top, 640 feet 

below sea level) : 

Sandstone; of clean, white, well-rounded 
grains of pure quartz, of moderate size; 3 

samples 1, 640-1, 680 

Sandstone; as above, but somewhat harder, as 
indicated by larger number of fractured 
grains; 2 samples 1, 700-1, 709 

Latimer. — The village well at Latimer (population, 378) is 6 
inches in diameter and 150 feet deep, the last 50 being in hmestone. 
The water rises within 45 feet of the surface, and the well is reported 
to have yielded 300 gallons a minute continuously during a 12- 
hour test. 

The water is brought out of the well by an air hft and is then 
forced by a rotary pump into a cyhndrical air-tight tank, from which 
it is carried through the mains by air pressure. The total length of 
the mains is less than half a mile, the number of fire hydrants 6, the 
number of taps 14, and the average daily consumption is estimated 
at 6,000 gallons. Only a small proportion of the inhabitants use 
the pubhc supply. 

HANCOCK COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer. 

TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The drift-covered surface of Hancock CQunty is in most locaUties 
only gently undulating. It has been but little modified by stream 
erosion and consequently its natural drainage is imperfect. The 
glacial material forms a continuous blanket, 75 to 250 feet thick, 
beneath which the older rock formations are completely concealed. 
In the northwestern part of the county (Bingham, Crystal, Orthel, 
and part of Britt townsliips) the drift has its greatest development, 
depths of 200 to 250 feet being common; and in the southern tier 



646 UNDEEGKOUND WATEK RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

of townships (Major, Amsterdam, Twin Lake, and Avery), it is also 
rather deep, ranging in general between 125 and 200 feet and averag- 
ing deeper in Twin Lake than in Avery Township; in parts of Britt, 
Garfield, Concord, Ell, German, Erwin, and Boone townsliips it is 
relatively thin, depths of 75 to 125 feet being common. 

The bedrock upon which the drift rests consists of indurated lime- 
stone with a minor amount of interstratified shale, and probably 
belongs in part to the Mississippian series of the Carboniferous and in 
part to the Devonian system. The general succession of the upper 
formations is indicated by the following section of the village well at 
Britt: 

Section of village well at Britt. 





Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Drift 1 


Feet. 
127i 
40| 
17 
15 


Feet. 
127i 
168 




Shale 


185 


Limestone (entered) 


200 








UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOUHCE. 







The water supply is derived from the glacial drift and the under- 
lying hmestones. On account of the poor drainage, the porous parts 
of the drift are usually filled with water nearly to the surface; hence 
there are many shallow wells which are liable to fail in dry seasons 
when the water level lowers. Better wells are drilled to deeper 
parts of the drift where they receive more dependable supphes from 
sand and gravel beds that contain water under pressure. The best 
drilled wells, however, pass through the sand and gravel beds and tap 
the limestones, from which are obtained copious supphes of water 
that is lifted by artesian pressure nearly or quite to the surface. The 
water from both drift and Umestone is hard, but is otherwise good. 

Throughout the county the blanket of drift, with its undrained 
surface and its water-bearing beds of sand and gravel, hes on top 
of the same kind of bedrock, with its large water supplies under 
good pressure. The two variable factors are (1) the thickness of the 
drift and consequent depth to rock, and (2) the altitude of the sur- 
face and the resulting depth at which the water remains in the wells. 

HEAD. 

In most parts of the county the water in drilled wells rises nearly 
to the surface and in some areas it overflows. The following table 
shows the head at several points : 



HANCOCK COUNTY. 
Head of water in and near Hancock County. 



647 



Locality. 



Altitude 
of surface 

above 
sea level. 



Height to which the 
water rises. 



Above or 
below 
surface. 



Above 
sea level. 



Forest City (Winnebago County). 

Gamer 

Klemme 

Belmond (Wright County) 

Britt 

Hutchins 

Wesley (Kossuth County) 

Corwith 



Feet. 
1,180 
1,220 

a 1,210 
1,180 
1,230 
1,208 
1,246 
1,178 



Feet. 

Above. 
-14 
-10 

Above. 
-18 
-18 
-80 
-20 



Feet. 
1,180 
1,206 

a 1,200 
1,180 
1,212 
1,190 
1,166 
1,158 



a Approximate. 

Flowing wells have been obtained along the several branches of 
Boone River in Magor, Amsterdam, Boone, and Erin townships, and 
also in the low tracts adjoining several creeks in Bingham and Orthel 
townships. They have also been obtained in the valley of Iowa 
River near the south Hne of the county, and, judging from the flow- 
ing well at Forest City, it seems not improbable that they could be 
obtained in parts of Lime Creek Valley near the Winnebago County 
hne. 

The deepest well reported is the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul 
Railway well at Britt, wliich extends to a depth of 684 feet, and in 
which the water rises to 16 feet below the surface, or 1,220 feet above 
the sea level, this being practically the same head that is found in 
the ordinary drilled weUs of the vicinity. At Algona to the west and 
Mason City to the east the water from the deeply buried formations 
does not rise much higher than 1,100 feet above sea level, and the 
general experience in deep drilling in this region indicates that the 
head tends to become lower with increasing depth. In view of the 
generous yield and good head of wells sunk relatively short distances 
into the rock, probably little or nothing would be gained by deep 
drilling. 

In certain areas where the water in rock weUs stands some distance 
below the surface, it may be feasible to drain smaU swampy tracts, 
remote from streams and large ditches, by conducting the water 
through wells into the cavities of the rock, but throughout the 
greater part of the county the head of the well water is too high 
to permit this method of drainage. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Britt. — The pubhc well at Britt (population, 1,303) is 8 inches in 
diameter and 200 feet deep. The first limestone yielded 60 gallons 
a minute and the finished well, ending in the hmestone beneath the 



648 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

shale, has been tested at the rate of 400 gallons a minute. The water- 
works consist of an elevated tank, about 2 miles of mains, 16 fire 
hydrants, and approximately 200 taps. A majority of the people use 
the water, the average daily consumption being estimated as 30,000 
gallons. 

The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well has a depth of 
684 feet and a diameter of 7 inches. The curb is 1,236 feet above sea 
level. The head is 16 feet below the curb and the tested capacity 
is 125 gallons a minute. 

Corwith. — The village well at Corwith (population, 455) is 125 feet 
deep and ends in limestone. The water stands 20 feet below the 
surface, or 1,158 feet above sea level, and has been pumped at the 
rate of 70 gallons a minute. 

The distribution system comprises an elevated tank, somewhat 
more than half a mile of mains, 8 fire hydrants, and 17 taps. Only 
a small portion of the total population uses the public supply. The 
average daily consumption is reported to be approximately 10,000 
gallons. 

Garner. — ^The pubhc water supply of Garner (population, 1,028) 
comes from two wells, one of which was dug to a bed of gravel at 
48 feet, and the other was dug to 55 feet and thence drilled to 145 
feet, where it ends in limestone. The water in each well rises within 
14 feet of the surface, but pumping at the rate of 80 gallons a minute 
from the two combined lowers the water level about 25 feet. 

The system comprises an elevated tank, about one-half mUe of 
mains, 11 fire hydrants, and approximately 75 taps. It is estimated 
that less than one-fourth of the people are supplied from this source 
and that the average daily consumption is about 13,000 gallons. 

HUMBOLDT COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Nearly all of Humboldt County is drift covered and much of it 
is poorly drained, but East and West forks of Des Moines River, 
which cross the county and unite near the south line, have in many 
localities cut into the bedrock, and, with their numerous short tribu- 
taries, have drained some of the swampy tracts. In the eastern part 
of the county the glacial drift forms an uninterrupted sheet, com- 
monly between 100 and 200 feet thick, but in most of the central 
and western parts it is thinner and in some places is only a veneer 
over the rock surface. Near the northwest and southwest corners 
(PI. XVI, p. 672) beds of loose sand, which are believed to represent 



HUMBOLDT COUNTY. 649 

the basal Cretaceous deposit, appear to lie immediately below the 
drift, but elsewhere, as far as is known, the drift rests on Carbonif- 
erous rocks which, according to T. H. Macbride,^ consist of shale 
and sandstone belonging to the Des Moines group of the Pennsyl- 
vanian and of the "St. Louis limestone" and Kinderhook group 
of the Mississippian. The shale and sandstone are probably not 
widely distributed, for in most sections limestone constitutes the 
first rock recognized by drillers. The succession is indicated by the 
following section of the Cliicago & North Western Railway well at 
Renwick: 

Section of railway well at Remoick. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil, yellow and blue clay. 

Clay, hard, blue 

Sand 

Shale, red 

Shale, white 

Limestone 



Feet. 
40 
100 
10 
20 
4 
38 



Feet. 
40 
140 
150 
170 
174 
212 



UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Most of the water used in Humboldt County is obtained from the 
glacial drift and the Carboniferous limestones. In the eastern tier 
of townships relatively few wells have been sunk to rock, but many 
end in the lower part of the drift at depths of more than 100 feet. 
In the vicinity of Livermore the drilled wells average perhaps 100 
feet in depth, and possibly half of them end in rock; in the vicinity 
of Humboldt they average somewhat deeper and a larger proportion 
enter rock. In the west-central part of the county limestone wells 
are also numerous, but in certain locahties, especially near the north- 
west and southwest corners, all drilled wells end in sand. 

In general the rock wells are the most satisfactory and yield the 
largest supphes, but where the drift is thin and the water level is low 
it is in some places necessary to drill considerable distances in the 
rock, and even where the latter lies entirely below the water level a 
generous yield is obtained only after a good crevice has been tapped. 
Although the upper part of the limestone is the most broken and 
fissured it occasionally happens that compact rock must be penetrated 
for many feet before an opening is found which will freely. conduct 
water to the driU hole. 

1 Geology of Humboldt County: Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 9, 1899, pp. 122 et seq. 



650 UNDEKGEOUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

HEAD. 

In the eastern part of the county water in the drilled wells rises 
nearly to the surface, and several flows have been struck in the valley 
of Prairie Creek and elsewhere. In Boone Valley, immediately east 
of Humboldt County, flows are obtained over an extensive area, but 
in Des Moines Valley, which lies at a lower level, none exist. The 
difference is due to the fact that in the first valley there is a continu- 
ous thick blanket of bowlder clay which is so impervious that it acts 
as a confining bed, holding under pressure the water in the porous 
beds beneath; whereas in the second valley the stream has cut 
through the confining bed into the water-bearing strata, thus allow- 
ing the water to escape freely. The result is that one valley has 
flowing wells but practically no springs, and the other has numerous 
springs but no flowing wells. 

In some locaHties in the western part of the county the water in 
the drilled wells remains at rather great depths and the conditions 
are unusually favorable for draining swamps into the underlying 
limestone. 

No deep drilling has been done in Humboldt County, but the wells 
in Algona, Mallard, and Webster City indicate that the water from the 
deep formations will rise to approximately 1,100 feet above the sea 
and that weUs may possibly flow with shght pressure in the Des 
Moines Valley. The highest head would probably be obtained within 
a few hundred feet of the surface; no additional pressure would be 
gained by sinking to still lower horizons. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs are abundant in the valley of West Fork of Des Moines 
River, and also in the valley of East Fork near the junction of the 
two streams. They issue mainly from the Hmestone, where the 
impervious cover of bowlder clay has been removed by erosion. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Humboldt. — About half of the people of Humboldt (population, 
1,809) are said to use the pubhc supply. The water comes from a 
spring that flows into a reservoir, from wliich the water is carried, 
by gravity, through a pipe that passes under the river into a second 
reservoir, and is then pumped into a standpipe and system of mains. 
The total length of mains is 3 J miles, the number of fire hydrants 
is 21, and the number of taps is about 180. Approximately 60,000 
gallons of water are consumed daily. 

At Humboldt the drill (according to Norton), after passing the 
Mississippian limestone and shales, wiU enter the limestones and 



KOSSUTH COUNTY. 651 

shales of the Devonian, below which some Silurian Umestones may 
possibly be found. Next are shales 100 to 200 feet thick, correlated 
with the Maquoketa, although they may in part represent the Galena. 
Probably some water will be found in the Galena hmestone. Below 
the Decorah shale and the Platteville hmestone the drill will enter 
the St. Peter sandstone, about 1,300 feet below the surface. This 
sandstone may easily reach 100 feet in thickness and should afford 
a good yield of excellent water. The supply may be largely increased 
by going deeper, say to 1,700 feet, to tap the stores held by the lime- 
stones and sandstones lying beneath the St. Peter. 

Livermore. — ^The village well at Livermore (population, 578) is 163 
feet deep, the last 31 feet of which are in hmestone. The water is 
said to stand about 55 feet below the surface (or about 1,080 feet above 
sea level) and to have been pumped at the rate of 60 gallons a minute. 

KOSSUTH COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The surface of Kossuth County forms a north-south trough, the 
southern and central portions of which are drained southward 
through East Fork of Des Moines River and the northern portion 
northward through Blue Earth River. These two rivers are con- 
nected across the divide between the Des Moines and Minnesota 
River basins by a swampy area known as the Union Slough. The 
entire area is covered with glacial drift and exhibits a typical ground- 
moraine topography. The drainage is imperfect and swamps and 
ponds are numerous. 

GEOLOGY. 

If the layer of drift, wliich in most localities is over 100 feet thick, 
could be removed the surface on which it rests would probably com- 
prise an erosional topography exposing a geologic section of consider- 
able thickness and diversity. In the eastern and most of the central 
part of the county and also in a small area in the extreme southwest 
the drift hes upon indurated Paleozoic limestone, the age of which 
can not be definitely ascertained because outcrops are lacking. In 
a tract adjoining Des Moines River and throughout most of the 
western third of the county a wedge of soft shale and sandstone 
with a maximum known thickness of about 200 feet intervenes 
between the drift and the limestone. The upper beds of shale and 
sandstone are beheved to be Cretaceous, but some of the lower beds 
probably belong to the Pennsylvanian series and possibly in part 
to the Permian. The following well sections, as reported by the 



652 



UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



drillers, show to some extent the character and relations of these 
strata: 

Generalized well section for the vicinity of Wesley. 



Depth. 



Soil and yeUow clay 

Clay, blue 

Clay, black, sand, and gravel with fragments of wood 

Clay, blue 

Clay, black, with fragments of wood 

Clay, yellow, sandy 

Clay, blue 

Clay, yellow, and broken limestone 

Limestone (entered). 



Section of well immediately north of Luverne. 



Clay, blue 

Sand 

Clav, red 

"Flint" 

Sandstone 

Shale 

Limestone (entered) 




Feet. 




53 
58 
103 
105 
112 
195 
197 



Depth. 



Feet. 
80 
90 
140 
146 
166 
176 
178 



Section of well at the Algona steam laundry. 




Depth. 



Clay, blue , 

Sand 

Shale or clay, yellow. 

Shale or clay, red 

Shale or clay, blue. . . 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone (entered). 



Feet. 
90 

215 

220 

227 





Section of abandoned village well at Whittemore. 








Thickness. 


Depth. 


Clay, etc 


Feet. 
115 
40 
3 


Feet. 
115 


Sand, etc 


155 


Shale 


158 


Sandstone (entered). 





The section at Wesley suggests three distinct drift sheets whose 
deposition occurred at intervals sufficiently long to enable a soil to 
form and some weathering to occur at the top of each before it was 
covered by the next. The section at Bancroft (p. 656) likewise sug- 
gests either two or three distinct drift sheets. The red clay or shale 
reported in a number of the sections in Kossuth, Humboldt, and 
Palo Alto counties may represent the red shale found in the vicinity 
of Fort Dodge. 



KOSSUTH COUNTY. 653 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

Water is obtained from glacial drift, Cretaceous sandstone, and 
Paleozoic limestones and sandstones. 

In the northeastern part of the county, where the drift rests upon 
limestone at depths ranging from about 100 feet m the vicinity of 
Germania to much more in certain other locahties, many drilled 
wells pass through the entire tliickness of drift and find water after 
penetrating only a short distance into the limestone. Farther west, 
in the vicinity of Swea City, a few wells reach limestone at about 200 
feet, but in general the rock hes much farther below the surface and 
the wells are finished either in the drift or in the Cretaceous sand. 

Similar conditions prevail in the central portion of the county. 
Thus, at Ramsey post office, near the Union Slough, limestone occurs 
and is reached by many drilled wells at about 100 feet; at Bancroft 
it lies 240 feet below the surface and is reached by only a few wells; 
and at Ringsted, 3 miles west of the county line, it occurs at 364 feet 
and is almost never reached in drilling. 

In the southeastern part of the county many bored weUs end in the 
drift at depths of less than 100 feet but a large proportion of the 
drilled weUs enter rock, although in some localities this lies at con- 
siderable depths. In a very general way it may be said that the most 
common depths of the drilled wells are between 150 and 190 feet in 
the region south of Titonka, between 200 and 230 feet in the vicinity 
of Wesley, about 175 feet in the vicinity of Sexton, between 200 and 
260 feet in the high area surrounding St. Benedict, and between 75 
and 200 feet in the vicinity of Luverne. In much of the region 
south of Wesley and east of Luverne the drift is deep and drilled 
rock wells are proportionately rare. 

In the vicinity of Algona there is a wide range in the depth of wells, 
some of the drift wells being very shallow and some of the rock weUs 
going down more than 300 feet. An average for drilled weUs is 
probably between 1 50 and 200 feet. In the high area north of Whitte- 
more the driQed weUs range in general between 200 and 330 feet and 
end either in the drift or in the subjacent beds of sand. South of 
Whittemore the range in depth of wells is between 70 and 200 feet and 
most of the wells end in sand, except in a small area near the south- 
west corner of the county, where Hmestone is sometimes reached by 
the drill. 

Of the several sources of water in this county the limestone is the 
most satisfactory. Its upper portion is generally creviced — a condi- 
tion probably due to preglacial weathering — and hence it supplies 
water very freely. On the other hand, sand at higher levels causes 
much trouble by rising in the wells or by clogging screens. Only 



654 



UlSTDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOXJECES OF IOWA. 



6-inch wells should be sunk and, except in those areas where the depth 
to rock is great, drUhng should be continued until limestone is reached 
or a satisfactory sand or gravel bed is encountered. As the ordinary- 
rock wells yield generous quantities of good water, little if anything 
is to be gained by drilling to the deeper formations. 

HEAD. 

The upper part of the glacial drift is more or less porous and as a 
rule is saturated almost to the surface, the water table closely follow- 
ing the topographic irregularities. But the bulk of the drift con- 
sists of dense bowlder clay which appears to be quite impervious to 
water and which serves in a sense as a confining bed that holds under 
pressure the water in the creviced limestone, in the sand strata, or in 
the sand and gravel deposits within the drift itself. Hence, when a 
hole is drilled through the bowlder clay, the water from the underly- 
ing formations rises under pressure to a certain definite level, which 
is generally higher (above the sea) in elevated than in depressed 
regions, but which does not follow the topographic irregularities 
nearly as closely as does the surficial ground-water table. Hence it 
is that in the highest areas the water remains far below the surface 
and in the lowest areas it may rise above the surface. 

The following tables shows the head of the water at several points 
in or near this county : 

Head of water in and near Kossuth County. 



Locality. 



Altitude 
of surf ace 

above 
sea 

level. 



Height to wMcli 
water rises. 



Above or 
below 
surface. 



Above 

sea 
level. 



Buffalo Center (Winnebago County). 

Germania 

S wea City 

Armstrong (Emmet County) 

Bancroft 

Burt 

Ringsted (Emmet County) 

Wesley 

Sexton 

St. Benedict 

Algona 

Wbittemore 

Corwitb. (Hancock County) 

Luveme 

Livermore (Humboldt County) 

West Bend (Palo Alto County) 



Feet. 
1,183 



1,174 
1,240 
1,210 
1,170 
1,251 
1,240 
1,218 
1,206 
1,193 
1,200 
1,178 
1,169 
1,140 



Feet. 

- 14 
Above. 

- 15 

- 68 

- 60 

- 30 

- 76 

- 80 

- 70 
-125 

- S3 

- 35 

- 20 

- 40 

- 55 
Above. 



Feet. 
1,169 
1,145 
1,159 
1,172 
1,150 
1,140 
1,175 
1,166 
1,148 
1,141 
1,140 
1,165 
1,158 
1,129 
1,085 
1,156 



Wells obtam flowing water in a tract of considerable extent adja- 
cent to Blue Earth Kiver, chiefly in Hebron, Springfield, Ledyard, 
and Lincoln townships, and also in the valleys of Buffalo, Mud, 
Prairie, and Lotts creeks, all of which drain into Des Moines River. 



KOSSUTH COUNTY. 



655 



Throughout the entire northeastern part of the county the water 
rises nearly to the surface, but in the high areas in the northwestern 
and west-central parts, and in the region about St. Benedict, it 
remains at considerable depths. To the south the head is lowered 
by the leakage that takes place farther south where the rocks out- 
crop along both forks of Des Moines River. 



CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES, 

Algona. — ^The pubHc water supply pf Algona (population, 2,908) is 
taken from two deep wells: City well No. 1, drilled by S. Swanson, 
of MinneapoHs, which is 1,050 feet deep, and city well No. 2, which 
is 818 feet deep. The curb of well No. 1 is approximately 1,202 feet 
above sea level, and the water level is 69 feet below curb. The 
driller's logs follow: 

Driller's log of city well No. 1, Algona. 



Material 

Sandrock 

Limerock 

Sandrock 

Shale and streaks of sandrock 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 
235 
75 
125 
300 
315 



Depth. 



Feet. 
235 
310 
435 
735 
1,050 



Log of city well No. 2. 



Depth. 




Soil 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Sancl 

Shale, blue; shale, white; flint shale, light blue 
Limestone 



The water in the first well lowers notably when pumped 50 gallons 
a minute; the second yields 150 gallons by the use of an air lift. 
There are a standpipe, about 5 miles of mains, and 39 fire hydrants. 
It is reported that about 1,600 people are supplied and that an aver- 
age of 60,000 gallons is consumed daily. 

Bancroft. — The public supply of Bancroft (population, 830) is 
taken from a rock well, 242 feet deep, which has been tested at 40 
gallons a minute. The system comprises an elevated tank, about 
one-half mile of mains, eight fire hydrants, and 28 taps. Approxi- 
mately 5,000 gallons of water is used daily and perhaps 125 people 
are supplied. 

A well at one time drilled for the railway company is said to be 
500 feet deep with the water rising within 2 feet of the surface. 



656 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

which would be 1,187 feet above sea level. The well stood a good 
test, but the water is so hard that it is not used in locomotives. 

Section of village well at Bancroft. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil and vellow clay 

Clay, blue 

Sand containing wood, snails, etc. 

Clay, blue 

Sand 

Clay, red and yellow 

Gravel 

Limestone, entered 



Feet. 

15 

50 

6 

20 

5 

138 

6 

2 



Feet. 

15 

65 

71 

91 

96 

234 

240 

242 



Burt. — The village well at Burt (population, 495) is 175 feet deep 
and has been pumped at the rate of 40 gallons a minute. The water 
rises within 30 feet of the surface. 

Waterworks with nearly a mile of mains and 10 fire hydrants have 
been installed. 

Swea City. — The public well at Swea City (population, 402) is 1 17 feet 
deep and ends in sand from which the water rises within 15 feet of 
the surface (1,160 feet above sea level). It has been pumped at the 
rate of 30 gallons a minute. The water is pumped to an elevated 
tank and is to be distributed through a system of mains. 

MITCHELL COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Mitchell County exhibits few topographic irregularities. The 
deep-drift area, however, is higher than the shallow-drift area, a 
fact that has an important bearing on ground-water conditions. 

The bedrock in all parts of the county probably consists of lime- 
stone of Devonian age, upon the irregular surface of which rests a 
mantle of glacial drift. In the southeast the average thickness of 
the drift is perhaps 200 feet, and m certain localities it exceeds 300 
feet. In much of the northeastern part it is also thick, but its aver- 
age is less. Thus in the northern part of Jenkins Township and in 
much of Wayne Township the drift is only about 50 feet thick, 
though in the southern part of Jenkins and in some places in the 
northeastern section of Wayne it is much heavier, locally exceeding 
200 feet. In the second tier of townships from the east the drift is 
thinner than in the first tier; in most places in the western half of 
the county it is less than 25 feet thick and limestone outcrops are 
abundant, especially along Red Cedar River. 



MITCHELL COUNTY. 657 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOUBCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

Water is derived from alluvial and outwash deposits, glacial drift, 
Devonian limestone, limestone below the Devonian, and St. Peter 
sandstone. 

Deposits of alluvial sand and gravel occur locally in the valleys of 
the principal streams and afford large quantities of water to wells 
from 15 to 25 feet deep. Within the body of the glacial drift there 
are many water-bearing beds of sand and gravel, the shallowest of 
which can not, however, be relied on to yield water in dry years. 
The limestone everywhere yields an unfailing supply and is the most 
valuable water bed in the county. The city well at Osage extends 
through the St. Peter sandstone, which was encountered at a depth 
of 715 feet. 

In the southeastern townships most of the drilled wells end in beds 
of gravel and sand far down in the drift, many wells being more than 
200 feet and a few more than 300 feet deep. In the northeastern 
townships most of the drilled wells end in limestone at depths aver- 
aging about 100 feet in the localities of thinnest drift and about 200 
feet in the localities of thickest drift. In the second tier of townships 
from the east drilled wells commonly range in depth between 100 and 
150 feet, some ending in limestone and others in drift. In the western 
half of the county by far the greater number of good wells are drilled 
into rock and obtain an abundance of water at depths ranging from 
about 50 to 150 feet. 

SPRINGS AND FLOWING WELLS. 

In the western part of Mitchell County, especially in the valley of 
Red Cedar River, some rather large springs issue from the limestone, 
the spring in the park south of Osage being typical. In the eastern part 
of the county smaller seeps come from gravelly beds in the drift; the 
spring at Riceville may be cited as an example. 

In a belt running north and south through the western part of 
Wayne, Jenkins, and Burr Oak townships the water in the drilled 
wells rises nearly to the surface and in some wells overflows with 
shght pressure; farther west it does not flow, even though the altitude 
is lower. The explanation of this distribution of flowing wells 
appears to be as follows: 

Along the east margin of Mitchell County and the adjoining parts 
of Howard County the surface is relatively high and the pervious por- 
tions of the drift are filled with water nearly to the surface. To some 
extent these pervious members are in communication with the under- 
lying limestone, which they thus keep supplied with water under 
36581°— wsp 293—12 42 



658 UNDEEGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

considerable head. The limestone may be regarded as a continuous 
water-bearing formation, and consequently, if farther west, where 
the altitude is lower, a well is drilled into the limestone or into sand 
or gravel in communication with it the water will rise under pressure 
and a flowing well may result. The drift thus plays the double part 
of a porous formation through which the water enters and an imper- 
vious layer under which it is confined. A short distance farther west, 
however, no flows are obtained, although the surface is still lower, the 
rapid reduction of the artesian pressure evidently being due to leakage 
through the thin drift cover and through rock outcrops. 

Altogether there are in this belt probably several dozen flowing 
wells grouped in clusters along streams or in depressions. The well 
on the farm of James McCarty, in the SW. | sec. 9, T. 98 N., R. 15 W., 
is locally famous for its unusually strong pressure and flow. It ends 
in gravel at the depth of 174 feet and is reported to flow about 300 
gallons a minute. 

In the Osage deep well the water from the St. Peter sandstone rises 
to about 1,110 feet above sea level. According to the railway surveys 
the altitude at Osage is 1,168 feet above sea level; at Riceville, 1,229 
feet; at Mclntyre, 1,279 feet; at Stacyville, 1,208 feet, and at St. 
Ansgar 1,175 feet. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Osage. — At Osage (population, 2,445) it is reported that 40,000 
gallons are pumped from the city well daily and about 1,500 people 
are supplied. The water is lifted into an elevated tank and thence 
distributed through nearly 4 miles of mains to 42 fire hydrants and 
about 400 taps. 

The city well (PI. VII, p. 272) is 780 feet deep, 12 to 10 inches in 
diameter, and is cased to a depth of 192 feet without packing; the 
curb is 1,168 feet above sea level, and the water stands 60 feet below 
curb. The tested capacity is 200 gallons a minute. Water horizons 
are reported at 110 feet, with water heading 70 feet below curb; and 
at 650 feet, heading 60 feet below curb; water is also reported at 780 
feet. The temperature of the water is 48° F. The weU was drilled 
in 1899 by J. F. McCarthy, of Mmneapolis, and cost $2,400. 

Driller's log of city ivell at Osage. 



Thick 
ness 



Depth, 



Drift 

Limestone 

Gumbo shale 

Limestone (water at 650 feet) . 
Shale and sandstone mixed . . , 
Sandstone 



Feet. 
20 
160 
20 
460 
60 
60 



Feet. 
20 
180 
200 
660 
720 
780 



WINNEBAGO COUNTY. 
Record of strata in Osage city well {PI. VII, p. £72.)"' 



659 



Depth. 



No sample 

Dolomite, light buff, crystallme; beginning at 490 feet; "4 samples 

Limestone, light gray; effervescing freely in cold hydrochloric acid; 6 samples 

Limestone, yellowish; with pyritic crystals and small nodules; 2 samples 

Limestone, light gray; with pyrite; 1 sample 

Limestone, dark gray; small chips of lighter gray from above; some grams of pyrite; 

1 sample 

Limestone, dark gray, shaly, pyritic; 1 sample 

Limestone, dark gray; chips of green shale 

Shale, greenish 

Shale, slaty gray; some small flakes of limestone and crystals of pyrite; 2 samples 

Shale, dark green; a few small bits of limestone and grains of clean water-worked quartz 

sand 



Quartz sand, clean, clear, water worn; some chips of green shale from above; Ssamples; 

sand at 750 feet a little finer than that above 

Sand, yellowish: finer than any in the above 

Shale, greenish, marly; some sand grains and small chips of limestone 

Sand, fine, gray; well-rounded grains; some shale 



Feet. 
490 
540 
625 
640 
645 

655 
660 
670 
675 
695 



750 
760 
770 
780 



a Calvin, Samuel, Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 13, 1903, p. 336. 

Calvin refers the sandstones from 725 feet to the bottom of the well 
to the St. Peter, and all the rocks above it to the Galena, Decorah, 
and Platteville formations. The occurrence of water above the 
Decorah shale — the source of powerfid springs in the northeastern 
counties of the State — should be noted. 

Riceville. — The public svipply of Riceville (population, 844) is taken 
from a spring which issues from a seam of sand in the drift at the 
bank of the river and yields about 20 gallons a minute. The water 
is allowed to flow into a reservoir from which it is pumped into an 
elevated tank and thence distributed through a small system of mains 
to 4 fire hydrants and 15 taps. 

St. Ansgar. — The city well at St. Ansgar (population, 747), put 
down in 1902 by Emil Sedlacek, of Thief River Falls, Minn., is 240 
feet deep and 10 inches in diameter. (See PI. VII, p. 272.) The curb 
is 1,175 feet above sea level and the water stands 20 feet below the 
curb. 

This well was in process of boring when the county was surveyed 
by the Iowa Geological Survey. The drill had then reached a depth 
of 160 feet, the last 60 feet being in the Maquoketa shale. 

WINNEBAGO COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Winnebago County is covered with glacial drift to a depth, in most 
localities, of 100 to 200 feet. The upper layer is of Wisconsin age and 
has a gently undulating and poorly drained surface. The highest 
land and the deepest drift are found in a north-south belt which passes 
through the central part of the county. Beneath the drift is an irreg- 
ular limestone surface not known to outcrop within the county. 



660 UNDERGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOUECE. 

Water is obtained from the glacial drift and from the underlying 
limestone. The drift is tapped by a large number of dug, bored, 
driven, and drilled wells, and furnishes the greater part of the supply; 
the limestone is reached by a smaller number of drilled wells, but 
the supplies are very satisfactory. 

Driven wells are successful only over small tracts where coarse 
material has been deposited at the surface. Bored wells are common 
throughout the county, but many of them are filthy and their yield 
is frequently small and uncertain. Drilled drift wells penetrate 
deeper and reach beds of sand and gravel from which water is delivered 
under pressure. Where the water-bearing material is sufficiently 
coarse, they are satisfactory, but in some of them the sand is so fine 
that it rises when the water is pumped. Drilled rock wells extend 
through the entire thickness of the drift and communicate with the 
system of joints and solution passages which ramify through the 
limestone, and which are charged with abundant excellent though 
hard water that is everywhere under pressure. Drilled rock wells 
are most common in the western part of the county and least numer- 
ous in the central part where the drift is deep. 

The good features of rock wells can be summarized as follows: (1) 
They contain no sand to cause trouble; (2) their yield is usually large 
and permanent; (3) the water is under enough pressure to rise high 
above the bottom of the wells, thus requiring a comparatively small 
lift; and (4) if they are properly cased their water is pure. As at all 
points the limestone is within easy reach of the drill, it is advised that, 
where the yield from the drift is not abundant or the sand causes 
trouble if not screened, drilling should be continued until limestone is 
penetrated and free communication is established with its water-filled 
crevices. It is poor economy to stop with an unsatisfactory sand 
well when a little deeper drilling would result in a good limestone well. 

HEAD. 

The water in the limestone and deeper parts of the drift is invariably 
under a pressure which lifts it far up in the wells. The lowest head, 
relative to the surface, is found in some of the highest areas in the 
central part of the county, but even here the lowest head reported 
was only 75 feet below the surface. Near the west margin of the 
county flows are obtained in the creek valleys and other low-lying 
areas. In the well at Forest City a light flow was struck in gravel at 
a depth of 80 feet and stronger flows were obtained at lower levels. 
Other flowing wells could probably be obtained in the valley of Lime 



WINNEBAGO COUNTY. 



661 



Creek. The following table shows the head of the water from the 
lower part of the drift or the subjacent limestone at several points: 

Head of water in Winnebago County. 



Locality. 



Altitude 

of surface 

above sea 

level. 



Height to which water 
rises. 



Above or 
below sur- 
face. 



Above sea 
level. 



Lake Mills 

Forest City (in valley) 

Thompson 

Buffalo Center 

Rake 



Feet. 
1,265 
1,180 

al,275 
1,183 
1,154 



Feet. 
-30 

Above. 
-75 
-14 
-10 



Feet. 
1,235 
1,180 
a 1,200 
1,169 
1,144 



a Approximate. 

Wells which, like the Forest City well and the Lake Mills railway 
well, have been sunk to some depth into the limestone, yield so 
generously, have eo good a head of water, furnish such a fair quality 
of water, and are in every respect so satisfactory that it does not seem 
advisable to drill deeper even where large supplies are required. 
From tiie deep-well data in this region it may be inferred that the 
water from the lower sandstones would not rise so high as that in the 
imestone underlying the drift. 

DRAINAGE WELLS. 

Where the water in rock wells stands at some depth below the sur- 
face, it is possible to drain ponds and swamps through them into the 
rock, though it is not certain that tliis method of drainage can be 
made profitable. Where the water rises nearly to the surface, as 
along the west margin, drainage through wells is not feasible. In 
other sections of the vState wells discharging into sand have not 
proved as successful as those which discharge into creviced limestone, 
and the same condition would probably exist in Winnebago County. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Buffalo Center. — The village well at Buffalo Center (population, 456) 
is 168 feet deep, the last 44 feet of which is in limestone. The water 
stands 14 feet below the surface, or 1,169 feet above sea level. There 
is an elevated tank, and new mains are being laid to replace the old 
ones which have become corroded. The people depend almost 
entirely on private wells, many of which are sunk only a short distance 
into the drift. 

Forest City. — The well which furnishes the public supply at Forest 
City (population, 1,691) is 4 inches in diameter and 300 feet deep, the 
last 180 feet of which are in limestone. It is located in the vaUey, 



662 UNDEEGROUlSrD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

and the water rises a few feet above the surface, or to about 1,180 
feet above sea level. It yields several hundred gallons per minute 
by natural flow at the surface and discharges into the bottom of an 
underground reservoir at a rate of about 800 gallons a minute when 
the water level in the latter is lowered to 7 feet below the surface. 
Approximately two-thirds of the inhabitants of Forest City are reported 
to use the public supply. The water is pumped into a standpipe and 
delivered through 3^ miles of mains to 33 fire hydrants and about 
140 taps. It is estimated that an average of 90,000 gallons of water 
are consumed daily. 

According to a forecast of artesian possibilities made by Norton, 
the St. Peter sandstone is estimated to lie only 700 or 800 feet below 
the surface, or between 400 and 500 feet above sea level. Water 
may be found in considerable quantity above the St. Peter, in the 
Galena limestone, and in the Platteville limestone above its basal 
shales. These basal green shales of the Platteville, which rest on the 
St. Peter, may be expected to be heavy and to need casing. The St. 
Peter sandstone should exceed 50 feet m thiclaiess, and may be more 
than double that. The limestones and sandstones underlying the St. 
Peter would add largely to the supply, and sinking for less than 500 
feet below the base of the latter would test their possibilities. The 
quality of the water should be excellent, its chief mineral ingredients 
being calcium and magnesium carbonates. 

Lake Mills. — The well which furnishes the public supply at Lake 
Mills (population, 1,214) is 233 feet deep and enters limestone at 105 
feet. The water rises to 30 feet below the surface, or about 1,235 
feet above sea level, and has been pumped at 35 gallons a minute. 
The well of the Cliicago & North Western Railway Co. at the same 
place is 334 feet deep, and enters limestone at 120 feet, with the 
water rising within 21 feet of the surface, or about 1,245 feet above 
sea level. In this well pumping at the rate of 125 gallons a minute 
for 10 hours did not perceptibly lower the water. 

The public supply is pumped to an elevated tank, which connects 
with more than a mile of mains and 11 fii'e hydrants. Most of the 
people use water from private weUs, but a few are supplied from the 
public waterworks. Approximately 17,000 gallons of water is used 
daily. 

No deep weUs have been drilled within a considerable distance of 
Lake Mills, but the dip of the strata, as estimated from the sections 
at Easton, Minn., and Mason City, indicates, accordmg to Norton, 
that the St. Peter sandstone lies 500 to 600 feet above sea level, or 
about 700 to 800 feet below the surface. If any deep well is drilled 
it should be sunk to the bottom of this formation, which may be 100 
feet in thickness. 



WOETH COUNTY, 668 

Thom-'pson. — The public supply at Thompson (population, 500) is 
derived from a drilled well 6 inches in diameter that ends in lime- 
stone at the depth of 300 feet, the water rising to a level 75 feet below 
the surface. The waterworks consist of an elevated tank with less 
than a quarter of a mile of mains and four fire hydrants. The people 
rely chiefly on private shallow drift wells, using only 2,500 gaUons 
daily of the pubhc supply. 

WORTH COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Mei:tzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The outer margin of the terminal moraine of the Wisconsin drift 
sheet crosses Worth County diagonally from northeast to southwest. 
West of this margin the topography is irregular and morainic and the 
drainage is poor; east of it an older drift lies at the surface, which, 
although only slightly dissected, has a well-developed drainage system. 

The total thickness of the glacial drift is greatest in the northwest- 
ern morainic townships, where over extensive areas it measures 
between 100 and 200 feet, and in the extreme northeast, where in 
many places it exceeds 100 feet. Throughout the rest of the county 
its average thickness is probably 50 feet or less. The drift is for the 
most part underlain by Devonian limestone, which is exposed m many 
places along Shell Rock River and other streams. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The water supply of Worth County is obtained from alluvial and 
outwash deposits, glacial drift, and limestone of Devonian age or 
possibly older. 

There are many drilled wells in all parts of the county, although 
shallow dug, bored, and driven wells are numerous in the morainic 
area and in the areas where alluvial and outwash sands and gravels lie 
at the surface. The drilled wells end in the lower parts of the drift 
or in the subjacent limestone, the average depth, as well as the pro- 
portion that end in drift, being greatest where the drift is thickest. 
In general the wells ending in limestone are the most satisfactory, and, 
as in nearly all parts of the county this rock is within easy reach of 
the drill, it is usually unwise to depend on the drift for either farm or 
village supplies. 

One of the deepest wells in the county is that of the Chicago & 
North Western Railway, at Hanlonton, which enters limestone at a 
depth of 23 feet and extends to a total depth of 260 feet. The water 
in this well is reported to rise within 23 feet of the surface and to 
have been pumped at the rate of 100 gallons a minute. 



664 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Northwood. — The city well at Northwood (population, 1,264) is 10 
inches in diameter and 92 feet deep, the last 50 feet being in limestone. 
The water rises within 18 feet of the surface, or to about 1,204 feet 
above the sea, and has been pumped continuously for 15 hours at 100 
gallons a minute without noticeable effect. It is lifted from the well 
into an elevated tank and is thence distributed by gravity through 
about If miles of mains to 20 fire hydrants and approximately 70 
taps. It is estimated that 400 people are supplied and that about 
18,000 gallons of water is consumed daily. Nearly all the private 
wells are less than 100 feet deep. 

Northwood is 1,222 feet above sea level. According to a forecast 
of the artesian conditions of the locality made by Norton, the drill, 
after penetrating the cover of drift clays and sands, will pass through 
Devonian limestones and shales with possibly some Silurian lime- 
stones, the whole, however, being less than 175 or 200 feet thick. 
The Maquoketa shale, here rather thin, will then be penetrated, and 
below it several hundred feet of magnesian limestones maybe expected. 
As these last are underlain by a heavy shale belonging to the Platte- 
ville limestone, considerable water will probably be found in their 
crevices and porous beds. A dependable supply will be found in 
the St. Peter sandstone immediately below the heavy shale mentioned, 
which may be expected at about 600 feet above sea level, or about 
625 feet below the surface, although it may lie 100 feet deeper. 

WRIGHT COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

All of Wright County is covered with glacial drift. Extending 
across it, somewhat east of the center, with a general north-south 
trend, is a high morainic belt which contains several lakes and other 
undrained depressions and forms the divide between the basin of 
Iowa River, which flows through the eastern part of the county, and 
the basin of Boone River, which flows through the western part. In 
this belt is found the deepest drift, the average depth probably being 
not less than 200 feet; at one point, 2 miles south and 2 miles east of 
Clarion, a depth of 367 feet is reported. In much of the eastern part 
of the county, on the other hand, the depth of the drift is only about 
100 feet, and in the Iowa Valley it is generally less. Throughout 
all or nearly all of the county the drift rests upon a surface of indu- 
rated Paleozoic limestone. 



WEIGHT COUNTY. 665 

UNDERGROirND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The water supply is derived from the glacial drift and the under- 
lying limestone. The upper layer of drift, owing to its loosely con- 
solidated and somewhat gravelly condition, is to a certain extent 
porous, and because of the poor drainage it is normally saturated 
nearly to the surface with water which it yields slowly to shallow dug 
or bored wells ; but in times of protracted drought this surflcial water 
largely disappears and leaves the wells without adequate supply. In 
certain small districts, where beds of sand or gravel lie at the surface, 
as in parts of the Iowa Valley, inexpensive wells with large yields are 
obtained by driving points only a short distance into these porous 
water-filled deposits. Deeper in the drift beds of sand and gravel 
are interbedded with dense blue bowlder clay, and these beds are 
almost invariably saturated with water under pressure. Numerous 
drilled wells are supplied from this source. 

The limestone below the drift is hard and impervious but more or 
less broken and cavernous, and it is this condition, probably pro- 
duced by preglacial weathering, that renders it an excellent aquifer. 
The openings in the rock are charged with water under considerable 
head, and when they are encountered by the drill the water surges 
into the well and rises rapidly to a level determined by the head. 
That large supplies can be obtained by drilling some distance into 
the limestone is shown by the village wells at Forest City, Britt, 
Latimer, and Clarion, each of which will furnish several hundred 
gallons a minute without any great lowering of the water level. 
Moreover, wells ending in rock do not give trouble as do so many of the 
sand wells, and the yield does not deteriorate with time as is fre- 
quently the case in wells ending in fine-grained unconsolidated mate- 
rial. Though it is not always necessary to drill to rock, yet there is 
much ill-advised economy in finishing wells in unsatisfactory sand 
beds when a little deeper drilling would reach rock and result in a 
much better and more permanent well. Another mistake frequently 
made, especially where large supplies are desired, is in stopping the 
drill before the limestone has been penetrated a sufficient depth. 
The farther the drill hole enters the rock the more water-filled crevices 
it taps and the more chances there are that a large fissure or cavern 
will be encountered. The village wells mentioned above penetrate 
rock to depths ranging from 20 to 180 feet. 



666 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

HEAD. 

The following table shows the head of the water from the limestone 
and lower parts of the drift at several points in or near Wright 
County: 

Head of water in and near Wright County. 



Locality. 



Altitude 

of surface 

above sea 

level. 



Height to which the 
water rises. 



Above or 
below 
surface. 



Above sea 
level. 



Belmond 

Gait 

Dows 

3 miles east of Clarion 

Clarion 

Florence 

Goldfield 

Eagle Grove 

Corwitli (Hancock County).. 
Luverne (Kossuth County). . 
Renwick (Humbolt County) . 



Feet. 
1,180 
1,200 
1,140 

a 1,240 
1,170 
1,130 
1,108 
1,109 
1,178 
1,169 

11,130 



Feet. 



-50 



-97 

-28 



Above. 

Above. 

-20 

-40 

-30 



Feet. 
1,180 
1,150 
1,140 
o 1,143 
1,142 
1,130 
1,120 
1,120 
1,158 
1.129 
"1,100 



a Approximately. 

In the high central belt the water in the drilled wells remains far 
below the surface, lifts of 50 to 100 feet being general. On the lower 
ground east of this belt the water usually rises near the tops of the 
wells, and in the lowest parts of the valley of Iowa River, at Belmond, 
Dows, and elsewhere, flows are obtained. West of this belt over an 
extensive area the water rises above the surface or remains only a few 
feet below, flows being obtained all along the immediate valley of 
Boone River and far up the valleys of Otter, Eagle, and White Fox 
creeks and their tributaries. James Rowe, an experienced driller in 
Eagle Grove, estimates that a flow can be obtained at some low point 
on approximately half of the farms in the western half of the county. 

The table shows that the head of the water is relatively independent 
of the surface configuration, the water rising to nearly the same 
level above the sea in the high central area, where it remains far 
below the surface, as in the valleys, where flows are obtained, the wells 
being as truly artesian in principle in one area as in the other. The 
table shows, however, that the head gradually lowers toward the south 
and west, a condition due to leakage at rock outcrops in the Des 
Moines Valley to the west and in the Iowa Valley and other localities 
to the south. 

Information gained from deep wells drilled at several places near 
Wright County indicates that the water from the sandstone forma- 
tions below the limestone will rise to approximately 1,100 feet above 
the sea. The supply from the rock immediately beneath the drift is 
so satisfactory in quantity, quality, head, and other respects that 



WRIGHT COUNTY. 667 

nothing would probably be gained by drilling to tlie more deeply 
buried sandstones. 

DRAINAGE WELLS. 

In the high central area, where the water in rock wells remains a 
considerable distance below the surface, it is possible to drain swampy 
tracts by conducting the surface water into drainage wells, but in the 
lower parts of the county, where the water from the limestone rises 
nearly or quite to the surface, this method can not be employed. 
Where it is possible to drain into stream channels or large cooperative 
ditches, drainage into wells will probably not be profitable, but it is 
possible that, where conditions are favorable, small isolated swamps, 
remote from any ditch or stream channel, can be profitably reclaimed 
by wells. The two favorable conditions in the central part of this 
county are (1) the low head of the well water and (2) the creviced 
character of the limestone, both of which increase the capacity of a 
well for receiving water; the one unfavorable condition lies in the 
thickness of the drift, which, of course, increases the cost of the wells 
proportionately. Thus far drainage wells have not proved very 
successful even where the physical conditions are the best, the chief 
difficulty being the rapid deterioration in the. capacity of the wells, 
which is believed to be due to the clogging of the pores and crevices 
in the rock by sediment carried in with the water. This deterioration 
takes place more rapidly in sand and gravel deposits, whose pores 
readily become sealed, than in the limestone which has larger open- 
ings that are not so easily clogged. If drainage into wells — even into 
limestone wells — ^is to be made successful, it will be necessary to 
devise methods for lengthening the Hfe of the weUs used for this pur- 
pose, and this can probably be accomplished only by preventing sedi- 
ment from entering with the water. An experiment that might be 
worth trying is to excavate a reservoir of considerable size in which 
the water could stand for some time, thus allowing the suspended 
matter to settle before the water is taken into the well. Such a 
reservoir would also greatly augment the potential capacity of the 
well in that it would receive the water from a heavy rain and supply 
it to the well gradually, thus draining the land before the crops were 
damaged and yet allowing the well to be functional during a large 
part of the time. Where the drainage is effected by an underground 
system of tiles, the difficulty with suspended matter is much less than 
where the water is led to the wells in ditches. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Belmond. — The public supply at Belmond (population, 1,224) was 
untn recently taken from a dug well 14 feet in diameter and 25 feet 
deep and from 8 driven wells 27 feet deep, the water coming from^a 



668 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

surface layer of sand. There is an elevated tank, 1^ miles of mains, 
16 fire hydrants, and 56 taps. It is estimated that about 225 people, 
or one-fifth of the population, are supplied and that about 18,000 
gallons is consumed daily. 

The city well recently completed has a depth of 500 feet and a 
diameter of 10, 8, and 6 inches; casing 10 inches to rock at 130 feet, 
8 inches to about 250 feet. The curb is 1,180 feet above sea level 
and the head 16 feet below the curb. The depth to the principal 
supply is 500 feet; another water bed is at 25 feet. Date of comple- 
tion, 1911; driller, W. L. Thorn, of Sparta, Wis. 

Driller's log of city tvell at Belmond. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Gravel and clay (drift) 

Limerock (Mississippian) 

Shale (Lime Creek, of Devonian). 

Limerock 

Shale 

Limerock (to bottom) 



Feet. 

130 

100 

40 

? 

20-30 



Feet. 
130 
230 
270 
? 
? 
500 



The well penetrates deeply the Devonian and perhaps the Silurian 
limestones, but does not reach the Maquoketa shale, although that 
formation should be found within 100 feet of the bottom. The St. 
Peter sandstone is estimated by Norton to be about 1,150 feet below 
the surface. 

Clarion. — The village well at Clarion (population, 2,065) is 280 feet 
deep and ends in limestone from which the water rises to 28 feet 
below the surface, or 1,142 feet above sea level. It has been tested 
at 500 gallons a mmute. An elevated tank has recently been erected 
and a system of mains laid. 

Clarion is 1,170 feet above sea level. According to Norton, a deep 
well passing through the cover of glacial drift should find limestone 
with some shales extending to a depth of about 750 feet, below 
which lies a bed of mud-rock shale, the Maquoketa (Ordovician), 
wliich effectually parts the waters above it from those below. The 
Maquoketa shale rests on 300 to 350 feet of dolomitic limestones 
(Galena), below wliich the drill will enter the heavy green Decorah 
shale and then the limestones and shales of the Platteville, which 
together may exceed 75 or even 100 feet in thickness. The top of 
the St. Peter should be reached at about 1,270 feet from the surface, 
but any contract for a deep well should provide for going to a depth of 
1,500 or 1,600 feet if necessary in order to insure against contingencies. 

Bows. — The public supply at Dows (population, 892) is taken from 
an 8-inch well 85 feet deep, in which the water rises to 15 feet below 
the surface, or to 1,146 feet above the sea. There are an elevated 



"WEIGHT COUNTY. 669 

tank, five-eighths of a mile of mains, 9 fire hydrants, and 15 taps 
The water is used by only a small part of the population and the 
average daily consumption is reported to be approximately 5,000 
gallons. 

Eagle Grove. — Only a few people in Eagle Grove (population, 3,387) 
use the public supply; the rest have private wells, most of which 
overflow. The public supply is taken from two wells, one of which 
is a 20-inch bored well that ends in gravel and is cased with tile, the 
other a 6-inch drilled well with iron casing, extending to a depth of 
168 feet and penetrating limestone, from which the water rises above 
the surface. The two wells will together discharge 500 gallons a 
minute into an underground reservoh* tln-ough an orifice 25 feet below 
the surface. There are a standpipe, 3 miles of mains, and about 35 
fire hydrants. It is estimated that approximately 40,000 gallons are 
consumed daily. 

Norton estimates that if the dip of the strata from Mason City 
to Fort Dodge is uniform the St. Peter sandstone occurs at Eagle 
Grove at very nearly 1,300 feet below the surface, and that it and 
the formations immediately below it would yield a large quantity 
of wholesome water. In order to get the largest yield it is recom- 
mended to sink to 600 or 700 feet below sea level, or to 1,700 or 
1,800 feet below the surface. As soon as the shales of the St. Law- 
rence formation appear, at 1,700 feet or lower, the drilling should 
be stopped except under expert advice to the contrary. 

No special difficulties in drilling need be apprehended. Shales may 
be expected to occur among the limestones of the upper 800 feet, and 
heavy shales will be found between 800 and 950 feet, and again 
between 1,200 and 1,300 feet. These should be cased to insure 
against caving. 



CHAPTER XII. 

CENTKAL DISTRICT. 
INTRODUCTION. 

By W. H. Norton. 

The central district comprises 12 counties situated in central Iowa — 
Boone, Dallas, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, 
Marshall, Polk, Story, and Webster. By far its larger part, including 
all the central and western portions, is underlain by Pemisylvanian 
rocks, which here consist predominantly of shales; the eastern part 
is- underlain by the Mississippian, which also includes heavy shale 
beds. The presence of these heavy beds of shale make the question 
of the deeper water supply of special importance. 

The Paleozoic terranes continue their southwestward dip well 
toward the western part of the area. From Waterloo to Ackley the 
average fall of the St. Peter sandstone is 8 feet per mile ; from Ackley 
to Fort Dodge the fall decreases to 2 J feet per mile (PL VI, p. 258). 
The section along the Chicago & North Western Railway shows a 
descent of the St. Peter from Belle Piaine to Boone averaging 4 feet 
to the mile (PI. XI, p. 382), but this dip is interrupted by the Ames 
anticline, discovered by Beyer and demonstrated by his section of 
the deep well at the Iowa Agricultural College. By this singular 
upwarp the St. Peter at Ames stands 275 feet higher than at Boone, 
15 miles farther west. From Boone a very gentle descent of about 
3 feet to the mile continues to Ogden, but from Ogden the strata rise 
at the rate of 8| feet to the mile as far as Jefferson. Along the main 
line of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway the St. Peter dips 
west from Grinnell to a point 12 miles north of Des Moines at the 
rate of 6 feet to the mile. (See PL XV.) West of Des Moines the 
strata probably continue their westward dip through or nearly 
through Dallas County, beyond which a very gentle ascent probably 
occurs. From Waterloo to Des Moines the St. Peter descends 1,143 
feet, or a little less than 12^ feet to the mile. 

The deep-water beds of this district are the St. Peter sandstone, 
the Prairie du Chien group, and the Jordan sandstone. The Jordan, 
however, may not be found well defined in the southern and south- 
western parts. In the sections at Boone and Des Moines the terranes 
670 



-*< 15 miles 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE XV 

25 miles — ^ 



Davenport 




U S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

. 18 miles 



-1 9 miles 



-47 miles 



34 miles - 



WATER-SUPPLV PAPER 293 PLATE XV 

-15 miles — >< 25 miles ^ 



Davenport 




GEOLOGIC SECTION BETWEEN DAVENPORT AND DES MOINES, IOWA 
By W. H. Norton 



OENTEAL DISTRICT. ■ 671 

below the St. Peter are not well demarked, even the boundary 
between the Prairie du Chien and the Jordan being indistinct. 
Though water-bearing sandstones will undoubtedly be found below 
the St. Peter, their place can not be predicted and their correlation 
is not always determinable. In the central and southwestern parts 
of the district these sandstones are to be found only at great depths 
and the cost of reaching them should be well considered before a deep 
well is decided on. The history of the Boone wells is exemplary in 
this respect. 

In the northern tier of counties the St. Peter seems to be unusually 
thick and the terranes immediately underlying it are apparently 
markedly arenaceous. They lie within profitable drilling distance of 
the surface and may be expected to yield exceptionally large supplies 
of water. 

Moderate amounts of water may be found in the Galena and Platte- 
ville limestones, but generally wells should be carried through the 
St. Peter or the underlying water beds. The Herndon supply seems 
to come from the Galena, and it is quite possible that had the well 
been drilled a few score feet deeper the St. Peter would have been 
encountered. 

The waters of the country rocks, especially those of the Pennsyl- 
vanian, are apt to be so highly mineralized as to be unpotable. The 
gypseous beds of the SUurian also furnish highly mineralized waters 
at a number of places. Special care should be taken to case out these 
upper waters from deep wells. The high mineral content of a number 
of the deep wells leads to a strong suspicion that their waters are 
derived in part from upper horizons, yet the lower waters — those of 
the St. Peter and the subjacent beds — have come far, they have sunk 
deep, their circulation has no doubt become sluggish, and they have 
had opportunity to take up far more minerals in solution than have 
the waters of the same beds farther to the north and east. 

Taking all factors into consideration deep wells can not be recom- 
mended for the extreme southern part of the district, including the 
southern half of Guthrie, Dallas, Polk, and Jasper counties, except 
as experiments and where other sources are unavailable. The depth 
of the Ordovician formations along the axis of the downwarp from 
Boone southward renders deep-well drilling here also of doubtful 
expediency. Except in these parts of the district, however, weUs 
may obtain water of fair quality without being carried to excessive 
depths. Other sources of supply should, however, be carefully con- 
sidered before decision is made in favor of artesian weUs. 



672 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

BOONE COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The surface of Boone County is rather flat, although very gently 
rolling areas are not uncommon. The most striking modification of 
the general flatness is the broad, deep valley cut by Des Moines River 
from north to south across the middle of the county. A smaller 
depression is formed along Beaver Creek in the western part. 

Wisconsin drift and Kansan drift are spread over the whole county 
except along Des Moines River, where both have been completely 
eroded. The drift appears to be thinner on the west side of the river 
than on the east. It rests immediately on the Des Moines group of 
the Carboniferous, which has been well exposed by erosion along Des 
Moines River 

The drift formations show rapid variations in thickness, but are 
generally horizontal. The rock formations dip rather strongly to the 
west in the eastern part of the county and lie about horizontal in the 
western part. (See PI. XI, p. 382.) 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Most of the wells in Boone County obtain water in the sand or gravel 
beneath the Wisconsin drift, at depths ranging in different districts 
from 50 to 120 feet. Where the gravels fail to yield sufficiently, deeper 
wells must be drilled. Along Des Moines River the Wisconsin is 
altogether absent, and it also appears to be absent or very thin along 
the other watercourses. 

Where the Wisconsin drift is very thin or absent, especially along 
certain watercourses, first water is obtained in the sand or gravel 
beneath the blue clay of the Kansan drift, which affords a persistent 
and satisfactory supply and is tapped by a good many wells. Because 
of rather rapid and local thickening and thinning of the Kansan, the 
depth to this water varies greatly even in any one part of the county. 
Depths ranging from 100 feet to nearly 300 feet have been noted, the 
most common being 150 to 200 feet; the greatest depth appears to be 
in the vicinity of Boone. Along Des Moines River the Kansan has 
been completely cut through. Unless a well has been sunk into the 
underl5dng rocks, it may be difficult to tell whether the water comes 
from beds below the Kansan or below the Wisconsin. 

Local good supplies are found in sandy layers in the blue clays of 
either the Wisconsin or the Kansan drift sheets. 

A number of wells obtain water from Carboniferous sandstones 
(Des Moines group). A few very deep weUs, as at Boone and Ogden, 
get water in Cambrian sandstone. 



Prairie du Chien group < 



'c,ha\^opee 



New Richmond 



Oneota 



EZE 



U S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



Feet «-10miles^< 



■ < n miles - 



Emmeteburg 



Mallard 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE XVI 



Centerville 




GEOLOGIC SECTION BETWEEN EMMETSBURG AND CENTERVILLE , IOWA 
By W. il, Norton 



BOONE COUNTY. 673 

On the low lands along stream courses the water in the drift may 
be under sufficient head to overflow at the surface. The most impor- 
tant flowing basin in Boone County is along Beaver Creek and its 
branches. Flows are also obtained along Big Creek in the south- 
eastern part of the county, and at least one flowing well exists in the 
northeastern part of the county in the valley of Squaw Creek. A 
flowing well has been reported in the northwestern part of Boone and 
another 5 miles north of Boone. 

The available data are not sufficiently accurate to determine deffi- 
nitely the source of these fl.ows, but the best evidence indicates that 
those along Beaver and Big creeks are derived from the gravels 
beneath the Kansan drift, and the others from the sand and gravel 
beneath the Wisconsin. The flowing well in the northwest part of 
Boone and the one 5 miles north of Boone are almost certainly from 
the Wisconsin. 

SPRINGS. 

A few springs are found along Des Moines River and some of the 
smaller streams, but none are of notable size. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES, 

Boone. — Boone (population 10,347) derives its water supply from 
four wells, 3,010, 2,900, 297, and 264 feet deep. (See Pis. XI, XVI.) 
The water is pumped by air lift to a reservoir and thence to an elevated 
tank, from which it is distributed by gravity with a domestic pressure 
of 40 pounds and a fire pressure of 100 pounds. Boone has 10^ miles 
of mains, 46 fire hydrants, and 500 taps. The system serves 2,500 
people with 300,000 gallons a day. The water is plentiful but hard. 

City well No. 1 has a depth of 3,010 feet and a diameter of 8, 5f , 4^, 
3^, and 3 inches; casing, 5f inches to 1,400 feet, 4^ inches from 1,300 
to 1,875 feet, and smaUer from 1,975 to 2,073 feet. The curb is 1,140 
feet above sea level and the head 200 feet below the curb. The pump 
cyhnder is set 276 feet below the curb; pumping at the rate of 70 
gallons a minute produced no noticeable effect on water level. Water 
from depths of 45 feet and 195 feet rose to 35 feet below the curb and 
yielded 40,000 gallons a day; water from the St. Peter sandstone at 
1,875 feet rose to 60 feet below the curb; water from beds at depth 
of 2,700 feet stood 200 feet below the curb but gave largest yield. 
Date of completion, 1890. Temperature, 68° F. 

The water is corrosive and scale forming; new water pipes in boil- 
ers are eaten out sometimes in six months; scale deposits at the rate 
of about 1 inch a week in heater and one-sixteenth of an inch in boiler 
tubes. 

36581°— wsp 293—12 43 



674 UNDEKGEOUND WATEK RESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Record of straLa in well No. 1 at Boone} 

Pleistocene (200 feet thick; top, 1,140 feet above sea level): feet. 

Clay, yellow, sandy, variegated 10 

Clay, light blue; mixed with angular gravel 24 

Clay, light blue; gravel more conspicuous 34 

-► Clay, yellowish gray, slightly arenaceous; and containing 

fragments of wood closely resembling red cedar; gravel 

persists but is less angular 45 

Clay, gray blue; more even in texture than preceding, but 
still containing a considerable percentage of arenaceous 

material ; strongly calcareous 60 

Clay, yellow-gray; changes gradually to yellow at 140 feet; f 100 
even textured, almost free from gravel, but slightly arena- < 110 

ceous throughout; 3 samples [ 140 

Clay,, grayish yellow; containing angular sand and gravel. . 150 

Gravel, coarse; embedded in matrix of blue clay; gravel of 
quartzitic, cherty, and basic igneous rocks; many pebbles 

faceted 155 

Clay, deep brown 165 

Clay, blue, massive 175 

Sand, quartz; fine uniform grain, containing a few grains of 

calcareous chert 185 

Gravel, coarse; composed chiefly of granite, vein quartz, 
basic igneous rocks, quartzite, and nodules of clay iron- 
stone. The latter two bespeak strongly a coal measure 
origin. The rounded forms of many of the constituents 

bear evidence of prolonged attrition 195 

Pleistocene (?) (70 feet thick; top, 940 feet above sea level); 
may belong to Des Moines group of the Pennsylvanian : 
Shale, buff, arenaceous; containing a small amount of fine 
gravel probably carried down from overlying strata; 
slightly calcareous, loesslike in appearance, and with dis- 
tinct soil odor; samples at 240 and 260 feet clay, drab, 
sandy, and pebbly; not molding readily when wet; 
sample at 230 feet effervesces freely in acid, and slightly 
calcareous below; appearance of old soil at 240 feet; a little 

wood at 250 feet; 7 samples 200-260 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian: 

Des Moines group (175 feet thick; top, 870 feet above 
sea level): 

Shale, blue, compact, brittle 270 

Shale, blue; a little coal; 2 samples 275, 308 

Shale, blue, calcareous, and slightly arenaceous . . . 325 
Shale, light blue, strongly calcareous; more arena- 
ceous than the preceding 335 

Shale, black, bituminous, fissile; 2 samples 345, 353 

Shale, bituminoxis, mixed with ash-colored fire 

clay, coal, iron pyrites, and clay ironstone 355 

Shale, black, noncalcareous, brittle; containing 

an abundance of iron pyrites 370 

1 Adapted from Beyer, S. W., Geology of Boone County: Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 5, 1896, pp. 194-198, 
The assignment to formations follows closely that of Dr. Beyer. 



BOONE COUNTY. 



675 



Carboniferous — Continued. 

Pennsy Ivanian — Continued . 

Des Moines group (175 feet thick; top, 870 feet above 
sea level) — Continued. 

Shale, gray-blue; slightly arenaceous at 400 feet 
but practically noncalcareous thorughout; 4 
samples 



Shale, ash colored, brittle, calcareous 

Mississippian : 

' ' St. Louis limestone " and Osage group (155 feet thick; 
top, 695 feet above sea level): 
Shale, gray; a little black shale; much flint partly 
in the form of geodes; some limpid quartz; 2 

samples 

Shale, grayish black, calcareous, and arenaceous . . 
Limestone; rhombs of calcite 



Limestone, slightly oolitic; 4 samples 



Shale, blue; strongly calcareous; 3 samples , 



Depth in 
feet. 



380 
390 
400 
415 
430 



445 

450 

455 
460 
470 
475 
490 
500 
515 
525 
540 
550 



552 
560 
562 

580 
590 



600 



Shale, gray-blue; more marly than preceding 

Limestone, blue-gray, close textured, brittle; 

sharply angular 

Limestone, conchoidai or hackly fracture 

Limestone ; abnormal amount of chert 

Limestone, oolitic facies, slightly quartzitic; not 

angular 

Sandstone, friable, fine grained 

Kinderhook group (215 feet thick; top, 540 feet above 

sea level): 

Shale, green-gray, slightly arenaceous 

Shale, slightly calcareous; 2 samples 610, 620 

Shale, more marly 630 

Limestone, gi'ay; 2 samples 640, 650 

Limestone, gray, marly 660-777 

Limestone, blue, compact, brittle 790 

Limestone, apparently brecciated 800 

Shale, gray 805 

Devonian and Silmian (520 feet thick; top, 325 feet above sea 

level): 

Limestone, subcrystalline, gray; 2 samples 815, 830 

Limestone ; shows numerous reddish-brown spots, probably 

due to oxidation of iron pyrites; 2 samples 849, 920 

f 930 
Limestone, magnesian, light buff; 2 samples \ 

Limestone, more or less argillaceous; fragments of a dark- f 1, 028 

colored shale; 2 samples I 1, 040 

Shale, sligntly calcareous 1, 050 

Limestone, magnesian, light buff; 2 samples -j ' 



676 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Devonian and Silurian (250 feet thick; top, 325 feet above sea 

1,080 



level)— Continued. infeet. 



Shale, gray -blue, slightly calcareous; sand present; 3 . 

^"^Pi"^ 1 lilOO 

Shale, arenaceous; many sand grains larger than those above 1, 120 

Limestone, gray, dolomitic; bituminous shale at 1,130 feet; J ^' -.^r. 

3 samples 1 ' 

^ i 1, 150 

r 1, 160 

Limestone, magnesian, buff, saccharoidal ; 3 samples | 1, 170 

[ 1,180 

Limestone, magnesian; some quartz grains 1, 190 

Limestone, dolomitic, marly; 2 samples < ' " 

^' ^ I 1,210 

Shale, greenish gray 1, 220 

Limestone, dolomitic, marly; 2 samples < ' " 

Limestone, argillaceous 1, 260 

Quartz, varicolored, chalcedonic 1, 280 

Clay, residual; a red ocherous substance, charged with 

white calcareous grains 1, 282 

Sand, quartz, varicolored 1, 290 

Limestone, crystalline, purplish; some fissile green shale . . 1, 298 

Limestone, buff; considerable green shale 1, 305 

Dolomite, gray, fine even texture, brittle, reduced to fine f 1, 315 

sand by drill; 2 samples I 1, 325 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (105 feet thick; top, 195 feet below sea 

level): 

Shale, green, soft, plastic, only slightly calcareous s ' 

I 1, OOO 

Shale, black, carbonaceous 1, 395 

Shale, buff, magnesian; 2 samples \ ' ,„^ 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone (405 feet thick; 
top, 300 feet below sea level): 

Limestone, agrillaceous 1, 440 

1, 450 

1,480 

Limestone, argillaceous, marly 1, 490 

Limestone, gray, magnesian; 2 samples I -i ' ci^ 

Limestone, buff, magnesian, finely granular 1, 537 

Limestone, slightly cherty 1, 545-1, 560 

Limestone, buff, magnesian, containing flakes of f 1, 580 

gray limestone and small cleavage plates of gypsum; ■I 1, 590 

3 samples [ 1, 600 

Dolomite, brownish yellow, marly 1, 610 

Dolomite, becoming progressively lighter colored; 2 J 1,620 

samples I 1, 630 

Dolomite, buff 1, 640 

Dolomite, saccharoidal Ij 650 



Limestone, gray, magnesian; 2 samples < 



BOONE COUNTY. 677 

Ordovician — Continued. 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone (405 feet thick; in feet, 
top, 300 feet below sea level) — Continued. 

Dolomite, buff; 2 samples -j ' 

Dolomite, ehaly 1, 690 

Dolomite, bluish gray, marly, argillaceous 1, 700 

1,710 
Dolomite, buff; 3 samples . 



1,720 
1, 730 
Clay, residual, with some fine-grained quartz sand .... 1, 740 

Shale, greenish gray 1, 750 

Dolomite, brownish 1, 760 

Shale, greenish gray with dolomite sand 1, 770 

Dolomite, deep brown 1, 780 

Dolomite, color changes gradually from buff to green- 
ish gray and texture becomes shaly 1 , 795-1, 810 

Shale, bluish gray 1, 830 

Shale, green, noncalcareous 1, 835 

Shale, bluish 1,840 

St. Peter sandstone (55 feet thick; top, 705 feet below sea 
level: 

Sandstone, clear white, grains well rounded 1, 845 

Shale, green; small amount of sand 1, 850 

1,860 



Shale, arenaceous; 2 samples 

Sandstone, clear-white, even-grained quartz sand; 
samples 



1,870 
1,880 
1,890 
1, 895 
Prairie du Chien group: 

Shale, arenaceous 1, 900 

Dolomite, gray; fine quartz sand 1, 910 

Dolomite, greenish gray, marly 1, 915 

Dolomite, gray; with quartz; sand finer and much more / 1, 940 

angular than that at 1,880 feet; 2 samples I 1, 950 

Dolomite, cream-colored, slightly shaly 1, 955 

Dolomite, gray, shaly , 1, 975 

Shale, red, noncalcareous 2, 075 

Shale, buff, highly calcareous, slightly arenaceous 2, 165 

2,200 
2,250 

Shale, dark-blue, and marl, light gray 2, 310 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone : 

Sandstone, highly calcareous, buff, fine grained; 2 f 2,510 

samples I 2, 515 

St. Lawrence formation and earlier Cambrian strata: 

Shale, yellowish green, highly calcareous 2, 560 

Sandstone, yellowish, fine grained, mostly subangular 

or rounded; many angular grains 2, 585 

Sandstone, light bluff; grains fine, mostly angular; 2 j 2, 640 

samples \ 2, 660 

Sandstone, brown, calciferous, fine grained 2, 700 

Alternating bands of shale, red marl, and soft red sand- f 2, 700 
stone, without limestone; 2 samples l 3, 000 



Shale, green; 2 samples I 



678 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

City well No. 2 has a depth of 2,914 feet and a diameter of 16 inches 
to 195 feet, 12 inches to 294 feet, 10 inches to 500 feet, 6^ inches to 
1,973 feet, below this not reported. The curb is 1,140 feet above sea 
level; water at 195 feet rose to 35 feet below the curb; water at 
1,870 to 1,885 feet rose to 100 feet below the curb; the largest yield 
came from 2,846 to 2,900 feet. The capacity of the pumping appa- 
ratus is 70 to 80 gallons a minute. Temperature, 62° F. The cost, 
including casing, was $15,000. The well was drilled by J. P. Miller 
& Co., of Chicago. 

Both deep wells were abandoned in 1906 in favor of supply from 
shallower wells. 

Driller's log of deep well No. 2 at Boone. 

Depth in feet. 

Soil 0-4 

Clay, blue 13-45 

Sand; with water 60 

Sea mud 86 

Clay 98 

Sand; with water 185-195 

Clay 200 

Stone, light blue 355 

Shale, black 370 

Sandstone ~ 430 

Gravel and slate 450 

Fire clay 457 

Hard rock, gas 471 

Limestone 520 

Soapstone 610 

Limestone 642 

Stone, red, hard 1, 282 

Marl, red, sticky 1, 290 

Hard limestone 1, 315 

Shale, blue 1, 335, 1, 435 

Limestone 1, 735 

Kock, light brown 1, 752-1, 800 

Shale, blue 1, 840-1, 868 

Sandstone; well tested; amount of water small 1, 870-1, 895 

Sand, shale, limestone 1, 900-1, 975 

Crevice 2, 075 

Limestone 2, 140 

Chalk 2, 190 

Limestone 2, 200 

Shale and limestone 2, 360, 2, 650, 2, 800 

Shale, blue 2,815-2,835 

Sandstone, water bearing 2, 846-2, 900 

Shale, blue, soft and sticky 2, 914 



Record of strata {below 2,009 feet) in well No. 2, at Boone. 



Depth 
in feet. 



Dolomite, cherty ; much quartz sand 2, 009 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous, or sandstone, calciferovis 2, 035 

Sandstone, brown; grains imperfectly rounded 2, 045 



BOOHE COUNTY. 679 



Depth 
in feet. 

Dolomite, arenaceous; 2 samples < o tik 

Dolomite, arenaceous; much shale 2, 150 

Shale, buff, highly calcareous, slightly sandy 2, 165 

Dolomite, arenaceous; much shale 2, 170 

Marl, drab, calcareous, argillaceous, and minutely arenaceous 

and cherty 2, 190 

r 2 218 

Dolomite; with shale and sand; 2 samples I ^' 

Shale, green 2, 250 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous 2, 257 

Marl, drab, calcareous, argillaceous, minutely arenaceous and 

cherty 2, 285 

Sandstone, calciferous 2, 292 

Shale, dark blue, and marl, light gray 2, 300 

r 2,315 

Marl, greenish yellow and blue, 4 samples { ' 

I ^j obo 

^ 2,395 

Sandstone, fine grained; calcareous cement; glauconiferous; f 2,425 

much argillaceous material; 2 samples I 2, 435 

Sandstone; rounded grains; highly argillaceous; green fissile 

shale. 2, 445 

Sandstone of minute angular grains held in calcareous cement, 

with some greenish cryptocrystalline silica, argillaceous 2, 460 

Sandstone; fine rounded gi'ains, calcareous cement, glauconifer- 
ous; considerable green shale in the drillings 2, 620 

Shale, hard, slate colored; in chips; greenish yellow marl in 

concreted powder 2, 685 

Sandstone, buff, calciferous; disintegrating under acid into fine 

angular particles; much hard green laminated shale 2, 700 

Dolomite, glauconiferous; much shale 2, 705 

Sandstone, greenish, hard, fine grained, califerous, highly glau- 
coniferous; in laminated chips; also chips of siliceous gray 

dolomite and much hard green shale 2, 727 

Shale, slate colored, hard; in chips; much greenish argillo-cal- 

careous and microscopically quartzose powder 2, 730 

Marl, light green-gray, quartzose; constituents microscopic; / 2, 750 

slightly glauconiferous; 2 samples I 2, 755 

Dolomite, arenaceous, glauconiferous; much shale 2, 780 

Dolomite; as above; in buff meal; marl in green-gray concreted 

powder 2, 800 

Marl, green-gray 2, 811 

Marl, green-gray, glauconiferous, and dark slaty shale 2, 817 

Marl, green-gray, glauconiferous, and hard shale 2, 840 

Sandstone, buff; clean quartz grains, imperfectly rounded, very 
diverse in size, the largest reaching or exceeding 1.5 millime- 

, ters; water bearing 2, 846 

Sandstone; as above, but coarser; many grains reaching or ex- 
ceeding 1.5 millimeters 2, 855 

Sandstone; as above, but somewhat finer grained than at 2,846 

feet '. 2,862 



680 



tlNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 



Sandstone; as above; 3 samples. 



Shale, light drab, slightly calcareous; drillings highly arenaceous 
Shale or marl; in concreted powder, highly arenaceous; and 
hard, drab laminated shale 

Driller's log of well at Boone. 



Depth 
in feet. 

2,870 

2,877 

2,890 

2,900 

2,914 




Depth. 



Soil, black, and yellow clay 

Clay, blue, and pebbles 

Sand, white, and water 

Sand (cleaner and coarser than above) and water 

Gravel and water , 

Clay, blue, and pebbles 

Clay, gray, hard 

Sand and lignite 

Shale, gray 

Shale, black 

Shale, bluish black 



Feet. 



20 
48 
115 
125 
143 
210 
230 
280 
290 
295 
297 



Madrid. — ^Madrid (population, 1,191) pumps its water from a well 
100 feet deep by a double-action electric motor. The supply is 
furnished by gravity, with a domestic pressure of 42 pounds; the 
fire pressure is greater. The town has 1^ niiles of mains, supplying 
17 fire hydrants and 10 taps to 70 people. The water is plentiful, 
but fairly hard. 

Driller'' s log, Madrid well. 



Thick- 
ness. 




Depth. 



Soil, black and yellow clay 

Clay, blue 

Clay, yellow, and sand; water 

Clay, dark, hard (hardpan) 

Gravel and water; light clay or sliale 



Feet. 



Ogden.^T\\Q town of Ogden (population, 1,298) draws its supply 
from a well 2,507 feet deep by steam pump and force pump combined. 
The water is distributed by gravity, with domestic pressure of 42 
pounds and fire pressure of 42 + pounds. There are four-fifths mile 
of mains, 10 fire hydrants, and 26 taps. All business houses and four 
residences use the water, consuming 7,750 gallons daily. The supply 
is plentiful, but hard. 

The city well (PL XI, p. 382) is 2,507 feet deep and 10 to 3 inches 
in diameter. The original head was 125 feet below curb. The head 
in 1905 was 140 feet below curb. The capacity is 26 gallons a min- 
ute, the water coming from 110, 1,650, and 1,820 to 1,851 feet. 
Date of completion, 1897. Drillers, J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 



BOONE COUNTY. 



681 



Record of strata in city tvell at Ogden {PI. XI, p. 382). 
[Based on driller's log.] 



Depth. 



Pleistocene: 

Clay 

Sand 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian: 

Des Moines group (top, 1,029 feet above sea level): 

Shale; with coal at 190 and 290 feet 

Mississippian: 

"St. Louis limestone" and Osage group (top, 684 feet above sea level): 

Limestone 

Kjnderhook group (top, 539 feet above sea level) 

Carboniferous? (Mississippian?), Devonian and Silurian (top, 444 feet above sea level) 

Limestone 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (top, 171 feet below sea level): 

Shale and red marl 

Galena dolomite (top, 226 feet below sea level) , 

Platteville limestone (top, 666 feet below sea level) 

St. Peter sandstone (top, 726 feet below sea level) 

Prairie du Chien group (649 feet thick; top, 757 feet below sea level): 

Limestone 

Limestone and shale 

Limestone and sand 



Feet. 



555 
650 

1,265 



1,320 
1,760 
1,820 
1,851 

2,085 
2,160 
2,500 



It is also noted that the ''lime rock had mud veins in it from 150 to 
1,265 feet and was the same from 1,320 to 1,760 feet." 'The rock 
caves more or less down to the top of the sand rock about 1,820 feet; 
from that down to 2,460 feet (depth when noted) the rock stands up." 



WELL DATA. 



The following table gives data of typical wells in Boone County. 
Typical ivells of Boone County. 



No. 


Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth of 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs 
given in feet). 


1 


P. Miller 


8 miles south and 
4 miles east of 
Ogden. 

Buckley 


Feet. 
102 

126 

205 

297 

75 

371 

101 

108 


Feet. 
(?) 


Shale (?).... 

Sand 

Sandstone. . . 

Shale(?) 

Gravel 

Sandstone . . 

Gravel 

Sand 


Feet. 

- 45 

+ 30 

- 30 

- 55 

+ 

-140 

- 40 

+ 25 


Bored well. 


9 


J. Phralin 

J. Wilson 


Plowing well. No 

rock. 
Bored and drilled. 


3 


Ogden 


190 ± 
280 


4 


City 


Boone 


Steam air lift used. 


>, 


G. Tifler 


do... 


Bored well. No 


Fr 


Charles Pilcher... 

Dodge Cooperar 
tive Creamery. 

W. Abraham 


3 J miles northwest 

of Boone. 
3|- miles southwest 

of Mackey. 

5 miles southeast 
of Luther. 




rock. 


7 




Pumped by .steam 


8 




for creamery 
uses. 
Black soil, 5; yel- 


" 




low clay and blue 
clay, 35: "sea- 
mud.," so-called, 
10; blue clay, 10; 
sandy layer and 
water (weak 
flow), 1; blue clay 
and "sea-mud," 
sand and water 
(flow), and fossil 
wood and gas, 47. 
No rock. 



682 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical wells of Boone County — Continued. 















Head 




No. 


Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth of 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs 
given in feet). 


9 


G. B. Abraham... 
Town 


3 miles southeast 
of Luther. 

Madrid. . 


Feet. 
160 

100 
62 

215 
135 


Feet. 


Sand 

Gravel 

do 


Feet. 

- 4 

-36 

- 20 

- 80 
-118 


Formerly flowed 


in 


100 


+6 feet. Black 
soil, 3; yellow 
clay, 12; blue 
clay, 45; sand 
(gray) and water, 
1; blue clay, 15; 
soft blue clay or 
"sea - mud," 83; 
greensand and 
water, 1. No 
rock. 


11 


Blake farm 

E. Ball 


J mile south of An- 
gus. 
Near Napier 

7 miles northwest 
of Madrid. 


Bored well. No 


n 




Sand 

Gravel 


rock. 
Black soil and yel- 


13 


J. Nolan 




low clay, 20; blue 
clay, 60; yellow 
clay, 20; blue clay 
(hard and dark), 
111; sand and 
water, 4. No 
rock. 
Bored well. No 








rock. 




DALLAS COUNTY 








By 0. E. Meinzer. 










TOPOGRA 


PHY 


AND GEOLOGY. 







Dallas County is just south and west of the center of the State. 
Along its south margin, principally south of Middle Raccoon River, 
the old loess-covered Kansan drift at the surface has been so pro- 
foundly eroded that the topography is rugged; but the rest of the 
county, including much the greater part of the total area, is covered with 
Wisconsin drift so recently deposited and so slightly eroded that it 
forms a typical youthful drift plain, with gently undulating topography 
and numerous undrained tracts. The entire drift mantle probably 
averages rather less than 100 feet in thickness and in certain locahties 
is much thinner. Although the Wisconsin drift is superimposed upon 
the Kansan, it does not seem to increase the total depth to bedrock, 
probably because of the abrasion of a part of the Kansan drift by the 
Wisconsin ice sheet. Over extensive areas, especially in the north- 
western part of the county, a layer of gravel Ues between the drift 
and the bedrock. Thick accumulations of alluvial and outwash 
materials are found along the principal watercourses, not only below 
the flood plain levels but also underlying the terraces which border 
the valleys. 

The rocks lying below the drift and outcropping at many points in 
the southern part of the county belong to the Des Moines group 




DALLAS COUNTY. . 683 

of the Pennsylvanian and consist of several hundred feet of alter- 
nating beds of shale, sandstone, and coal. (See PI. XVI.) In 
Dallas County the predominant rock is shale, but sandstone seems 
to be more abundant than is usual for this series. If traced laterally 
the sandstone strata show rapid changes in thickness and porosity. 
The approximate section shown by a well in the vaUey of South 
Raccoon River, on the farm of Calvin Marshall in the SE. | sec. 7, 
T 78 N., R. 29 W., is reported by A. G. Leonard ^ as follows: 

Section of the Marshall flowing well. 



Pennsylvanian : 

Shale, red and blue 

Sandstone 

Shale and slate, bituminous. 

Sandstone, white 

Mississippian; 

Limestone, penetrated 



UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

In both the Wisconsin and the Kansan drift areas most of the wells 
are dug or bored and depend on seepage from the more or less porous 
seams in the drift. The weUs in the Wisconsin area ordinarily yield 
the larger and more permanent supplies. 

In m_uch of the Wisconsin area the gravel at the base of the drift 
will furnish large amounts of water to drilled wells; and other beds 
of sand and gravel at different levels in the drift will also yield 
generously to drilled weUs; but in some localities the drill passes into 
the bedrock before water in sufficient quantities is found. In the 
Kansan area drilled wells are much less successful, chiefly because of 
the radical difference in the head of the water, which results directly 
from the difference in the topography. In the Wisconsin area the 
surface is so nearly level and the drainage so imperfect that practi- 
cally all porous deposits are saturated, and the water in the deeper 
beds is under sufficient pressure to rush forcibly into the weUs that 
penetrate them and rise nearly or quite to the surface. In the Kan- 
san area, on the other hand, the drift is deeply dissected and the 
porous deposits are either drained completely or their water is under 
such slight pressure that it will flow only sluggishly into wells. In 
accordance with this general difference, flowing wells are found in a 
number of low-lying tracts in the Wisconsin area and springs are 
plentiful in the vaUeys of the Kansan area. 

1 Geology of Dallas County: Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 8, 1898, p. 75. 



684 UNDERGROUKD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The Pennsylvanian sandstone strata are water bearing and furnish 
the supply for a number of wells within this county. They are, how- 
ever, so inconstant in character that drilling mto bedrock always 
involves some uncertainty. The Marshall well (p. 683) was drilled in 
1879 and has overflowed ever since. The water comes from the sand- 
stone at the bottom, and the natural flow at the time it was visited 
was about 3 gallons a minute. The diameter of the well is 1^ inches. 
The flowing well in the vaUey at Redfield (p. 685) was carried to a 
total depth of 1,384 feet, but it is reported that the first flow was 
struck at the depth of 280 feet. In the wells located on higher 
ground the water does not risB to the surface, but it is generally 
under better head in the Wisconsin than in the Kansan area. In 
the former area it is not unusual for drilled wells to get their sup- 
plies from sandstone that lies a short distance below the bottom of 
the drift. 

Two-inch sand weUs require screens, which give trouble by becom- 
ing incrusted, but most weUs of larger diameter, if not pumped 
rapidly, can be finished without screens and are more satisfactory 
(pp. 192-193). 

The drift water and some of the water from near the top of the 
Pennsylvanian is only moderately rich in calcium, magnesium, and 
the carbonates and does not generaUy contain large amounts of 
sulphates, but the water from the lower part of the Pennsylvanian, 
here as elsewhere in the State, is rich in sodium and the sulphates. 

Water may be found below the coal measures in the Mississippian 
limestones, but in no large amount and perhaps of poor quality, 
although with good head. 

As Dallas County lies in the trough of the Paleozoic strata the depth 
to the Ordovician and Cambrian water beds is probably too deep for 
profitable drilling. At Adel the St. Peter sandstone need not be 
expected at less than 2,000 feet below the surface (1,100 feet below 
sea level) and the yield from it wiU hardly be enough for city supply. 
The water horizons below the St. Peter are uncertain, but within 
500 or 600 feet below the St. Peter the supply should be largely 
augmented. 

A drill hole made at Redfield, in search for oil or gas, is of special 
interest, as it shows the position of several water beds. The water, 
which is highly chalybeate, runs unused into Middle Raccoon River. 
The elevation of the curb is about 900 feet above sea level. 



DALLAS COUNTY. 



685 



Record of strata in prospect hole at Redfield. 

[Based on driller's log.] 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feel. 


Feet. 


18 


18 


15 


33 


37 


70 


75 


145 


20 


165 


3 


168 


28 


196 


7 


203 


3 


206 


28 


234 


19 


253 


40 


293 


40 


333 


9 


342 


20 


363 


10 


373 


15 


388 


10 


398 


27 


425 


13 


438 


12 


450 


13 


463 


25 


488 


10 


498 


30 


528 


30 


558 


50 


608 


8 


616 


14 


630 


25 


655 


10 


665 


43 


708 


20 


728 


40 


768 


20 


788 


13 


801 


22 


823 


27 


850 


10 


860 


8 


868 


15 


883 


22 


905 


32 


937 


23 


960 


48 


1,008 


17 


1,025 


12 


1,037 


12 


1,051 


5 


1,056 


8 


1,064 


18 


1,082 


11 


1,093 


7 


1,100 


8 


1,108 


20 


1,128 


23 


1,151 


17 


1,168 


65 


1,233 


10 


1,243 


15 


1,258 


19 


1,277 


13 


1,290 


12 


1,302 


11 


1,313 


7 


1,320 


12 


1,332 


9 


1,341 


9 


1,350 


5 


1,355 


14 


1,369 


15 


1,384 



Quaternary: 

Surface material 

Sand and pebbles 

Pennsylvanian: 

Sandstone 

Soapstone or fire clay; red between 85 and 105 feet 

Cave rock 

Slate, dark, caving 

Coal, 18 inches; also 27 feet of sandstone, limestone, and cave rock. 
Mississippian, Devonian, and Silurian: 

Glass rock 

Mixed rock 

Mixed limestone 

Sand and lime streaks, bearing mineral water 

Sand rock; bearing water, which comes to the surface 

Limestone 

No record 

Limestone, dark 

Limestone 

Sticky cave rock 

Sand; bearing water 

Peculiar limestone 

Rock, hard; traces of sand 

Sand, hard; bearing water 

Sand, hard; changing to limestone 

No record 

Sand; bearing heavy pressure of mineral water 

Limestone, variegated 

Cave rock 

Limestone '. 

Rock, hard; breaking into sand 

Sandrock; bearing strong water 

No record 

Slate, light 

Limestone 

Cave rock ^ 

Limestone and water sand 

Hard drilling 

Easy Umestone 

Brittle limestone 

Traces of oil rock 

Close and hard 

Very hard, gray marble 

Close sand; bears water 

Close Hme 

Hard stone 

Hard limestone 

Water sand 

Limerock 

Dark lime 

Light lime 

Traces of sand and water 

Drilled hard 

Limestone 

Pronounced asphaltum 

Sandrock 

Limestone 

Lime, dark 

Lime, white 

Lime, dark 

Lime, soft, variegated 

Radical change in lime 

( ? ) water 

Limestone 

Water sand 

No record 

Very fine water sand 

Sandstone 

Sandstone 

Sandstone 

Stone, hard 

Traces of lime and sand; water broke in 

Rock, red 

Rock, red, softer; at 1,376 feet water broke in 



686 UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Perry. — The public supply for Perry (population, 4,630) is drawn 
from seven wells, of which three are reported to be 4 inches in diame- 
ter and 110 feet deep, one 7 inches in diameter and 117 feet deep, and 
three 10 inches in diameter and 117 feet deep. They pass through 
11 feet of sand and gravel and then through blue clay to a total depth 
of 84 feet, below which they penetrate a 45-foot bed of gravel that 
rests upon sandstone. 

In making the wells, rocks as large as 4 inches in diameter were 
brought up — some glaciated, others consisting of soft brown sand- 
stone obviously of local origin. All the wells are finished with screens 
except one wliich ends with perforated casing. At first they over- 
flowed, but now the water level is said to be 34 feet below the surface. 
By the application of an air lift they together discharge 2,000 gallons 
a minute into an underground reservoir, from which the water is lifted 
into a standpipe by means of duplex pumps. The system includes 
about 11 miles of mains, 80 fire hydrants, and 835 taps. The analy- 
ses given in the table (p. 164) show that the water is only moderately 
hard and is not otherwise heavily mineralized. It is used for domes- 
tic purposes by nearly the entire population, and is also utilized 
extensively in locomotive and stationary boilers. It is estimated 
that altogether an average of about 750,000 gallons is consumed 
daily. 

The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Kailway has five 6-inch wells 
similar to those that furnish the public supply, and the Van Camp 
Milk Condensing Co. has two wells of the same type, one 6 inches and 
one 10 inches in diameter. In all these wells air lifts are used. 

GREENE COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The general flatness of surface so characteristic of all areas covered 
by the Wisconsin drift is in Greene County considerably modified by 
the broad valleys, with long gentle slopes to the stream bottoms, cut 
and occupied by North Raccoon River and its few branches, which 
flow in a general southeasterly direction across the county. 

Earlier drift than the Wisconsin is found over the entire county, but 
the combined thickness of these deposits is in most places less than 
200 feet. 

In the western part of the county rocks of Cretaceous age, here 
very thin, immediately underlie the drift; in the eastern part the 
underlying rocks belong to the Des Moines group of the Pennsyl- 
vanian series. From Jefferson a tongue of the Des Moines, without 



GEEENE COUNTY. 687 

Cretaceous above it, extends some distance up North Raccoon River. 
(See PI. XI, p. 382.) So far as known none of tlie formations show 
any great departure from horizontahty. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Nearly all of the water used in Greene County is derived from wells 
in the drift. Most of these wells strike the important water-bearing 
sandstone or gravel stratum beneath the Wisconsin drift. The thick- 
ness of the Wisconsin, and therefore the depth to this aquifer varies a 
good deal over the county, well records showing differences of 20 to 
150 feet or more. The greatest depths, as a rule, are found in the 
western part of the county. Water from this bed is very satisfactory 
and is practically unaffected by the weather. 

Another important aquifer lies beneath the blue clay of the Kansan 
drift at depths ranging from 72 to 270 feet, the greatest depth being 
in the western part of the county. Although this is the most impor- 
tant and persistent water bed in the drift, comparatively few wells 
are deep enough to reach it. As the Wisconsin and Kansan drift 
sheets are not always clearly separable in a single section, it is some- 
times difficult to tell with which one is dealing. 

Sand or gravel beds of considerable thickness are found locally 
within the Wisconsin or Kansan drift sheets, and a good many wells 
undoubtedly get their water supply from such deposits. 

ARTESIAN BASINS. 

In several places in the county wells in the drift yield flowing water. 
One of these local artesian basins is in the southwestern part along 
the Willow Creek bottom, where flows are easily obtained by wells 
ranging in depth from 26 to 100 feet or more. The water probably 
comes from gravel beneath the Wisconsin drift. 

Another basin is in the vicinity of Jefferson, where a number of 
wells along North Raccoon River and Hardin Creek bottoms yield 
flowing water. The aquifer from which the water comes has not been 
definitely determined, but it is probably the gravel beneath the Wis- 
consin drift at depths of 100 to 125 feet; west of Jefferson at least 
one well, 270 feet deep, derives flowing water from gravel beneath the 
Kansan drift. 

A third important basin lies along the principal stream bottoms in 
the northeastern part of the county. Good well records are not 
available to show the source of the water, but in some places, as in the 
vicinity of Grand Junction, the water seems to come from the base 
of the Kansan drift. In other places the wells are much shallower, 
and the water horizon appears to be at the base of the Wisconsin 
drift. 



688 UNDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

A number of deeper wells have penetrated the drift and have gone 
into the Des Moines group, obtaining water chiefly in sandstones. The 
deepest well (2,026 feet) in this county, that at Jefi^erson, derives its 
supply from Cambrian sandstone. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs of small size drawing water from the drift deposits are 
rather common along the main stream courses. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Jefferson. — The city well (PL XI, p. 382) at Jefferson (population, 
2,477) has a depth of 2,026 feet and a diameter of 8 inches; cased to 
1,400 feet. The curb is 1,110 feet above sea level, and the head 40 
feet below curb. The capacity is 200 gallons a minute, the water 
coming from 1,400 feet. The well was completed in 1886 by J. P. 
Miller & Co., of Chicago. The water is pumped by compressed air to 
a reservoir, from which it is forced to an elevated tank. It is dis- 
tributed by gravity pressure of 60 pounds through 3^ miles of main to 
22 fire hydrants and about 200 taps. About 1,200 persons use the 
supply, and the daily consumption is 50,000 gallons. The water is 
hard but is otherwise good. 

The strata penetrated by this well are shown in the following record : 

Record of strata in city well at Jefferson {PL XI, p. 382). 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian : 

Sandstone, dark buff; moderately fine grains, imper- in feet. 

fectly rounded 260 

Shale, dark, unctuous, noncalcareous 270 

Mississippian : 

Sandstone, argillaceous, slightly calcareous; grains of pure 
quartz, from fine to coarse and but little rounded by 

attrition 340 

Chert, gray; large to small grains of limpid quartz, prob- 
ably from above, and a little white limestone 350 

Limestone, white, nonmagnesian; highly arenaceous, with 
minute quartzose particles and some rounded grains. . . 355 

Limestone, dark and light drab ; hard 525 

Shale, green-gray, pyritiferous, calcareous (Kinderhook). 700 
Devoman(?): 

Limestone, light buff, crystalline, pure 800 

Siltu'ian and Galena (Ordovician): 

Limestone, magnesian; in white powder; piu-e 1, 000 

Limestone, magnesian, or dolomite; some shale in brown 

powder; residue cherty 1, 100 

Limestone, magnesian, brown; in fine sand; effervescence 

rather rapid 1, 200, 1, 300 

Limestone, magnesian, light blue-gray; luster earthy 1, 350 

Dolomite, light buff; in fine sand; highly cherty 1, 450 

•Dolomite or magnesian limestone, brown, cherty; slow 
effervescence 1, 500 



GREENE COUNTY. 



689 



Ordovician: 

Platteville limestone : in feet. 

Shale, green, slightly calcareous 1, 670 

St. Peter sandstone : 

Sandstone, fine, white, clean; rolled grains, 50 feet thick. 1, 700 
Prairie du Chien group : 

Dolomite; in fine sand, deep brown; some chert 1, 745 

Sandstone; in yellow powder and sand of angular particles 
of quartz with a few round grains 1, 800, 1, 880 

Scranton. — The water supply of Scranton (population, 845) is 
derived from a well somewhat over 200 feet deep. The water is 
pumped to an elevated tank from which it is distributed by gravity 
through about a mile of mains to 5 fire hydrants and 45 taps. The 
domestic pressure is 50 pounds and the fire pressure 100 pounds. 
About 250 people use the supply, the daily consumption averaging 
15,000 gallons. 

WELL DATA. 

Information concerning typical wells in Greene County is pre- 
sented in the following table: 

Typical wells of Greene County. 











Head 




Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Source of 
supply. 


above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 






Feet. 




Feet. 




D. Fitz. 


8 miles west of 
Churdan. 


190 


Sand 


-60 








Minneapolis & St. 


Grand Junction... 


325 


Sandstone... 


-13 


Engine supply. Black soil, 


Louis Ry. 










yellow clay, blue clay, fire clay 
(white), shale (white), iron 
pyrites layer, 120; shale (dark) 
and blackjack, 30; coal, IJ; 
fire clay, 64; sandstone and 
water, at bottom shale, 110. 


Dr. Arthur ... 


6 miles south of 

Ralston. 
6 miles southeast 


26 
192 


Sand 

Gravel 


+ 2 
-80 


Flowing well. 


William Anderson. . 






of Jefferson. 










Electric-light plant. 
Albert Head 




134 


Sand.. .. 


-60 




1 mile west of Jef- 


270? 


do 


-1- 3 


Boiler use. Black soil, 10; 




ferson. 








yellow clay, 15; sand and 
water, 15; clay (dark brown 
and tough), 16; potter's clay 
(white), 12; blue clay, 100; 
sand (hardened) and water, 
50; sand, 52. 


Mr. Weant 


2 miles west of 
Paton. 


159 


Sand and 
gravel. 


-30 




R. Townsend 


5 miles east 2 miles 
north of Chur- 
dan. 


146 


do 


-13 




R. Adamson 


2 miles north of 
Bayard. 


127 


Sand 


-30 


Black soil, 16; sand, 80; blue 
clay, black "muck" and fossil 
wood, 16; sand and water, 15. 


John McCarthy 


2 miles north of 
Jefferson. 


105 


Gravel and 
sand. 


+20 


Hard, iron bearing. 


Town of Grand 


Grand Junction. . . 


75 


do 


+25 


Public well. 


Junction. 












William Diamond 


7 miles northwest 


103 


Sand 


+ 4 




farm. 


of Jefferson. 










Ed. Jones 


4 miles northeast 
of Grand Junc- 


390 


Sandstone... 


-40 










tion. 










Chas. Reidel 


1 mile south of 
Rippey. 


160 


Sand 


-60 





36581°— wsp 293—12- 



-44 



690 UNDEEGKOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

GRUNDY COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Grundy County comprises an area of low, broad hills which give 
its surface a slightly undulating appearance. As a rule the hills are 
just high enough to cause the land to be fairly well drained. There 
are no large streams to produce noteworthy topographic irregularity. 

lowan drift deposits underlain by Kansan drift extend over the 
whole county. In some small areas loess may be present. Beneath 
the drift are sedimentary formations — limestones and shales — belong- 
ing to the Mississippian series (lower Carboniferous). These extend 
over the whole county except in the extreme northeast corner, 
where the drift rests on Devonian rock's (PI. VI, p. 258), and in the 
middle western portion, where it lies above shale and limestone of 
the Des Moines group of the Pennsylvanian series (upper Carbon- 
iferous). 

The drift deposits are practically parallel to each other except for 
local thickening or thinning and there appears to be a general slight 
eastward dip of all. The underlying rock formations dip shghtly 
westward. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The most important aquifer in the drift is the sand or gravel bed 
at the bottom, which nearly everywhere yields a good supply of water. 
The depth to this aquifer ranges from 125 to 230 feet, according to 
the thickness of the drift sheets in different parts of the county. 
This aquifer is rarely Jacking in Grundy County. Higher up and 
within the blue clay there are some local water-bearing sandy layers. 
In many localities, however, the water supply from these is small 
and may fail altogether after a time. Surface wells in the drift 
fluctuate with the seasons and very few farmers depend on them. 

In the rock formations below the drift water is obtained by the 
deeper wells, many of which have been sunk in recent years. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs of any considerable size are not known in the county. 
Those that do exist are merely seepage flows from the drift deposits. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Grundy Center. — The water supply of Grundy Center (population,, 
1,354) is obtained from a well 469 feet deep, driUed in 1897(?) by 
P. Pfiffner, of Traer. The well is 8 to 4 inches in diameter and iss 
cased to the bottom. The water level is 80 feet below the curb,^ 



GRUNDY COUNTY. 

The strata penetrated are indicated by the following log : 

Driller's log of city well at Grundy Center. 



691 




Depth. 



Pleistocene : 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue, and some water-bearing sand 
Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

Limestone 

Shale, some water 

Limestone 

Shale, some water 

Devonian: 

Limestone 



Feet. 
10 
190 

195 
199 
205 
285 

469 



The water is distributed by gravity, under a pressure of 56 pounds, 
through 0.26 mile of mains, to 21 fire hydrants and 120 taps. About 
600 people use the supply. It is reported that about 5,000 gaUons 
are used daily. A larger supply might be obtained by sinking wells 
through the Devonian and Silurian limestones to the Maquoketa 
shale (Ordovician), which here lies 675 to 725 feet below the surface. 
The Galena and Platteville limestones would also probably yield 
some water. The St. Peter sandstone should be reached at 270 
to 350 feet below sea level or at a depth at most of 1,325 feet below 
the surface. Probably these formations would give sufficient water 
for the needs of the town for many years, but a very large supply 
may be had from the Prairie du Chien group and the Jordan sand- 
stone, which would be reached by a well a little more than 1,800 
feet deep. The water should be of good quality. 

Reinbeck. — The town well at Reinbeck (population, 1,205), 339 
feet deep, yields a good supply of hard water. 

The section reported by the driller is as f oUows : 



Driller's log of Reinbeck town well. 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue, and sandy beds; water 

Shale 

Limestone; water 



The water is pumped by steam pump and is distributed under 
gravity pressure of 43 pounds through 3 miles of mains to 13 fire 
hydrants and 140 taps. About 700 persons are suppUed; the daily 
consumption is estimated at 24,000 gallons. 




692 



UNDERGEOUlSrD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



WELL DATA. 



Information concerning typical wells in this county is presented 
in the following table : 

Typical wells of Grundy County. 









o 




o 




Owner. 


Location. 




ft 


Source of 
supply. 




Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 






Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




Geo. Findlay- 


7 miles north of 


242 


202 


Limestone. . 


60 


Pumped by windmill Yellow 


son. 


Morrison. 










clay, 12; sand (some water), 
190; shale, 20; limestone and 


























water, 20. 


Henry Muller.. 


5 miles southeast of 
Grundy Center. 


580 


200 


do 


60 


Yellow clay, 8; blue clay, full of 
pebbles in sand layers, J.92; 
limestone, some sandy, 377; 
shale, J; limestone and heavy 






































flow of water, 2. Pumped by 














windmill. 


John Gange 


3 miles east of Rein- 


273 


140 


do...... 


100 


Black soil, yellow clay, and blue 
shale with some sand, beds and 




beclc. 






















water, 140; shale, dark hard 














rock, and iron pyrites, 60; 














limestone and water, 18 to 20. 


L. G. Benken.. 


3| miles northeast 
of Grundy Center. 


344 


277 


Sandstone... 


140± 


Yellow clay, 37; blue clay and 
some sand, 220; sand and much 
water, 20; shale, 60; sandstone, 
red, 7. 


Mickley Bros... 


6 miles southeast of 

Aekley. 
4 miles southeast of 

Aekley. 


152 


146 


Gravel 


70 


Enters limestone 6 feet. 


S. Sinneng 


393 


215 


No water 




Abandoned. Yellow clay and 






sand, 32; yellow clay, 58; blue 














clay. 70; hardpan, 10: yellow 














clay, 20; blue clay, 18; black 














clay, 7; sandrock (yellow), 














2; soapstone or hard shale, 35; 














soapstone or soft shale, 6; soft 














soapstone or shale, 85; very 














hard blue shale, 60. 



GUTHRIE COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The topography of Guthrie County is of two strikingly different 
types. South and west of Middle Raccoon River the old loess- 
mantled Kansan till lies at the surface and is thoroughly dissected 
and perfectly drained; northeast of that stream the much younger 
Wisconsin till overlaps the Kansan and presents a typical gently 
undulating drift plain, almost untouched by stream erosion and 
hence poorly drained, marked with abundant ponds, swamps, and 
sloughs. 

GEOLOGY. 

Several formations differing widely in age and character overlap 
in Guthrie County, making the geology peculiarly interesting and 
the ground-water conditions more varied than in most of the other 
counties of the State. The oldest rocks exposed are of Carbonif- 



GUTHRIE COUNTY. 693 

erous age and belong to the Des Moines group of the Pennsylvanian 
series, wliich underhes the entire county, with a thickness of several 
hundred feet, consisting of shale alternating with numerous thin 
beds of limestone, sandstone, and coal. Near the south margin of 
the county the Des Moines is capped by the basal limestone of the 
Missouri group, also of the Pennsylvanian series. Upon the eroded 
surface of these old formations lie Cretaceous sandstones and shales, 
well developed and nearly continuous m the western half of the 
county, but thin or entirely absent in the eastern half. Finally, 
Cretaceous and Carboniferous alike are in general deeply buried 
beneath the glacial drift. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The Pennsylvanian series includes some sandstone strata that 
yield moderate amounts of mineralized water under sufficient head 
to rise nearly or quite to the level of the deepest valleys, but these 
sandstone strata are so scarce and so readily give place laterally to 
impervious beds that attempts to tap them are very liable to failure. 

In the western half of the county the Cretaceous is a fairly reliable 
aquifer, but in the eastern half it is commonly too thin and irregu- 
larly distributed to be of consequence. In the former section it is 
found with considerable regularity about 250 feet below the upland 
surface, and its less cemented beds supply water freely, though the 
water is not under much pressure and does not rise many feet in the 
weUs. Wells of 4 or 6 inch diameter with independent pumps are 
more successful than 2-inch ''tubulars." 

The upper part of the Kansan drift is sufficiently porous to allow 
a slow seepage of scanty water to weUs of large circumference. 
Associated with this drift are also beds of sand and gravel whose 
value as water bearers is entirely different where the Wisconsin 
drift is present from that where it is absent. Where it is absent, 
they are either drained or contain water under slight pressure only, 
and hence do not generally supply drilled wells; where it is present, 
they are charged with water under sufficient pressure to flow freely 
into a drilled well and to fill it nearly to the top or even to rise above 
the surface. The village well at Stuart (p. 697) is supplied from a 
bed of sand beneath Kansan till. Its head is low and its yield not 
great, but if this same bed of sand occurred in the area of Wisconsin 
drift the water would be under much greater pressure, would rise 
much higher in the weU, and could be recovered at a much more 
rapid rate. 



694 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

PROVINCES. 

In respect to ground water the county is divisible into three pro- 
vinces — one in wliich the Wisconsin drift is at the surface, one in 
which the older loess-covered Kansan drift is at the surface and is 
underlain by water-bearing Cretaceous beds, and one m which the 
older drift is at the surface and is not underlain by water-bearing 
Cretaceous beds. Very roughly, the first province may be said to 
comprise the area northeast of Middle Raccoon River, the second the 
western part of the area southwest of that stream, and the third the 
eastern part of this last area. 

The first province has the most favorable ground-water conditions. 
The porous parts of the drift are saturated almost to the surface and 
flowmg wells are frequently obtained, as, for example, m the village 
of Bagley and in Richland Township between Yale and Herndon. 
Water-bearing beds are likely to be encountered at any level in the 
drift, and many of the flows come from wells less than 100 feet deep. 

In the second provmce seepage from the drift is largely relied on, 
but the drilled wells go to the Cretaceous and obtain supplies that are 
not influenced by drought. In the thu'd province the Cretaceous is 
lacking, shallow drift wells are everywhere in use, and successful 
drOled weUs are scarce. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Bagley. — In Bagley (population, 488) there are 12 or more flowing 
drift wells. A public system of waterworks has recently been 
installed. 

Guthrie Center. — The public supply of Guthrie Center (population, 
1,337) is derived from seven wells located in the valley 12 feet apart. 
The wells consist of 3i-foot holes dug through sand and other loose 
materials to the Cretaceous bedrock at a depth of 28 feet, below 
which they are drilled to a gravelly stratum at about 50 feet. The 
water rises within 18 feet of the surface and the pumps are placed about 
8 feet below the surface and draw by suction from all the wells simul- 
taneously. Pumpmg at the rate of 200 gallons a minute for several 
hours produces no noticeable effect except temporarily to lower the 
water level somewhat. The weUs are finished with open ends and no 
difficulty with sand has been experienced. The water is only moder- 
ately hard and is preferred to the shallow well water. There are 
two standpipes situated on high ground, and about a mile of mains 
connect with an extensive system of smaller pipes leading to about 
300 points of consumption. The water is used by nearly the entire 
population and also by the railway company for locomotive supplies. 
According to the records, the average daily consumption in 1908 was 
only a little less than 60,000 gallons. 

The Mississippian limestones would probably yield a small supply 
of highly mineralized water under a head sufficient to bring it within 



GUTHRIE COUNTY. 



695 



easy pupiping distance of the surface. Other and presumably better 
suppHes can be had in the heavy beds of limestone which intervene 
between the Mississippian and the St. Peter sandstone, but, as in all 
limestone beds, the water will occur m crevices and solution passages 
whose depth can not be predicted and which may not be struck by 
the drill. The St. Peter sandstone probably lies about 1,000 or 
1,100 feet below sea level, or about 2,100 to 2,200 feet below the 
surface. Apparently the subjacent sandstones are less well defined 
than in eastern Iowa, but a well sunk 2,750 feet below the surface 
should test their capacity. 

Herndon. — Little except the depth is known concerning the Chicago, 
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well at Herndon. It was drilled by 
W. H. Gray & Bro., of Chicago, to a depth of 1,700 feet (?) from a 
curb elevation of 1,062 feet above sea level. The well does not appear 
to have found water. The record of the strata, as made out from 
drillmgs furnished to the United States Geological Survey, is as 
follows : 

Record of strata in Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well at Herndon. 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


534 


534 


20 


554 


20 


574 


40 


614 


20 


634 


20 


654 


20 


674 


40 


714 


100 


814 


20 


834 


20 


854 


20 


874 


126 


1,000 


50 


1,050 


25 


1,075 


50 


1,125 


25 


1,150 


25 


1,175 


25 


1,200 


50 


1,250 


75 


1,325 


75 


1,400 


25 


1,425 


25 


1,450 


25 


1,475 


25 


1,500 


25 


1,525 


25 


1,550 


25 


1,575 


25 


1,600 


40 


1,640 


20 


1,660 


20 


1,68U 


20 


1,700 



No samples 

Shale, drab, calcareous; a few chips of Umestone and a Uttle white chert 

Shale, drab 

Shale, greenish; 2 samples 

Shale, blue 

Shale, green, sUghtly calcareous 

Limestone, blue-gray; in small chips; effervescence slow; some shale from above 

Liipestone, light blue-gray; crystalline; in large flaky chips; moderately rapid efferves- 
cence: 2 samples 

Limestone, blue-gray; effervescence slow; 5 samples 

Limestone, blue-gray; slow effervescence; some chert 

Limestone and shale; limestone, Ught blue-gray, with slow effervescence; shale, hard, 
dark blue 

Limestone, blue-gray and bufi; slow effervescence 

Limestone, light buff; slow effervescence; in chips; 6 samples 

Limestone, drab; slow effervescence; 2 samples 

Limestone, buff; slow effervescence; drillings contain an unchipped flshtooth (of Mis- 
sissippian age) apparently from some higher horizon 

Limestone, buff, crystalUne; slow effervescence, 2 samples 

Limestone, blue-gray and buff; slow effervescence 

Limestone, drab; slow effervescence 

Shale or marl; highly calcareous; much anhydrite; in concreted powder 

Limestone, hard , drab; slow effervescence; 2 samples 

Shale, drab; facies of Maquoketa shale; 3 samples 

Shale, light yellow, highly calcareous; in concreted powder; 3 samples 

Limestone, white; but driUings stained with ferruginous films so as to be buff in mass; 
in fine sand; slow effervescence; with considerable chert and crystalline quartz in 
irregular grains and with some secondary enlargements 

Limestone, white, crystalline; slow effervescence; drillings stained deep ocher yellow; 
in fine sand 

Chert, in small chips; white and gray 

Chert and shale, blue; in large concreted mass 

Limestone and chert, in fine sand; buff in mass; effervescence slow 

Limestone and chert; as above; some microscopic quartz particles and some imper- 
fectly rounded small quartz grains 

Limestone, argillaceous, or shale, calcareous; white; in concreted masses; gritty 
with lime particles; residue argillaceous and sihceous with microscopic crystalhne 
quartz 

Limestone, gray; in fine chips; slow effervescence; much gray chert 

Limestone, buff in mass, in fine sand; much chert; residue of microscopic crystalline 
quartz; 2 samples 

Limestone and shale; Umestone, dark drab, argillaceous, crystalUne to earthy, slow 
effervescence; shale, in chips, hard, green, fissile 

Limestone and shale; Umestone Ught buff or gray, crystalUne to earthy; rapid efferves- 
cence; in flaky chips; shale as above 

Limestone, gray and buff; rapid effervescence; in sand; some drab flint and minute 
imperfectly rounded grains of quartz 



696 



XJNDEKGEOXJND WATER EESOUECES OP IOWA. 



Analysis of rock from depth of 794 to 814 feet in railway ivell at Herndon} 

CaCOg 48. 10 

MgCOg 35.51 

SiOg.. ■ 13. 55 

ALjOg 1. 74 

FezOg 59 

99.49 

The National Refilling & Manufacturing Co. well at Herndon has 
a depth of 895 feet and a diameter of 13 to 8 inches. The curb is 
1,052 feet above sea level and the head 60 feet below curb. The 
water comes from 20 feet, 165 feet, and between 720 and 895 feet, in 
rock reported as ''honeycombed limestone." Date of completion, 
1908. The water is heavily charged with sodium and foams so much 
as to prevent its use in locomotive boilers. 

Record of strata in National Refining & Manufacturing Co. well at Herndon. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Unknown 

Till, blue, clayey 

Sand, gray; grains angular, almost loessial in fineness, with some coarser; this is the 
"gas sand" of the region and blows out with the gas by the wagonload when not 
drowned with water 

Sand, yellow, coarse, and gravel, glacial 

Sand, orange, coarse 

Shale, blackish, fissile 

Shale, red 

Limestone, argillaceous and finely arenaceous, dark buff or drab; rapid effervescence; 
and chert, dark drab, with much chalcedonic siUca in large chips and a little drusy 
quartz; chalcedony reported as " water granite " 

Limestone, drab, highly argillaceous, microscopically quartzose; with chert and chal- 
cedony; shale of same color, calcareous 

Chert, dark drab and blackish; highly conchoidal fracture; a little milky white trans- 
lucent chalcedony 

Limestone, gray, highly argiUaceous; milky white chalcedony and white chert 

Limestone, blue-gray; rapid effervescence; argillaceous; crystalline-granular; much 
white chalcedony 

Limestone, almost white, coarse, crystalUne-granular; and Umestone, light cream- 
colored, soft, in flaky chips; effervescence rapid, considerable blue-gray flint 

Limestone, dark buff and drab, finely crystalUne; effervescence moderately rapid; 
with embedded, irregular, minute masses of blue flint; residue contains minute 
grains of quartz 

Limestone, whitish, macrocrystalline, soft; rapid effervescence; some joints of crinoid 
stems and oolites or perhaps tests of foraminifers almost too minute to be seen with 
naked eye 

Shale, green, plastic, fissile, noncalcareous 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, blue-gray, hard, subcrystalUne; effervescence slow. 

Shale, pinkish gray, shghtly calcareous 

Limestone, magnesian, blue-gray, subcrystalline; effervescence rather slow; 2 samples. 

Limestone, yellow-gray, hard, fine grained; some lithographic, subconchoidal fracture; 
rapid effervescence 

No samples 



Feet. 
20 
116 



Feet. 
20 
135 



145 

160 
170 

260 
270 



280 
305 



360 
390 



420 
430 



160 


600 


20 


620 


20 


640 


15 


655 


40 


695 


25 


720 


175 


895 



The sets of drUlings from the two wells at Herndon are, fortunately, 
complementary and afford a fairly complete section. It will be noted 
that the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well stopped near 
the summit of the St. Peter sandstone in shale resembling much the 
Decorah shale. Had drilling been carried a few hundred feet farther 
into the dolomite of the Prairie du Chien group, an abundant water 
supply would probably have been obtained. 



I Made in chemical laboratory of Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa. 



GUTHEIE COUNTY. 



697 



Geologic section at Herndon. 
Well of National Refining & Manufacturing Co. 



Geologic division. 


Thickness. 


Elevation 

above sea 

level. 


Pleistocene series 


Feet. 
180 
100 
254 


Feet. 
882 




782 




528 






Well of Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. 


Kinderhook shale 


120 

590 

75 

381 


408 


Devonian (?) and Silurian. 


-182 


Maquoketa shale 


-257 


Galena and Platteville Itmestones 


-638 







Panora. — :The public well at Panora (population, 1,080) is 16 feet 
in diameter and 40 feet deep and ends in sand. At present it furnishes 
about 9,000 gallons a day, but its maximum capacity is much more 
than this amount. The water is pumped by means of water power 
transmitted through an electric current. It is lifted into an elevated 
tank and is thence distributed by gravity through about 2 miles of 
mains to 10 fire hydrants and 75 taps. It is used by perhaps one- 
third of the people. 

Stuart. — The well that furnishes the public supply of Stuart 
(population, 1,826) is 6 inches in diameter and 92 feet deep. It 
is on the upland, extends through clay, and is finished with an open 
end in a bed of sand or gravel from which the water rises to a level 
76 feet below the surface, or 1,130 feet above sea level. With the 
cylinder placed 3 feet above the bottom, the well has been pumped 
continuously for three weeks at 16 to 20 gallons a minute; this 
rate of pumping lowers the water to the bottom of the cylinder 
and the well can by no device be made to yield more. Wells ending 
with screens in the same bed of sand were at first used, but the 
screens became clogged and the wells were lost. The water from this 
source is of good quahty, though it contains considerable calcium 
carbonate, which gives it a temporary hardness. (See analysis, p. 164.) 

The waterworks include a small tank set on a low tower and con- 
nected with about one-fourth mile of mains. In spite of the small 
service, the consumption at present approaches the maximum capacity 
of the well. As the system in pressure, reserve of water, and exten- 
sion of mains is inadequate for fire protection, a number of large 
wells have been dug in different parts of the town and a portable 
fire engine is kept in readiness. 



698 IJNDEKGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA, 

HAMILTON COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The surface of Hamilton County shows the topography charac- 
teristic of the Wisconsin drift areas and is for the most part so fiat 
and poorly drained that ponds and lakes are numerous. In the 
northeastern part of the county this topographic monotony is some- 
what relieved by the valley of Boone River. South Skunk River, 
wliich rises in the east-central part and flows southward, is the only 
other stream of any importance. 

The drift sheets, Wisconsin and Kansan, which extend over the 
whole county, rest on Carboniferous rocks belonging to the Des 
Moines group of the Pennsylvanian series except in the small area 
along Boone River from Webster City northward, where they are 
underlain by the Mississippian. 

As a rule the drift deposits lie flat except along Boone River, 
where they follow the slopes toward the stream bottom. The deep 
rock formations show little or no variation from the horizontal. 
(See PL VI, p. 258.) 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

By far the greater number of the wells in Hamilton County obtain 
water from the Pleistocene deposits, which here contain two principal 
water beds of about equal importance — one in sand and gravel beneath 
the Wisconsin drift, and the other in sand or gravel beneath the 
blue clay of the Kansan drift. Well data indicate that the depth 
to the gravels beneath the Wisconsin drift ranges from 90 to 120 
feet below the ground surface. Many wells, however, fail to find 
water at this horizon and must be sunk deeper. The sands and 
gravels beneath the Kansan drift are reached at depths of 150 to 
200 feet. They are lacking in but few places and form the most 
satisfactory aquifer in the Pleistocene deposits. In some wells, 
however, the water is not good because charged with organic matter. 
Some wells appear to derive their supply from local sand or gravel 
pockets within the drift sheets, but such supplies often fluctuate or 
even fail. Little dependence is placed on very shallow surface 
(dug) wells. A few wells obtain water in the older rock formations — 
limestones or sandstones — the water coming from different depths. 

Along the bottoms of the principal streams the water is under suffi- 
cient head to overflow at the surface. A number of flowing wells are 
located along Boone River, as, for example, the 13 wells owned by 
Webster City. Other flowing wells are found along South Skunk 
River in the southeastern part of the county. As far as could be 
learned the water in these wells comes from the sands and gravels 



HAMILTON COUNTY. 



699 



beneath the blue clay of the Kansan drift, the Wisconsin drift sheet in 
the localities named being thin or absent. 

SPRINGS. 

In the high level parts of Hamilton County springs are almost 
entirely lackmg, but a few emerge from drift deposits along Boone 
River. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Jewell. — The public water system of Jewell (population, 941) is 
used only for fire protection and by business houses. The water is 
pumped by steam and is distributed under direct ah pressure of 50 
pounds through three-fourths of a mile of mains to 12 fire hydrants 
and 18 taps. The water is hard. 

Webster City. — The water supply of Webster City (population, 
5,208) is obtamed from 13 wells, ranging in depth from 90 to 110 feet, 
ending m gravel beneath the blue clay of the Kansan drift. (See PI. 
VI, p. 258.) 

The water is distributed under pressure of 55 pounds through 6 
miles of mains to about 350 taps. For fire protection pressure can 
be increased to 150 pounds. About 1,600 people use the supply, 
which is ordmarily sufficient. 

The gas company well has a depth of 1,250 feet and a diameter 
of 8 to 6 inches; casing to or near to bottom. The curb is 1,048 
feet above sea level, and the head 16 feet above the curb. The 
water comes from 675 feet and 1,200 feet, and the original flow was 
70 gallons a minute. The well was completed in 1888. The water 
has both the odor and taste of sulphur and so rapidly corrodes 
iron that the best galvanized pipe withstands it for only about two 
years. For these reasons the well has never been used except to 
supply a public watering trough. 

Record of strata in well at Webster City {PI. VI, j). 258). 

Depth. 



Soil, clay, sand, thin layers of rock, etc 

Limestone, light yellow; earthy luster; much quartz sand, yellow, pink, and black, 

grains imperfectly rounded 

Limestone, light gray, soft, earthy, in flaky chips; fossUtferous 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, dark drab ; mottled with white calcite; crystalline 

Limestone, magnesian, hard, brown, crystalline 

Shale, calcareous, dark gray, siliceous; microscopic particles of quartz 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, dark brown, compact crystalline 

Limestone, dark blue-gray, crystalline; effervescence slow 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, soft, crystalline; effervescence slow 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone 

Limestone, light gray, saccharoidal 

Limestone, close-grained, blue-gray 

Limestone, brown, crystalline 

Limestone or shale, highly argillaceous, blue-gray; white concreted masses of anhydrite 
I'der , 



pow( 



Shale, drab, calcareous 

Limestone, magnesian, brown, crystalline. . 
Limestone, in pure, white, crystalline sand. 

"Limestone (?), pure white;" no sample 

Limestone, light buff; Ln fine sand 



Feet. 
180 

200 
350 
360 
460 
SOO 
520 
530 
595 
650 
680 
775 
820 



1,000 
1,075 
1,090 
1,130 
1,250 
1,250 



700 



UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The record is based on but 20 samples and entries, and is difficult 
to interpret. The Mississippian probably extends to the base of the 
shale at 520 feet (528 feet above sea level). No line can be drawn 
between the Devonian and the Silurian, and the latter seems to 
include the anhydrite-bearing limestone and shale, stated to extend 
from 880 to 1,000 feet, the 75 feet of subjacent shale falling in with 
the Maquoketa shale. From 1,075 feet to the bottom of the well the 
drill seems to have been working in the Galena and Platteville lime- 
stones. Had the drilling been continued 150 feet deeper the St. Peter 
sandstone would probably have been struck, and 400 to 600 feet 
deeper the creviced limestones and the sandstones which yield the 
chief supply for the Iowa wells would have been tapped. A well about 
1,850 fe^t deep would have given a largely increased yield of much 
better water, the sulphate content being greatly lessened. Hence the 
failure of the well to get a good water need not deter other enterprises. 

WELL DATA. 

Information in regard to typical wells in Hamilton County is 
presented in the following table: 

Typical wells of Hamilton County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 




Jewell... 


Feet. 
105 
183 

328 

95 

295 
155 

181 

1T6 
181 

167 
68 


Feet. 
None. 
116? 

107 

None. 

105 

None. 

181 

None. 
None. 

(?) 
None. 


Sand or gravel... 
Limestone 


Feet. 
-30 
-40 

-50 

+ 15 

-35 
-25 
-50 

-34 
-30 

-40 

+25 




Peter House . . 
Ole Litre.. 


3i miles northeast 
of Jewell. 

6 miles southwest 
of Jewell. 

2 mOes south of 
Jewell. 

7 miles northeast 
of Jewell. 

6 miles southeast 
of Stanhope. 

f mile west of 
Webster City. 

2 mOes northeast 
of Buncombe. 

2 miles north of 
Homer. 

2 miles west of 

BlaLrsburg. 
2 mDes south of 

Webster City. 




E. Challey.... 

A. Bloom 

0. Brudos 


Sand and gravel. 

Limestone 

Gravel 


Flowing well. Black soil, 5; 
yellow clay, 15; blue clay, 
30; blue clay, putty-like, 
15; sand and gravel, 30. 


J. E.Olmstead. 

M. Mahoney.. 
Jos. Welch 


do 

do 

do 


Black soil, 4; yellow clay, 
14; blue clay, 83; yellow 
clay, 40; black muck with 
leaves, etc., 40; gravel; 
limestone. 

Black soU, 4; yellow clay, 10; 
blue clay, 16; sand and 
some water, 3; "hardpan" 
(hard blue clay), 17; sand 
and some water, 50; tough 
black clay, 75; sand and 
gravel and water, 6. 

Water bed at 156 feet. 


G. Robinson. . 


Sand 


S. Bateman... 


Gravel 


Flows 10 gallons per min^ 






ute; pamped by steam. 
Yellow sand, 8; blue clay, 
27; sand and water (flow 
30 gallons per miuute, but 
too much sand), 3; blue 
clay, 28; gravel and water 
(flow, 10 gallons per min- 
ute). 
Flows 10 to 15 gallons a min- 


M. H. Brinton. 


Ellsworth 


91 




Sand and gravel. 


+ 14 


Lars Severson. 


6 miles northwest 
of Radcltffe. 

3| miles north of 
Roland. 


240 
108 


162 
30 


-45 

+25 


ute. 


N.E. Waugh.. 


Limestone 


Flows 13 gallons a minute. 



UNDEKGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 701 

HARDIN COUNTY. 
By W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

An area of loess-covered Kansan drift in the southeastern part, a 
smaller area of lowan drift in the northeastern, and a much larger 
area of Wisconsin drift in the western parts are the controlling factors 
in the topography of Hardin County. 

The surface of the Kansan drift area is well drained. The larger 
streams have deposited some alluvium, and their tributaries have cut 
well back toward the divides. The lowan area is part of the great 
lowan drift plain and is comparatively flat. The Wisconsin drift 
area comprises more than four-fifths of the entire county. Its eastern 
margin is marked by a chain of hills and knobs that rise 30 to 60 feet 
above the adjoining uplands. Back of this ridge the general surface 
is characteristically a plain, marked by many saucer-like depressions 
and knob-like eminences. Dramage lines are few and broad areas are 
almost wholly undrained. 

The most striking feature of the eastern part is Iowa River channel, 
which has been cut down well below the general level. In the vicinity 
of Iowa Falls, Iowa River cuts through ledges of solid limestone. 
Except very locally along Iowa River, where it has been eroded 
away, the Kansan drift sheet is probably present throughout the 
region, extending beneath the lowan sheet in the northeastern part 
and beneath the Wisconsin in the western. 

From the northern part of the county to a little south of Iowa 
River, and probably also in the extreme southeast corner of the 
county, the drift rests on limestone belonging to the Mississippian 
series of the Carboniferous. (See PL VI, p. 258.) Throughout the 
remaining and larger part of the county the underh^ing rock is the 
shale or limestone of the Des Moines group of the Pennsylvanian 
series. 

The drift formations lie in general nearly horizontal; the under- 
lying rocks show a slight westward dip. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The most important and persistent aquifer in the drift deposits of 
the county appears to be the sand or gravel beneath the blue clay of 
the Kansan drift. As the drift formations vary in thickness from a 
few feet to a maximum of 300 feet, this aquifer may be found at any 
depth up to 300 feet; nearly everywhere, however, it lies between 100 
and 200 feet. 



702 TJISTDEEGROUND WATEE RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The next most important aquifer in the drift is the sand or gravel 
beneath the Wisconsin drift. Well data indicate that this aquifer, 
where present, lies at a depth of less than 100 feet. In many places, 
however, the sands or gravels are absent or they do not yield sufficient 
water. 

Some wells obtain water from local sand or gravel pockets in one or 
the other of the blue clays, but such supplies are rarely satisfactory. 
Nearly all the very shallow surface (dug) wells show seasonal fluctua- 
tions. 

Some wells have passed through the drift into the shales, sand- 
stones, and limestones below, obtaining water from the limestones 
and calcareous sandstones. 

Many wells sunk in the depressions obtain water under sufficient 
head to flow at the surface. All such are comparatively shaUow, 
ranging in depth from 25 to 75 feet; their water comes from sands or 
gravels, thought to be at the base of the Kansan drift, below a blue 
clay, which acts as a retaining layer. Such local basins are found in 
the western portion of the county along the more important streams 
between Iowa Falls and Hubbard. A number of wells along Rock 
Run near Iowa FaUs and others southwest of Iowa Falls in the 
vicinity of Buckeye and Cottage yield flowing water. 

Several wells obtain flows from the underlying rock formations, for 
example, the city well of Iowa Falls and a well 3^ miles west of Hubbard. 

SPRINGS. 

Many springs emerge from both the drift and the underlying 
formations along the course of Iowa River. The water of the springs 
north of Eldora comes from the coal measures and carries iron and 
sulphur. Small springs are common along other streams, especially 
in the local artesian well basins. 

The Sfloam mineral springs, owned by Mr. E. E. Cannon, of Iowa 
Falls, are on Maplehurst farm, 1^ miles northwest of Iowa FaUs. 
The springs emerge near the stream bottoms along a small branch of 
Iowa River, and the water apparently comes from limestone, which 
is here near the surface. The water is used both for drinking and 
as a medicine. About 50 families in Iowa Falls are supplied. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

AcTcley. — Two wells are owned by the city of Ackley (population 
1,244), one 2,032 feet deep, the other 119 feet deep. The deep well, 
which was put down some time prior to 1894, was abandoned because 
it did not yield sufficient water. The curb of this well is 1,110 feet 
above sea level; the head is reported to have been 82 feet below the 
curb, or 1,028 feet above sea level; another report gives the head as 



HAEDIN COUNTY. 



703 



25 feet below the curb. Water was recorded as occurring 50 feet 
from the top; other veuis were not recorded. The strata penetrated 
are mdicated by the followmg section : 

Record of strata in city well at Achley (PI. VI, p. 258). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Quaternary (100 feet thick; top, 1,110 feet above sea level): 

Alluvium, or drift 

Carboniferous (Mississippian)- 

Kinderhook group (207 feet thick; top, 1,015 feet above sea level): 

Shale, fine, blue, somewhat calcareous; 2 samples 

Limestone, coarse, buff, vesicular 

Shale, blue, fine, slightly calcareous; 2 samples 

Sandstone, fine, bluish white, friable 

No samples 

Shale, fine, blue, slightly calcareous; 3 samples 

Sandstone, fine, bluish white, friable 

Shale, blue-gray; with black ferruginous concretions; calcareous 

ShalCT fine, blue, somewhat calcareous 

Devonian (328 feet thick; top, 803 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, magnesian, light buff, highly pyritiferous; contains a little chert 

Shale and limestone; shale, blue, calcareous, with a few particles of black carbona- 
ceous shale; limestone, blue, argillaceous, some gray and purer, fossiliferous 

Limestone, dark gray, magnesian, at 

No samples 

Limestone, argDlaceous, nonmagnesian; small fragment of brachiopod resembling 

Atrypa reticularis Linn 

Limestone, light gray; some green shale, at 

No samples 

Limestone, light gray 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, argillaceous and slightly siliceous, at 

No samples 

Limestone, blue, argillaceous; 2 samples 

Limestone, brown, slightly magnesian; 3 samples 

Silurian (180 feet thick; top, 475 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, magnesian, light brown; 30.74 per cent MgCOs, at 

No samples 

Dolomite, bro^vn and buff; much white chert; 5 samples 

Dolomite, light gray; some chert 

Dolomite, cherty ; 5 samples 

Dolomite; with green shale and chert; 3 samples 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (160 feet thick; top, 295 feet above sea level): 

Shale, green 

Dolomite, brown, hard, crystalline, cherty; 2 samples 

Dolomite and shale, dark drab; much green shale m drillings 

Dolomite and shale; chiefly shale, at 

No samples 

Shale, green and buff; in cuttings, as if washed; 2 samples 

Galena and Platteville limestones (385 feet thick; top, 135 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, light gray, cherty; 2 samples 

Limestone, light gray, soft; fossiliferous at 1,205, 1,230, and 1,238 feet; 10 sam- 
ples 

Limestone, light buff, dark gray, and light gray; 3 samples 

Limestone, highly argillaceous; fine blue-black calcareous sand, highly pyritif- 
erous, with much clayey matter and minute particles of quartz 

Shale, green and bright green, indurated, slaty, highly pyritiferous; 3 samples. 
St. Peter sandstone (85 feet thick; top, 250 feet below sea level): 

Sandstone; grains white, well rounded, somewhat uniform ia size; 3 samples. . 
Prairie du Chien group — 

Shakopee dolomite (120 feet thick; top, 335 feet below sea level): 

Dolomite, white subcrystalline, oolitic; much quartz sand, at 

No samples 

Dolomite; in fine light-yellow meal 

Dolomite; considerable light-green shale; much quartz sand 

Dolomite, bufl; quartz sand and shale 

Dolomite, white; some chert, quartz grains, and green shale; 2 samples 

Dolomite, light yellow; a little quartz sand 

Dolomite, hard, gray, subcrystalline; some sand grains 

Dolomite, white 

Dolomite, hard, rough, light buff 

New Richmond sandstone (80 feet thick; top, 455 feet below sea level): 

Sandstone, calciferous; white rounded grains; numerous minute chips of 

dolomite 

Sandstone; as above, but vrtth much less dolomite 

Sandstone, light colored, friable; grains rounded and varying widely in 

size, the largest reaching 1 millimeter in diameter 

Sandstone, light gray, hard, moderately fine grained; much green shale 

(probably from above) and considerable dolomite 

Sandstone, white; grains rounded and resembling St. Peterta general uni- 
formity of size; many from 0.7 to 0.9 mOlimeters in diami^ter, largest 
grain over 1 millimeter .^,, .^.,. .,^ 



Fed. 
100 



235 
50 



Feet. 
100 



135 
140 
163 
163 
225 
260 
265 
290 
307 

320 

335 
335 
400 

410 
410 
460 
473 
473 
500 
570 
635 

635 
730 

757 
759 
797 
815 



875 
904 
915 
915 
940 
975 

1,015 

1,250 
1,300 

1,325 
1,360 

1,445 



1,445 
1,480 
1,490 
1,500 
1,505 
1,530 
1,540 
1,548 
1,550 
1,565 



1,580 
1,595 

1,610 

1,635 



m-- 10 I 1,645 



704 UNDEKGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in city well at Achley {PI. VI, p. 258) — Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Ordovician — Continued. 

Prairie du Cliien group — Continued. 

Oneota dolomite (175 feet thick; top, 535 feet below sea level): 

Dolomite, buff; drillings chiefly quartz sand 

Dolomite; much quartz sand 

Dolomite; drillings chiefly quartz sand. If sand is native in this and the 

two samples above, the rock should be called calciferous sandstone 

Dolomite, hard, gray, subcrystalline, pyritiferous 

Dolomite, light gray, at 

No samples 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (210 feet penetrated; top, 710 feet below sea level) — 

Sandstone, white; fine-rolled grains with some dolomite sand and chert, at 

Sandstone, calciferous; mostly quartz sand, well rounded, rather coarse; some 
dolomite and grains of chert-oolite; some quartz grains seen in dolomitic 

matrix, at 

Sandstone; as above; grains reach 1 millimeter in diameter; detached grains 
and chips of sandstone vsdth dolomitic matrix and minute cuttings of dolo- 
mite, some arenaceous, at 



Feet. 



Feet. 
1,660 
1,675 

1,685 
1,720 
1,720 
1,820 



1,820 
1,950 
2,000 



Chemical analyses of well drillings. C' 



Sample from depth of- 



835 feet. 787 feet. 6 1,540 



CaCOs 

MgCOs 

CaSO^ 

Si02 

AI2O3 

re203 

H2O 

Total 



60.45 

30.74 

.58 

4.99 

2.56 

.58 

.37 



60.97 

34.85 

.62 



2.07 

1.11 

.37 



50.96 

43.82 

1.06 

2.47 

.59 

.33 

.79 



100. 27 



100.02 



a Chemical laboratory, Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa. 

b SOica, which formed about one-third of sample in the form of chert, discarded from analysis. 

The section of the shallower well, which furnishes the present 
abundant supply of medium hard water, is reported by the driller 
as follows : 

Driller's log of AcHey city well. 



Thick- 
ness. 




Depth. 



Clay, yellow 

Sand, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Sand 

Clay, blue 

Gravel and sand , 

Sandstone and water 



Feet. 
10 
12 

35 
37 
45 
64 
119 



The water is pumped by an electric motor and distributed by 
gravity under pressure of 40 pounds through four-fifths of a mUe 
of mains to 59 taps and 11 fire hydrants. About 300 people use the 
supply. The daily consumption is estimated at 10,500 gallons. 



HAKDIiq- COUNTY. 705 

Eldora. — The public water supply of Eldora (population, 1,995) 
is obtained from two wells — one 200 feet, the other 250 feet deep — that 
end in limestone. Tlie water stands 135 feet below the curb and is 
pumped by steam to an elevated tank, from which it is distributed 
under gravity pressure of 35 pounds. A fire protection pressure 
of 105 pounds is available. The distribution system comprises 
3^ miles of mains, 30 fire hydrants, and 193 taps. Practically every- 
body uses the city water, the consumption of which is estimated at 
6,000 gallons daily. Long pumping is required to keep up the 
supply. The water is medium hard. 

The strata penetrated by the shallower well are indicated by the 
following log : 

Driller^ s log of Eldora toivn ivell. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Black "muck," with logs 1 foot in diameter. 

Sand, yellow, and water 

Clay, blue 

Shale, black 

Fire clay 

Limestone and water 



Feet. 
30 
10 
20 
8 
40 
17 
10 
65 



Feet. 
30 
40 
60 
68 
108 
125 
135 
200 



Eldora is 1,060 feet above sea level, and a deep well will reach the 
base of the Kinderhook group about 400 feet below the surface. 
The drill will then pass through Devonian and Silurian limestones 
in which some water may be found. A heavy dry shaie, the Maquo- 
keta, possibly exceedmg 100 feet in thickness, will be encountered 
at about 970 feet from the surface. Below the Maquoketa the 
Galena and Platteville limestones may be found to contain water, 
especially toward the base of the Platteville. The St. Peter sand- 
stone, the first reliable water bed, should be reached at about 1,500 
feet from the surface, but to obtain a large supply drilling should 
be carried 500 or 600 feet deeper still through creviced limestones 
and porous sandstones, which will yield an ample supply. 

If a thoroughly water-tight casing is carried down somewhat 
below the base of the Eonderhook group, the waters from the lower 
aquifers should make a very fair drinking water. The quahty of all 
inflows above the St. Peter should be tested. 

Hubbard. — The town of Hubbard (population, 568) obtains a good 
supply of medium-hard water from a well 325 feet deep. The 
water is pumped by gasoline engine and distributed under gravity 
pressure of 30 pounds through one-half mile of mains to 11 taps 
and 7 fire hydrants. About 100 people use the water. The daily 
consumption is estimated at 3,000 gallons. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 45 



706 UNDEKGEOUND V/ATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

The strata penetrated by this well are indicated by the following 
log: 

Driller's log of Hubbard well. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow, and sand 

Clay, blue ' 

Clay, yellow, hard; with sand layers. 

Limes'tone 

Sandstone 

Limestone, white 



Feet. 
75 
150 
25 
25 
25 
25 



Feet. 
75 
225 
250 
275 
300 
325 



Iowa Falls. — The water supply of Iowa Falls (population, 2,797) 
is derived from two flowing wells, one 276 feet, the other 240 feet 
deep. (See PI. VI, p. 258.) The water is pumped by two steam pumps 
and distributed under gravity pressure of 55 pounds through 4 miles 
of mains to 300 taps and 31 fire hydrants. About 1,700 people use 
the supply; the daily consumption is estimated at 70,000 gallons. 
The water is hard. The city wells end near or at the base of the 
Kinderhook group (Mississippian). If a well is sunk below these 
shales, the drill will first penetrate heavy limestones of Devonian and 
Silurian age, wliich probably continue with little interruption to a 
depth of about 850 feet below the surface, where they give place to 
the Maquoketa shale (Ordovician), here about 150 feet thick. The 
Devonian and Silurian limestones will probably 3deld some water. 
Near their base thin beds containing more or less of gypsum or 
anhydrite may be encountered, the water from which should be 
cased out. The Maquoketa shale will of course be dry. Below the 
Maquoketa shale will be found the Galena and Platteville limestones, 
which extend to about 1,475 feet from the surface and should contain 
considerable water under a head which should bring it within easy 
pumping distance of the surface. The water so far encountered will 
considerably increase the present supply, but will not improve its 
quality, and the well should be sunk to the St. Peter sandstone or 
to about 300 feet below that formation in order to obtain the large 
supplies which are to be found in the deep formations. To obtain 
the largest amounts of the best waters, therefore, the well should be 
sunk to a depth ranging from 1,900 to 2,100 feet. Analyses of the 
different waters will show wliich ones should be cased out because 
of their poor quahty. 

Radcliffe. — The public water system of Radcliffe (population, 660) 
is obtained from two wells, the older 130 feet, the newer 95|^ feet 
deep, which yield a good supply of hard water. 

The system is equipped with two steam pumps and the water is 
distributed by gravity under pressure of 35 pounds through two- 



HAKDIN COUNTY. 



707 



thirds of a mile of mains to 40 taps and 11 fire plugs. About half 
the population use the town water. The daily consumption is esti- 
mated at 8,000 gallons. 



WELL DATA. 



Information in regard to typical wells in Hardin County is pre- 
sented in the following table: 



Typical Wells of Hardin County. 



Owner. 


Location. 




2 
o 

.a 
ft 


Source of 
supply. 


k 
4 

do 

K 


Remarks. (Logs given in feet.) 






Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




Mr. Lake 


3 miles east-south- 
east of Buckeye. 


58 


56 


Sand at 53 
feet. 


+ 2 


Flows good stream. Yellow 




clay, 15; blue clay, 38; sand 
and water, 3; limestone (?), 2. 














M. Thompson 


2 miles north of 
New Providence. 


250 


250 


Drift sand... 


-100 


Limestone under water-bearing 
stratum. 


Mr. Bump 


5-J miles south of 
Iowa Falls. 


172 


160 


Sandstone... 


- 80 


Yellow clay, 20; blue clay, 97; 
sand, gravel, and water, 3; 
blue clay, 25; sand, 5; "hard- 
pan" (tough yellow clay), 10; 
sandstone (soft) or sand and 
much water, 2; shale, 6; Ume- 
stone, 4. 


J. B. Parmelee... 


T.89N.,R.20W. 


56 


No 
rock. 


Sand and 
gravel. 


+ 16 


Temperature, 47°; flows 80 gal- 
lons per minute. Black soil, 
3J; sand, 2; blue clay, 54; fine 
sand, 34; blue clay, 'sand, 
gravel, a'nd water, 4l|. 


Fred Silas 


3 mUes southeast 


236 


236 


Limestone. . 


- 96 


Yellow clay, gravel, bowlders, 
and sand at top; blue clay and 




of Ackley. 






















1 foot hardpan at depth of 90; 














sand at 194; clay at 197; rock 














(probably a bowlder) at 198; 














blue clay at 234; limestone 














and water at 236. 


State Industrial 


1 mile west of El- 


250 


92 


Limestone 


- 40 


Steam pump. Black soil, 6; 


School. 


dora. 






(?)• 




yellow clay, 15; blue clay, 40; 
very soft coal (?), 7; sand, 20; 
white clay, 4; sandstone, 1; 
black shale, 5; sandstone and 
water, 5; white clay, 2; black 
shale, 15; gray limestone and 
sandstone and water alter- 
nating, 130. 


D.M. Leach 


2 miles southwest 
of Abbott. 


245 


(?) 


Limestone . . 


-170 


Water-bearing stratum at 239. 
Yellow clay (sandstone and 
water, 10 feet), 15; blue clay, 
35; yellow clay, 40; blue clay, 
107; hard rock (bowlder), 1; 
blue clay, 36; hard sandstone 
(bowlder), 4; soft clay, 1; 
rock (bowlder), U; sandstone 
and much water, 5. 


William Haynes . 


Steamboat Rock.. 


265 


225 


do 


-110 


Limestone, 40. Pumped by 

windmill. 
Water in sand over rock. 


J. Smuck 


3 miles north of 
Hubbard. 


70 


70 




+ 16 








Mr. Ledge 


3A miles west of 
'Hubbard. 


350 


29S 


Limestone. . 


4- 1 


Flowing well. Yellow clay, 15; 
blue clay and pebbles, 240; 
sand and gravel, 43; Umestone 
and water, 52. 



708 UNDEEGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

JASPER COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Jasper County exhibits two distinct phases of erosional topography. 
By far its greater part shows the well-drained, maturely dissected 
surface of the Kansan drift sheet ; the remainder, comprising a small 
area in the northwest corner of the county, including most of Clear 
Creek Township, the west half of Poweshiek Township, and the north- 
west quarter of Wasliington Township, shows the imperfect drainage 
and level surface of the latest drift sheet, the Wisconsin. 

The area is drained chiefl}'' through South Skunk River and its 
tributaries, the larger streams flowing in a general southeasterly 
course. A small area in the southwest corner, however, is drained 
southward through the tributaries of the Des Moines. 

All the larger streams meander through broad, deep valleys floored 
with alluvial deposits. The divides are also rather broad and flat 
topped, showing less complete dissection than is characteristic of the 
Kansan plain farther south and nearer the larger rivers. The upland 
plain slopes gently southward from a maximum of about 1,050 feet 
above sea level in the north and about 950 feet in the south to 750 
feet in the bottoms of the greater valleys. 

GEOLOGY. 

The entire area of Kansan drift is covered by several feet of loess, 
a pebbleless gray clay easily distinguished from the drift clay, the 
latter being in places 100 to 200 feet thick and containing much sand, 
gravel, and even bowlders, locaUy stratified but generally unstratified. 
In the Wisconsin area the bowlder clay overlies the loess, which m 
turn rests on the older Kansan. 

All the larger stream valleys contain aUuvial deposits of inter- 
bedded silt, gravel, and sand, those in the valley of the Skunk being 
especially deep and from 1 to 3 miles wide. 

So far as known, the unconsolidated surface deposits of the county 
everywhere rest on Carboniferous rocks belonging to the Des Moines 
group of the Pennsylvanian series. (See PI. XV.) Sandstones are 
more common in the shales of this group than in counties farther 
south. These coal measures are underlain in the northeastern part 
of the county by the Kinderhook group and in the southwestern by 
the "St. Louis limestone," both of which belong to the Mississippian 
series. 

UNDEBGROITND WATER. 
SOUECE. 

The water supply of Jasper County is derived from alluvial deposits, 
loess, drift, sandstones of the Des Moines group, sandstones in the 
''St. Louis limestone," and from deeper formations. 



JASPER COUNTY. 709 

Alluvial sands and gravels are important aquifers only along South 
Skunk River and its two chief tributaries in this county, Indian 
Creek and North Skunk River, where they have accumulated to 
considerable depths and are sufficiently loose and porous to permit 
a very strong underflow. Most of the wells in the alluvial deposits 
are shallow, as a rule less than 40 feet in depth. 

Over large parts of the loess-Kansan area the loess mantle is several 
feet thick and the basal portion is so sandy that it furnishes a water 
supply that is utihzed by shallow wells to an extent greater than in 
any other county. The loess on the uplands produces conditions 
favorable to shallow water supplies such as are used for the public 
supply of the town of Eddyville, on Des Moines River. 

In the region of the Wisconsin drift the underlying loess becomes 
an important aquifer, for owing to the imperfect surface drainage 
the ground-water level is high, the younger bowlder clay forms an 
excellent protecting covering, and the sandy loess is a suitable reser- 
voir. The seepage springs favored by such conditions are unusually 
common in the valleys crossing the margin of the Wisconsin drift 
area and are not uncommon from the base of the sandy loess over- 
lying the Kansan, but those from the latter horizon are unsatisfactory 
as a supply for stock owing to the certainty that they wiU dry up 
just when they are most needed. Few loess wells exceed 25 feet in 
depth. 

The Wisconsin drift in this county is thin, yet, because of the un- 
drained character of its surface, it yields a supply of water to many 
shallow wells. The water is chiefly from small seeps and veins and is 
closely akin to surface water in quality. 

Seeps from sand pockets and small veins in the Kansan clay supply 
many wells, and an abundant supply of good water is found in beds of 
sand and gravel beneath the Kansan drift and above the underlying- 
shales. The great thickness of the drift in this region makes it expen- 
sive to reach these sands, as in some places they lie 200 to 300 feet 
below the surface. Flowing wells from these sands are not uncommon 
in the valleys. 

The coal measures as a rule furnish unsatisfactory water. Water 
is everywhere found in the seams and beds of coal, and is locally 
so abundant as to interfere seriously with mining operations, but 
this water is never potable. The shales which compose the greater 
part of the coal measures are comparatively dry and unimportant 
as water bearers. Limestone lenses are common. The only avail- 
able water of importance is found in the thick lenses of sandstone, 
which are more common in this county than in the coal region farther 
south; but this water, like most water of the coal measures, is fre- 
quently so strongly impregnated with iron as to be unfit for use. One 
of the most striking exceptions to this rule is afforded by the Red 



710 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Rock sandstone, a channel deposit consisting of coarse, friable gray 
to purplish-red ferruginous rock, which has been found in an area 
2 to 4 miles wide extending from the southern boundary of the county 
east of Monroe to a point some distance northeast of Kellogg. Its 
precise area and extent are, however, very uncertain. Wells in this 
sandstone furnish an abundant supply of excellent water and good 
springs from it are found in several places. 

Regarding the coal measures as a source of springs, I. A. Williams * 
says : 

Springs issuing from the coal measures strata are not uncommon. The water is, 
however, often so charged with sulphuric acid as to make it valueless, where it comes 
from beds associated with coal seams. Two instances may be cited of springs which 
come from coal measures strata and furnish never-failing supplies of good water. In 
the NE. ^ NW. I sec. 9, Rock Creek Township, is such a spring, flowing from near the 
base of the Red Rock formation. A spring on the farm of Mr. P. W. Mowry in sec. 34, 
Des Moines Township, furnishes an abundant supply of excellent water. 

The "St. Louis limestone " is an important aquifer in Jasper County 
as elsewhere, supplying the most famous wells in the State, the Colfax 
artesian wells known as the Colfax Mineral Springs. From observa- 
tions elsewhere the "St. Louis limestone" is believed to wedge out in 
the northeast part of Jasper County; elsewhere other hard limestones, 
known as the Kinderhook group, directly underlie the Pennsylvanian 
or the drift. 

SOUTH SKUNK RIVER ARTESIAN BASIN. 

The lower portion of the valley of South Skunk River and its more 
important tributaries, including practically all of the present flood 
plain, the terrace known as the "second bottom," and in places the 
lower slopes of the valley sides, forms an irregular artesian basin, rang- 
ing in width from 1 to 4 miles and extending from the middle of the 
west county line to the middle of the south county line. Nearly all 
the wells in this basin range in depth from 250 to 350 feet and are sup- 
plied by the same aquifer, the "St. Louis limestone." Two of the 
wells however, are shallower. One on the farm of Bert Furch, 6 miles 
west of Newton, in sec. 34, T. 80 N., R. 20 W., is but 150 feet in depth, 
is reported to end in " a crevice in rock," probably limestone, and has 
a natural flow of three-fourths of a gallon a minute and a head of 20 
feet above the valley floor; the water is not reported as mineral, but 
simply as "hard," and is in general use for domestic and farm pur- 
poses. The other well, 163 feet deep, is on the farm of John Raitchner, 
2h miles southwest of Metz; the flow comes from sandstone at a depth 
of 150 feet, and the well yields 1^ gallons a minute under a head more 
than 10 feet above the valley floor; the water is reported as only 
slightly mineral. 

I Ann. Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 15, 1905, p. 360. 



JASPER COUNTY. 



711 



The deeper wells are generally less strongly mineral than the Colfax 
wells (pp. 713-714), but none are cased through the Des Momes 
group, and all probably receive a mixed supply of water. Detailed 
data of several of these wells are presented in the table of typical wells 
(pp. 718-719). 

Near North Skunk River in the southeast corner of Malaka Town- 
ship is a small area in which several wells yield small flows under low 
head. Two of these wells are on the Riverside stock farm in sec. 35. 



COLFAX MINERAL WATERS. 

The Colfax mineral water was discovered in 1875 by parties pros- 
pecting for coal. The drill, located on the south bank of South Skunk 
River about a mile east of town, had reached a depth of 315 feet when 
water began to flow from the top of the hole. Drilling was discon- 
tinued, and this coal prospect hole became the first of the "mineral 
springs" wliich furnish the water now so widely known as Colfax 
Mneral Water. Since the original well, known as the "Old M. C. 
spring" or the Colfax Hotel well, was put down, at least 14 other 
wells have been sunk to depths differing but slightly from this one 
and all obtain a very moderate flow from the same aquifer — the 
"St. Louis hmestone," of the ]\iississippian. Some of the wells are 4 
inches and others 6 inches in diameter; the diameter of some is 
reduced to 2 or 3 inches at the bottom. 

Until the fourteenth well was drilled, in 1905, no record was kept. 
The driller's log of this well, as recorded by the owner, C. W. Mills, is 
as follows: 

Record of artesian well at Mills House at Colfax. 
[DrUled by M. Neff.] 



Depth. 




Surface and yellow clay 

Sand and gravel (heavily water bearing) 

Sand rock 

Slate, black (shale) 

Coal 

Clay, fine 

Sandstone 

Soapstone (shale) 

Sandstone (water bearing) 

Soapstone, hard (shale) 

Sandstone 

Rock, white, porous (water bearing) 

Flint rock 

Sandstone 

Soapstone, hard (shale) 

Sandstone 

Iron band rock 

Sandstone (water bearing) 

Magnetic rock (?) 

Chert, white 



712 tJNDERGROtJJSrD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

To a depth of 61 feet the formations are Pleistocene; from 61 to 283 
feet they belong to the Pennsylvanian series (Des Moines group); 
the lowest formation is probably Mississippian C'St. Louis lime- 
stone"). 

The natural yield of the wells has decreased as the number of wells 
has increased, the maximum now being about 3 gallons a minute. 
The intimate relation of the wells is shown by the fact that when the 
Colfax Botthng Works well was flowing at the rate of 8 gallons a 
minute, before casmg was inserted, tiie Mason House well, near by 
and up the slope from it, practically ceased to flow and all other flows 
were somewhat weakened. 

The log of the Mills House well harmonizes with the various reports 
given from memory by those who had most to do with the earher wells, 
all placing the mineral-water aquifer at between 285 and 315 feet 
below the surface. The samples preserved by Dr. Tanner of the 
water-bearing rock of the fifteenth and latest well — that of the Turner 
Sanitarium — are of hard magnesian limestone. All of these facts 
indicate the upper limestone beds of the "St. Louis Umestone" as the 
mineral water horizon. 

Several other aquifers are reported in each of these wells, including 
the sand and gravel bed at the base of the drift, and one to four of the 
sandstone layers of the Des Moines group (Pennsylvanian). Not only 
must the water from these upper formations be cased out, but the well 
must be carefully sealed by means of a seed bag or rubber packing 
about the base of an inner and smaller tube put down to the aquifer 
itself in order to obtain the proper mineral flow. Although the 
sympathetic variation of many of the wells indicates a uniform source 
a fairly decided difference in the taste and color, especially in those of 
a sulphurous character, suggest that some of the wells may draw a 
portion of their supply from the Pennsylvanian rocks, the lowest of 
which is reported as causing an artesian flow in at least one well. 

The rise of the water above the surface varies with the elevation of 
the well site. The highest level reported, 17 feet, has been since 
reduced by the drilling of new wells. Probably the water of none of 
the weUs will rise more than 8 or 10 feet above the surface, and some 
of the wells on the hillside have ceased to flow except as piped out 
below the surface to a lower level. 

It is an interesting fact that the surface relations are so delicately 
adjusted that changes both of flow and pressure are affected by the 
changes of the weather. The decrease of barometric pressure before 
a storm brings an increase of flow and pressure from the wells, which 
is easily noticed in certain wells carefully controlled by bottling 
macliinery. Especially hard storms produce a milky or oily color, 
such as water ordinarily carries after standing in the open air, and 
the water tends to "sour" more quickly than usual; both facts 



JASPER COUNTY. 



V13 



indicate loss of the natural supply of CO2 with the lessening of the 
atmospheric pressure. 

A complete list of the mineral wells in the town of Colfax, together 
with the fullest data obtainable, is presented in the following table. ^ 
The results of chemical and sanitary studies of the water are discussed 
on page 160. 

Statistics of the Colfax mineral wells. 



Oivner. 


Location. 


k 


,rj 


o 

4J O 


o° 


03 


Remarks. 






uS 




V> o 


•rt tZ 


.d 








c3 Ch 


a 


ft^i 


c3 tH 3 


o. 








(U " 


CD 


^ 


a O O 










>^ 


fi 


a 


W 


O 
















Gal- 
















lons a 
















min- 










Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


ute. 




Hotel Colfax 


1 mile east of Col- 
fax. 


1875 


325 








Old "M. C. Spring." Former 
discharge, 3 gallons a minute. 
























Diameter, 3 inches. Curb 12 
















feet above level of Chicago, 
















Rock Island & Pacific Ry. 
















Temperature, 54 °. Water bed 
















at 306. 


Colfax Bottling 


Second bottom, 1 J 


About 


300 ± 


35 


+ 6 


2+ 


Diameter, 3 inches. Former 


Works. 


blocks southeast 
of plant. 


1880 










flow, 3 gallons a minute. 
Curb 10 feet above level of 
Chicago, Rock Island & Pa- 
cific Ry . ' • First water at 140 
feet, head 25 feet below curb; 
second water at 225 feet, head 
at surface; third water at 245 
feet flow; all cased out." 
Bottled and sold. 


Grand Hotel Sani- 




About 

1880 


312- 




- 1- 


2 


No flow. Former head of 6 feet 


tarium. 




has fallen to 1 foot below curb, 
















and well is now pumped by 
















hand. Curb 36 feet above 
















level of Chicago, Rock Island 
















& Pacific Ry. Diameter, 4 
















inches and 3 inches. Used 
















for medicinal and table pur- 


Mason House 




1881 


357 




+ 3 


4 


poses. 
Diam°ter, 4 inches. Tempera- 






ture, 54 J °. Curb 2 feet above 
















level of CMcago, Rock Island 
















& Pacific Ry. Used for 
















baths, table, and medicinal 


D. C. Frye & Co. 
(Inc.). 




1882 


315 




+ 8 


2 


purposes. 
Diameter, 3 inches. Curb 3 


" "•' 


feet above level of Chicago, 
















Rock Island & Pacific Ry. 
















Temperature, 51°. Pumped 
















by rotary pump, 5 gallons a 
















minute. Bottled and sold 
















for medicinal and table pur- 
















poses. Water bed at 310. 


Purox-Colfax Co . . 




1890 


350- 




+ 10 


IJ 


Flow decreased from 3J to If 






gallons a minute, and head 
















from 12 to 10 feet. Diameter, 
















4 inches. Odor more sul- 
















phurous than others. Bot- 
















tled and sold for medicinal 
















and table purposes. 


Town of Colfax 






300 


200+ 




3 


Decrease of flow from 4 to 3 gal- 


city park. 














lons. Diameter, 4 inches. 
Temperature, 52°. Level 
with Chicago, Rock Island & 
Pacific Ry. 


The Centropolis . . 










+ 4 




Used for medicinal purposes 
and for bathing. Sold to 
patrons. 

Decreased from 2 to IJ gallons a 
















Thos. E. Jordan . . 






350 


47 




l-i 








minute. Bottled and sold 
















for medicinal and table pur- 
















poses. 



1 See also Norton, W. H., Artesian wells of Iowa: Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 6, 1897, pp? 
293-294; also Williams, I. A., Geology of Jasper Coimty: Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 15, 1905 
pp. 307,363-366. 



714 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 





Statistics of the Colfax mineral wells- 


—Continued. 


Owner. 


Lo cation. 


a 

8-6 


ft 


o 


11 
» o o 


6 

.a 
5 


Remarks. 




Corner Montgom- 
ery Street and 
Broadway. 

At plant 




Feet. 


Feet. 


+ 18 
+20 


Gal- 
lons a 
min- 
ute. 
3 

5 
li 

i 

i 


Diameter, 3 inches. Flows 


Colfax Bottling 


1901 


300 

294 
391 

365 
291 


100 


without control. Used only 
for watering stock. 
Decrease of head from 20 to 18 


Works No. 2. 
Hotel Colfax No. 2 




feet. Diameter, 4 and 2 
inches. Other water at 150 
feet and 225 feet. Curb 3 
feet below level of Chicago, 
Rock Island & Pacific Ry. 
Flow increases after being 
shut off for a time. Bottled 
and sold for medicinal and 
table use. Water bed, lime- 
stone. 
"Second M. C. well." 


Victoria Sanato- 




1903 
1906 

1905 


SO 
95 


- * 
-12 

+ 5 


Flows from pipe through hill- 


rium. 
Turner Sanita- 


Side hill 


side. Used for medicinal 
purposes and for bathing. 
Sold to patrons. 
Diameter, 4 to 3 inches. Curb 


rium. 
Mills House 




about 36 feet above level of 
Chicago, Rock Island & Pa- 
cific Ry. Heavv water at 235 
feet. Water hft. Used for 
medicinal purposes and for 
bathing. Sold to patrons. 
Water bed, porous magnesian 
limestone. 
Curb aljout 22 feet above level 






of Chicago, Rock Island & 
Pacific Ry. Temperature, 
53*°. Curb sunk into 5-foot 
pit for better flow. Pumping 
Turner well while drilling 
decreased this flow. Used 
for medicinal purposes and 
for bathing. Sold in bulk to 
patrons. Water bed, lime- 
stone. 



CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Colfax. — The public supply of Colfax (population, 2,524) is drawn 
from the coarse gravels underlying the flood plain of Skunk River, by 
means of a series of Cook well points, 6 inches in cUameter and 36 feet 
long. The sands and gravels are reached at a depth of 23 feet and 
are overlain by a heavy black clay. The water stands between 5 and 
17 feet below the surface in these points, and is pumped by steam 
into a steel standpipe, 13 by 80 feet (capacity about 92,000 gallons). 
This standpipe is so situated on the bluff that the base is about 160 
feet above the source and the main portion of the town. From it the 
water is distributed by gravity through about 2 miles of ma,ins. The 
pumping capacity is about 750 gallons a minute, and about 60,000 
gallons are used daily. The domestic pressure of about 80 to 104 
pounds is sufficient for fire protection, except in the residential section 
in the bluffs, where direct pressure may be used if necessary. Owing 
to the fact that this water forms a rather sohd scale in boilers, the 



JASPEK COUNTY. Yl5 

railroads and the boilers at the pumping station use river water for 
making steam. 

Kellogg. — The public water supply of Kellogg (population, 610) is 
from two drilled wells 120 and 160 feet deep, drawing their supply 
from the shales of the Des Moines group and the underlying limestone, 
respectively. 

The water of the 120-foot well is pumped by windmill, and though 
the head is but 30 feet below the surface the supply is scanty, a 
characteristic common to all shale wells. Tliis well is used only as 
a reserve supply. 

The 160-foot well is much stronger, but the water is somewhat 
turbid, probably because of improper casing in the shaly beds. The 
well is pumped by gasoline engine, the water being forced to a cistern 
on the hill about 50 feet above the level of the town. Tliis cistern is 
10 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep and is walled with brick and 
cemented. From tliis reservoir the water is distributed through a 
4-inch main about one-fourth mile in length to four fire hydrants 
and 20 private taps. 

Most of the private wells m the town are either open or driven 
and range in depth from 25 to 35 feet. The gravels at this depth 
are open but grade into fine sand above, overlain by yellow clayey 
alluvium and deep soil. The supply is abundant and the water 
exceptionally good for use in boilers. No treatment is required 
before it enters the boilers, only a slight flaky scale or soft white 
precipitate being formed. The Gould Balance Valve Co. and the 
Patten Grain Co. use the water from driven-point wells. 

Newburg. — Practically all wells in Newburg (population, 200) and 
the extreme northeastern corner of the county are dug or bored in 
the drift at various depths. 

The railroad supply comes from four 26-foot wells in a ravine 
below the town. The best supply comes from gravels in the lower 
part of the Kansan drift. 

Newton. — The water supply for the city of Newton (population, 
4,616) is taken from eight gravel wells on Skunk River bottom, 6 
miles southwest of the city, in the NE. J sec. 13, T. 79 N., R. 20 W., 
170 feet below the level of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail- 
way station (elevation, 944 feet above sea level). These wells were 
put down in 1904 by drilling to depths ranging from 43 to 56 feet, and 
then inserting in each hole an 8-inch strainer, 8 to 10 feet long, 
attached to the lower end of the casing. The wells are distributed 
over an area of about 130 feet radius, and so connected that any 
number or all may be pumped at the same time. 

A pumping station, located at the wells, is equipped with a low- 
service suction pump, capacity 700 gallons a minute, which pumps into 
an 11,000-gallon reservoir, walled with brick, cemented, and arched 



716 UNDEEGEOUND WATER RESOTJECES OF IOWA. 

over. From the reservoir two liigh-pressure duplex pumps, capacity 
250 gallons a minute each, lift the water 190 feet into the supply tank 
on a stone tower in the city. The tank has a capacity of 90,000 
gallons and the tower is 56 feet high, giving a domestic pressure from 
gravity of about 25 pounds. The fire pressure is, however, direct 
and may be raised to 115 pounds. An 8-inch main leads from the 
wells into the city, and the 75 fire hydrants are suppUed through 
6-inch and 4-inch mains. Probably more than one-third of the 
population is supplied thi'ough over 400 taps from this source. The 
daily consumption is estimated to be 70,000 or 80,000 gallons. The 
meter system is in general use. 

The water is clear, abundant, and excellent, and is used for all 
public and domestic purposes and very extensively by the manu- 
facturing plants of the city and the railroads. Slight scale forms in 
the boilers, and the supply has proved in all respects satisfactory. 

The city supply was formerly taken from two deep wells, described 
as city wells Nos. 1 and 2. 

City well No. 1, completed in 1890, is 1,400 feet deep and 5 inches 
in diameter, and the water stood 90 feet below the curb. Rock was 
entered at 90 feet and water was obtained at depths of 550 feet and 
1,300 ( ?) feet. (See PL XV, p. 670.) 

The water of tliis well is described as a poor potable water and bad 
in its effect on boilers. It is apparently derived from the Osage 
group (Mississippian) a short distance above the summit of the 
Kinderhook (Mississippian), and is augmented by water coming in 
above the Maquoketa shale (Ordovician), which caved badly and 
caused the loss of a drill. As the drill could not be extricated, the 
hole was abandoned and a second was sunk a few feet distant. In this 
well also a drill was lost at about the same depth, and the attempt to 
carry the boring deeper was abandoned. In 1895 the supply was 
said to be abundant, continued pumping failing to lower the level of 
the water; but some years later the well was given up and another 
sunk. 

City well No. 2, 705 feet deep and 10 to 8 inches in diameter, has 
also been abandoned. The water in this well stood 50 feet below 
curb, coming from a depth of 500 feet. 

Driller's log of city well No. 2 at Newton. 

Depth in feet. 

Gravel 70 

Gravel and cla_, 150 

Rock and shale 172 

Shale 202 

Rock, white, hard 214 

Limestone 240 

Through limestone 470 

Shale 500 

Limestone 575 

Well completed 705 



JASPER COUNTY. 717 

It should be noted that the very scanty data for these wells seem 
to indicate that they stopped a good deal short of the main artesian 
supplies of Iowa, going little if any below the Maquoketa shale. 
If any other deep weUs are sunk they should be carried not only 
to a depth of 1,750 feet from the surface, where the St. Peter sand- 
stone should be reached, but to as great a depth as 2,050 feet in order 
to tap the still larger supply of the formations underlying that well- 
known sandstone. 

Prairie City. — The water supply of Prairie City (population, 764) 
was originally taken from a well 85 feet deep ending in sands and 
gravels at the base of the drift. The supply was ample, but so much 
trouble was caused by quicksand that it was found necessary to drill 
deepei* and case the well throughout. During 1904 and 1905 the well 
was deepened to 390 feet; the approximate record is given by I. A. 
Williams as follows: 

Log ofivell at Prairie City. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Loess and drift 

Coal measiures shales and sandstones . 

Limestone 

Sandstone, coarse, white 

Shale, compact 

Limestone, dense, gray, magnesian . . 



Feet. 
85 
140 
65 
2 
63 
35 



Feet. 
85 
225 
290 
292 
355 
390 



The limestone from 225 to 290 feet probably belongs to the ''St. 
Louis limestone" (Mississippian) . This well was not used, as it was 
said to be impossible to shut out sand and mud in the Pennsylvanian 
(coal measures) at depths of 180 to 190 feet, though water was abun- 
dant below this level. 

The well in present use was drilled in 1905 to a depth of 390 feet. 
The ''St. Louis limestone" was entered at a depth of 220 feet, and 
the water-bearing sandstone from which the chief supply of water 
comes at about 65 feet lower. The well is cased to the limestone 
with 8-inch casing; below this a 6-inch bit was used and at the 
bottom a 4-inch bit. 

The well is pumped by steam, and the head varies from 80 feet 
below the surface to about 140 under the pump. 

The water is distributed by gravity from a 2,200-barrel tank ele- 
vated on an 80-foot steel tower, through about 2^ miles of mains. 
The water used is chiefly for fire protection, a few private taps taking 
only a few barrels per day in addition to that used by the 12 fire 
hydi'ants. The water is unsatisfactory for drinking on account of 
its mineral taste, and it is too hard for use in boUers. 



718 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OE IOWA. 



Reasnor. — Reasnor (population, 250) is located on the bottom 
lands of Skunk River, where sand point wells may be had at depths 
of 30 to 40 feet. Small flowing wells may be had in this viciiiity 
on the bottom of the river with depths of about 250 feet in sandstone 
in the ''St. Louis limestone," and good wells may be obtained at 
about half that depth in the Red Rock sandstone. The town well, 
sunk only 30 feet on the flood plain of the river, flows slightly, the 
water probably being derived from the Red Rock sandstone. 

WELL DATA, 

Information concerning typical wells in Jasper County is pre- 
sented in the following table: 

Typical wells of Jasper County. C' 



Owner. 



Location. 



Source of supply. 



03 & 



Remark.? 
(logs given in feet). 



T. SON., R. IS W. 
(Kellogg). 

Town of Kellogg.. 
Do 



Geo. B. Kelton. 

Ed. Craven 

Gifford Rogers. 
A. B. Craven... 
Joe Pierce 



Ed. Mershon.. 
Albert Harrab . 



1 mile southeast 

of Kellogg. 
1 mile north of 

Kellogg. 
3 miles north of 

Kellogg. 
5 miles north of 

Kellogg. 
3 miles north and 

1} miles east of 

Kelloeg. 

NE. isec. 6 

SW. J sec. 36 



Feet. 
120 
160 

104 

245 

174 

265 

175 



325 
1.35 



Feet. 
85 
110 

15 

200 



Shale (Des Moines) 
C a r b o n if erous 

limestone. 
Red Rock sand- 
stone- 
Limestone below 

shale. 
do 



Feet. 
- 30 



.do. 



Over limestone. 



Limestone . 
Sand 



T. 80 N., R. 17 W. 
(Rock Creek). 

A. J. Simpson 



SE. 1 sec. 31. 



Sandstone. 



-130 



T. 81 N., R. 19 AV. 
(Malaka). 

Mrs. Cassie Preston. 

Christ Wehrman . . . 

T. 81 N., R. 18 W. 
(Mariposa). 

S. Morrison 

Henry Korf 

Do 



NE. J sec. 2.. 
SW. i sec. 14. 



NE. Jsec. 34. 

Sec. 11 

do 



T. 80 N., R. 19 W. 

(Newton). 

L. M. Baker 



NW. J sec. 20. 



T. 79 N., R. 20 W. 
(Mound Prairie) 

L. A. Greenleaf 

G. W. Miller 



John Kartchner. . 



Mrs. M. L. Slaugh- 
ter. 



SE. J sec. 15 

Jmileeastof Metz. 

2J miles southwest 
"of Metz. 

Sec. 8 



300 
200 



254 
400 
175 



140 



360 
300 



163 



Sand 

Limestone . 



100 



100 
22 

50 



-100 



30 



A weak well. 

Water somewhat roily. 

On "bottoms." Good. 

Good farm well. 



Good. Plenty. 



High hill. 

Bottom. Flows. No 
rock. 



Sand interferes. No 

rock. 
Hard and mineral. 



Limestone . 



Limestone . 



Sandstone 



Sandstone (Des 
Moines). 

"Gravel"(?) 



- 56 
+ 9 



+ 10 



+ 17 



Strong well. 
No water. 



Strongly mineralized. 



Hard water. 

Flows J gallon a minute. 
Slightly mineralized. 

Flows li gallons a min- 
ute. Slightly miner- 
alized. 



a For Colfax mineral wells see table on pp. 713-714. 



JASPER COUNTY. 



719 



Typical wells of Jasper County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Source of supply. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 80 N., R. 20 W. 

(Sherman). 



W. J. Leeper. . 
Lawson Walt . 
BertTurck.... 



E. W. Bodley 

T. 78 N., R. 21 W. 
(part of Des 
Moiiras). 

R. W. Bmbaker... 

T. 78N., R. 20 AV. 
(PARTS OF Des 
Moines and 
Fair VIEW). 



Sam. Scharf. . . 
S. F. Oldham. 



Jas. Fouche. 



T. 78 N., R. 19 W. 
(parts of Fair- 
viE w , Elk 
Creek, and Palo 
Alto). 



Robt. Marshall. 
J. A. Oldham . . 



Lester Vaugh 

Townof Reasnor. 



J. H. Loar 

Chicago, Rock Is- 
land & Pacific Ry. 
Oscar Efnor 



T. 79 N., R. 19 W. 
(parts of Palo 
Alto and Fair- 

VXEW). 



George Lisle 

George Lisle 

Jas. A. Oldham . . . 
J. M. Woodrow . . . 



F. H. Griggs. 
Ed. Ross 



NE. J sec. 2.. 
SW. i sec. 16. 
Sec. 34 



NE. J sec. 26. 



NE. 1 sec. 36. 



NE. isec. 36. 
SE. 1 sec. 22.. 

SE. J sec. 9... 



6 miles east of 

Monroe. 
Sec. 16 



Sec. 28. 



Sec. 27.. 
Monroe . 



1§ miles west of 
"Reasnor. 



Sec. 32 

SW. isec. 32. 

Sec. 16 

NE. J sec. 29. 



NE. isec. 20 

5 miles south of 
Newton. 



Feet. 
159 
204 
150 

90 



268 
376 



209 
260 



312 
130 



250 
300 



252 
252 
260 
233 



Feet. 
30 



95 
160 



100 



117 

54 

60 

100 ± 



Gravel . 



"Solid rock' 
Sandstone... 



Limestone . 



Sandstone . 
do 



Sandstone. 



.do. 



Sandstone . 



.do. 
.do. 



.do. 
.do. 



Red Rock sand- 
stone. 



White sandstone. 
"White sand"... 

Sandstone 

do 



Feet. 
+(?) 

- 80 
+ 20 

- 30 



-1.37 
-125 



+ 10 



-160 

+ 2i 



-f- 22 

-I- 22 

+ 10 

-t- 8 



100 



Limestone . 



-f 16 



Slight flow. Mineral. 
Mineral. 

Flows f gallon a minute. 
Hard. 



Abandoned. Very weak 
well. 



Strong well. 
Strong well. Fine 

water. 
Good well. 



Flow 1 gallon a minute; 
water slightly miner- 
alized. 

Mineral. 

Bottom land. Flows 
into tank at present, 
1 galkin a minute. 

Scales boilers some. 

Good well. 



Bottom land. Temper- 
ature 52°. Mineral. 

Flows 1| gallons a min- 
ute. Mineral. 

Flows 1 gallon a minute. 
"Hard and salty." 

Mineral, similar to Col- 
fax. 

Flowing well. 

Flows 1 gallon a minute. 



MARSHALL COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Marshall County lies immediately east of Story, the central coimty 
of the State. Though its prairie plain does not, to the casual ob- 
server, differ materially from that in other portions of central Iowa, 



720 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

the careful student will recognize in the topography as many as 
three distinct types of plain, the distinctions being chiefly the result 
of different periods of time during which running water has worked 
upon the till. 

The youngest drift, the Wisconsm, overlaps a narrow strip on 
the western edge of the county, varying in width from practically 
nothing on the southern border to 3 J miles on the northern border. 
Here is found the knob and kettle topography characteristic of 
terminal moraines, though in rather subdued form. Small ponds 
and sloughs are common and the region is generally one of poor 
and undeveloped drainage. The area does not exceed 50 square 
miles. 

Almost filling the triangle in the northeast, separated from the 
remainder of the county by Iowa River, is an area of drift of lowan 
age. The slight sag and swell topography and the lack of marked 
stream dissection away from the master streams indicate the topo- 
graphic youth of the area, though the lack of ponds and undrained 
tracts suggests a later stage of dissection than the Wisconsin. This 
area contains approximately 100 square miles. 

Except for the Iowa River valley, the remainder of the county, 
nearly 400 square miles, possesses a more undulating topography in 
wliich stream vaUeys are broad, divides much more clearly marked, 
and drainage complete. This area covered by the Kansan drift is, 
therefore, in topographic maturity. 

The broad, flat flood plain of Iowa River is the most striking 
topograpliic feature of the county. On the vaUey floor the river 
meanders widely and from it many smaller flat-bottomed valleys 
extend to every part of the county save the southwest corner, which 
is drained to the south by tributaries of North Skunk River. 

GEOLOGY. 

All the country rock of Marshall County is of Carboniferous age. 
Underlying the entire county is a thickness of about 150 feet of the 
Kjnderhook group, consisting cliiefly of a heavy limestone overlain 
by tliin shales and underlain by thin sandstones and shales. Over- 
lappmg this in the western tWo-thirds of the county lies the Des 
Moines group, consisting here chiefly of shales with some sand- 
stones. (See PL XI, p. 382.) 

The general surface relations of the drift sheets have already been 
indicated. The depth is variable, but in the uplands 100 to 200 
feet is common and 400 feet has been reported. This latter thick- 
ness is so great as to indicate a preglacial channel. The Kansan 
drift, everywhere present, is the most important of the superficial 
deposits, but distinct evidence of the earlier Nebraskan drift is 
found in the presence of a dark blue-black till in places beneath 



MARSHALL COUNTY. 721 

heavy beds of sub-Kansan sands and gravels which are evidently 
of Aftonian age. These gravels are reported in beds locally 30 feet 
thick. 

In many places between the later deposits and the Kansan are 
found other sand and gravel beds of Buchanan age. These, how- 
ever, are tliinner and less important than the Aftonian except in 
the stream valleys, where, as valley trains, they underlie and are 
interstratified with alluvium. The lowan till in the northeast and 
the Wisconsin till in the west overlie the Kansan, The lowan is 
very thin and relatively unimportant, but the Wisconsin, because 
of its morainal character and undeveloped drainage, has a marked 
effect on ground-water conditions. Throughout the Kansan area 
and in places underlying the Wisconsin is a mantle of yellow loess 
passing below into sand. As this reaches thicknesses of 15 to 20 
feet over some portions of the uplands it is of importance in shallow 
wells. 

The alluvium which fills the Iowa Valley and the narrower valleys 
of all the larger creeks of the county includes extensive valley- 
train deposits, chiefly of Buchanan age. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

The gravels of valley trains of Buchanan age and those beneath 
the drift and interstratified with it form the chief sources of the 
abundant waters of the alluvium. Though not so pure as those of 
the deeper drift and the rock, these waters are not often seriously 
contaminated, and their abundance and softness render them espe- 
cially valuable. The public supply for the city of Marshalltown is 
drawn from the alluvium. 

The drift beds are so numerous and in general so prolific of good 
water that they form the chief source of supply for Marshall County. 
Dug, bored, and drilled wells reach all the subhorizons at such 
different depths and with such different results that it is usually 
impossible to identify the age of the water bed. Depths of 30 to 
40 feet are most common and, in general, the greater the depth the 
greater the supply. For domestic purposes very shallow wells 
suffice and are satisfactory if not contaminated from the surface, 
but for stock many of 100 to 250 feet are drilled with good results. 
In many of the deeper wells the Aftonian gravel is the water bed. 

Owing to the lack of drainage shallow wells on the western margin 
of the county may find water closely akin to surface water in the 
Wisconsin till. 

The lowan till is too thin to afford any important source of water 
for even the shallowest wells, but the loess attains depths of 15 to 
36581°— wsp 293—12—46 



722 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

20 feet in many places on uplands, and its sandy base forms storage 
for shallow ground waters. Formerly this base was more important, 
but drainage and cultivation have generally reduced the ground- 
water level far below it, and it can now be used only by the shallowest 
wells and is very susceptible to drought. 

Where the Buchanan gravel underlies the loess and the later 
till sheets on the upland in scattered patches, it is unimportant, but 
where associated with the alluvium it forms an important source 
of water. 

The Kansan till is very thick; open wells sunk into it expose so 
much surface to seepage and small veins and afford so large a reser- 
voir that it is one of the most important sources of water. A few 
gravel and sand layers furnish bountiful supplies, but, in general, 
wells to it are easily pumped out and are liable to fail in extreme 
drought. 

Wells reaching the Aftonian gravel are abundantly supplied with 
pure and wholesome water. Depths of 100 to 150 feet are not 
uncommon. 

The Nebraskan drift is too vague and indefinite to be of impor- 
tance. Sands and gravels below the Kansan or at the base of a 
pre-Kansan till suggest the Nebraskan, and are generally water 
bearing just above bedrock, as is any drift in such a position. 

The shales of the Des Moines group are so dry and the water they 
bear is so mineralized that the rock is valueless except for a few 
sandstone lenses from which excellent water may be obtained. Wells 
deriving water from these sandstones are common in some parts of 
Marion and Jasper counties, but rare in Marshall County. Wells 
penetrating the rock in the western portion of the county are liable 
to find 30 to 50 feet or more of dry shale. 

Practically all rock wells in Marshall County draw their supply 
from the Kinderhook group, in sandy layers that generally underlie 
a heavy bed of limestone, which in turn may underlie a few feet of 
shale. Some excellent deep wells are had in these layers, though in 
many the water is not abundant. The flow is, however, very con- 
stant and not subject to drought. The water is generally hard, 
though pure and wholesome and excellent for stock. Depths of 150 
to 200 feet are common. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

Two ground-water provinces may be distinguished in this county — 
(1) the Iowa valley floor, including the lower valleys of several of 
the larger creeks, in which the alluvium only is used; (2) the remain- 
der of the county, in which the drift and Kinderhook are used. 

Water in abundance may be had near Le Grande and Quarry. In 
the river valley the alluvial gravels supply it to driven wells, and on 



MARSHALL COUNTY. 723 

the adjacent uplands the shallowness of the drift, especially to the 
north, brings gravel and sand beds near the surface, from which a 
good supply may be had at 30 or 40 feet or less. To the south, in 
Le Grande Township, extreme depths of drift are found; 100 to 200 
feet to limestone is common and 300 feet or more in drift wells is not 
unusual. The sand well of O. Beyngelson is 355 feet in depth. 

Rock wells 80 to 120 feet deep are common, but 200 to 300 feet is 
not an unusual depth south of the river, where excellent water is 
obtainable. Near the edge of the river bluffs the upper limestones 
give rise to some fine springs. 

Near Green Mountain the greater depths of the drift make sand and 
gravel wells somewhat expensive and uncertain. Drift wells 100 
feet or more deep are not uncommon, but the chief dependence for 
larger stock supplies is in the limestone, where water is obtained at 
deptlis of 125 to 300 feet. The flow is scant in a few places for large 
stock supphes, but the quahty is good. 

The alluvial gravels yield abundantly along the river bottoms at 
Liscomb, Albion, Marietta, and vicinity, in some places giving rise to 
flowing wells. A well on the farm of C. E. Asney, located on the 
Iowa River bottom, in sec. 35, Iowa Township, was dug as an outlet 
for drain tile, but proved a flowing well. On uplands near the river 
drift wells are most common at depths of 30 to 50 feet, and the lime- 
stone supphes are unfailing, generally from depths of 80 to 200 feet. 
None of these villages are provided with waterworks. West of the 
river in Marietta Townsliip most of the deep wells are in drift and 
have depths of 200 to 300 feet. Some reach linestone at similar or 
greater depths. 

In the Wisconsin drift area near St. Anthony and Clemons shallow 
drift wells are generally relied upon. Driven wells are found all along 
the broad bottoms of Minerva Creek and its southern tributary, 
which flows through Clemons. Excellent water for stock wells is 
found in limestone at reasonable depths, 100 to 200 feet being common. 

Near State Center wells 20 feet deep were formerly abundantly 
supphed with water; at present drift wells are more commonly 50 
feet and a few are 100 feet deep. Reports generally indicate the 
presence of the Nebraskan till below the Kansan here, but good 
beds of Aftonian gravel are few and, except in very deep drift wells, 
do not afford strong supphes. Not uncommonly quicksand and mud 
are found above shales of the Des Moines group, making drilling 
difficult. These shales are 10 to 40 feet thick and overhe limestones; 
in only a very few wells is water found in thin sandstone beds at this 
horizon. Whenever a considerable quantity is desired drilled wells 
drawing from the limestone at depths of 100 to 250 feet are put down. 
These are not very strong, but are constant in supply, 3 to 15 gallons 
a minute being common. 



724 



UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



At Rhodes and Melbourne shallow wells generally furnish abundant 
water from drift and alluvium. On all the creek bottoms, however, 
good flows may be had. Three aquifers are reported at approxi- 
mately 150, 200, and 250 feet. From the last, wliich underhes the 
Des Moines group, a head of 27 feet above the surface is sometimes 
obtained. The water is mineral, closely resembling the Colfax water) 
and may come from the same aquifer, the "St. Louis limestone," 
though this bed has not been positively identified in this county. 

At Melbourne the brick-factory well draws its supply from a lens 
of sandstone in the Des Moines group at a depth of 230 feet. Other 
deep wells are in limestone of the Kinderhook group at similar depths. 

The well of H. Knoll, sr., 4 miles north of Haverliill, is reported to 
draw water from a sandstone of the Des Moines group at a depth of 
170 feet. Near Van Cleve, Haverhill, and Laurel hmestone wells 
in the Kinderhook group are common at depths of 200 to 300 feet. 
Drift waters are commonly used for small supphes, but these do not 
hold out in dry weather, as the location on the upland divide between 
Iowa and Skunk rivers is not favorable for shallow wells. 

Near Oilman and Ferguson bored wells to depths of 100 feet are 
common, and drilled rock wells are rare. A few stock wells on 
uplands draw from the limestone at about 300 feet. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Gilman. — Oilman (population, 430) has a small waterworks system 
supplied by springs. The plant is owned by a canning company. 
An elevated tank supphes water to one or two fire hydrants at low 
pressure. The water is reported to be soft and of excellent quality. 

MarshalUown. — The water supply of the city of Marshalltown 
(population, 13,374) is drawn from the gravel beds underlying the 
flood plain of the Iowa River valley opposite the city near the junc- 
tion of Asher Creek (SE. { sec. 22, T. 84 N., R. 18 W.). The water is 
collected by 40 wells, averaging 32 feet in depth, arranged in a straight 
north-south line 50 feet apart. Twelve-foot Cook strainers are used 
on the bottom of a 6-mch casing. The gravel immediately overlies 
the limestone in at least one well. The general section is reported to 
be as follows : 

General section of Marshalltoiun shallow wells. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Loamy soil 

Gumbo 

Gravel, fine, and sand. 

Gravel, coaxse , 

Sand, fine, white 

Limestone 



Feet. 
4 
I2 
3i 
4 
14 



Feet. 



4 

5i 

9 
13 
27 
32 



Marshall county. 725 

All wells feed by a closed pipe into a 2-foot main which leads 
across the river to . the pumping plant on the south side, where a 
storage reservoir holding 1,000,000 gallons receives all of the water 
for aeration. At present rate of consumption this is replaced once 
each day. A low-service triplex Worthington pump draws the water 
from the reservoir for a distance of 4,720 feet, discharging it by 
gravity into the pump well. 

At times the ground-water level in the field is reduced below the 
top of the strainers and, in order to avoid breaking the vacuum, 
suction is had through inner pipes inserted to the middle of the 
strainers. Even with this precaution, the vacuum is sometimes 
broken in case of drought, and then the consumption is limited or 
water must be drawn direct from the river through the intake pro- 
vided for emergency. Such an emergency should be nothing short 
of a conflagration, on account of the foulness of this water. Means 
are provided for cleaning the well strainers by fiushmg backwater 
through them under high pressure, this being done once each month 
to insure the best flow. 

Two Gordon duplex pumps, with an easy working capacity of 
5,000,000 gallons daily, supply the mains directly at an ordmary 
pressure of 65 pounds, which may be increased to 135 pounds in case 
of fire. This pressure at the plant is decreased about 40 per cent in 
the business portion of the city. Twenty-eight miles of mains supply 
200 fire hydrants besides may private consumers. 

The large number of rock wells in the city are supplied by the 
waters from the limestone of the Kinderhook group a,t depths ranging 
from 75 to 200 feet, and when properly cased and protected from 
surface contamination these deep-seated waters are of excellent 
quality and many are of almost ideal purity. They are superior even 
to the city water for domestic purposes and should be used wherever 
convenient to do so. The hardness of the water renders it unsuitable 
for boilers and many manufacturing purposes, except after artificial 
softening. 

Excellent examples of the wells reaching this horizon are the two 
wells of the Iowa Artificial Ice & Refrigeration Co. The water is very 
hard but of almost ideal purity. The mineral present m all other 
waters of this vicinity found above bedrock is absent in this, and the 
ice manufactured from it is clear and brilliant. The two wells have 
furnished 75,000 gallons m 48 hours without any apparent depletion. 
During the season 30 tons of ice are made daily from this water, and 
large amounts are used in the refrigeration process and also, after 
softening, in the boilers. 

Supplies from private wells in the sands and gravels of the drift 
underlying the city may be pure and wholesome, but they should be 
looked upon with suspicion because of the ease of surface and sewer 



726 TJK&EilGSOlTiTD WATEfi HESOUSCES Of IOWA. 

contamination and should be used only after bacteriologic examina" 
tion by competent authority. Such wells in rural regions are gener- 
ally wholesome if properly guarded at the surface. 

All of the water obtained above the rock contains some carbonate 
of iron, which, on standing, oxidizes to the brown hydrated oxide of 
iron, and the water becomes milky and precipitates a brownish sedi- 
ment. In all large supplies this may be removed by aeration, and 
for domestic use on a small scale it is not objectionable except to the 
esthetic sense. 

A prospect hole for coal and gas, drilled on the bank of Iowa River 
near Marshalltown (W. * NW. J sec. 25), has a depth of 1,020 feet. 
Its curb is about 885 feet above sea level. 

Record of strata in jprospect hole at Marshalltown {PI. XI, p. 382). 



Depth. 




Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

Kinderhook group (320 feet tliick; top, 885 feet above sea level)— 

Limestone, light gra.v; in fine sand; many angular fragments of limpid quartz 

at 68 feet 

Limestone, light yellow, compact, earthy luster; 3 samples 

Limestone, brown, crystalline, cherty at"ll5 feet 

Shale, soft, light-green, calcareous 

Devonian (300 feet thick; top, 505 feet above sea level): 

Limestone ( ?); no samples 

Limestone, hard, brovv-n-gray, and brown; crystalline; rapid effervescence; sam- 
ples at 465 and 560 feet 

Silurian (305 feet thick; top, 265 feet above sea level): 

Dolomite, yellow, gypseous and cherty 55 675 

Limestone, magnesian, brown, three samples; cherty at 675 feet 95 770 

Dolomite, cherty, gypseous; mostly of white and translucent chert 30 800 

Chert, white and translucent, at 800 

No samples 75 875 

Limestone; rapid effervescence; drillings almost wholly chert; some gypsum; 2 

samples 40 915 

Dolomite, white, in powder; some chert and gypsum | 10 925 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (95 feet penetrated; top, 40 feet below sea level) — 

Shale, blue and green-gray; noncalcareous in sample at 925 feet 

Marehalltown is 890 feet above sea level, and, according to the 
boring just given, the top of the Maquoketa shale was found at 925 
feet below the surface, or 40 feet below sea level. Had the boring 
been continued the drill would have entered the Galena limestone 
vrithin about 80 feet of the bottom of the drill hole, and considerable 
water might have been found in its cracked and porous layers. The 
St. Peter sandstone may be expected at about 550 feet below sea 
level, or 1,440 feet below the surface. The drill should encounter 
below the sandstone dolomites, more or less sandy, with interbedded 
sandstone layers, and below the dolomites well-marked water-bear- 
ing sandstones. A very generous supply should be obtainable from 
these horizons by a well carried to a depth of 2,000 or 2,200 feet. 

The water at each water horizon above the St. Peter should be 
analyzed, and it may be found advisable to drive water-tight casing 
to the Galena to shut out deleterious veins. 



MARSHALL COUNTY. 



727 



By drilling several 8-inch, or lO-inch wells and by the use of com- 
pressed air to increase the discharge it may be possible to obtain a 
supply sufficient for a city as large as Marshalltown. The water 
will hardly be good boiler water, a matter of importance in a manu- 
facturing town. A forecast, essentially the same as this, was made 
for the city on the request of the council in 1899. 

State Center. — The town of State Center (population, 898) is pro- 
vided with a waterworks system, used chiefly for fire protection. The 
water is pumped from wells into an elevated tank, capacity 60,000 
gallons, whence it is distributed by gravity and direct pressure 
through a mile of mains to 16 fire hydrants. Only 12 private con- 
sumers use the water, and not more than a thousand gallons is 
pumped daily. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Marshall County: 

Typical wells of Marshall County. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock. 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 
above 



below 
curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 84 N., R. 18 W. 
(Linn; parts of 
Taylok and 
Iowa). 

Iowa Artificial Ice Co . 



Marshalltown . 



Feet. 
188 



Feet. 
34 



Limestone 



Feet. 
- 57 



Brittain & Co. 



.do. 



71 



Oolite lime- 
stone. 



Strong well, hard water, 
but no iron. Water at 
38, easily exliausted. 
Principal water bed 131 
feet. Pumpetl by steam 
and used in manufacture 
of artificial ice. Soft- 
ened for boiler. Heavy 
precipitate, indicating 
very hard water; curb 
20 feet above Chicago & 
Northwestern Railway. 
Diameter, 6 inches; 
temperature, 52°. Sur- 
face and yellow clay, 22; 
blue clay, 12; soft lime- 
stone, 60; harder lime- 
stone, 94. 

Principal water bed, 138; 
minor bed at 7 6. 
Pumped witli steam 
suction pump vnthout 
lowering. Hard. Used 
for general packing pur- 
poses; curb 25 to 30 feet 
above Chicago Great 
Western Railway. Yel- 
low clay, 24; sand, 4; 
blue clay, 40; sand, 3; 
limestone (blue above, 
white below streaked 
with hard layers), 79; 
shale, 12. Diameter, 6 
inches; cased, 71 feet. 
A second well dupli- 
cates this, except 10 feet 
shallower. 



728 



UNDEEGROUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA, 

Typical wells of Marshall County — Continued. 













Head 










Depth 


Source of 


above 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


to 
rock. 


supply. 


or 
below 












curb. 




T. 84 N., R. 18 W. 














(Linn; paets of 














Tayloe and 














Iowa)— Contd. 




Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




Merritt Green 


Marshalltown 


169 


71 


Shaly lime- 
stone. 


- 80 


On slope 30 feet above 
Iowa Central Railway; 
water bed in shaly lime- 
stone at 98. Pumps 15 
gallons per minute with 
little lowering. Diam- 
eter 4\ inches; cased, 71 
feet. Yellow clay, 20; 
sand, 10; blue clay, 41; 
limestone, 29; shaly 


























limestone, 69. 




do 


119 


43 


Hard blue 
limestone. 


- 9 


Curb 10 feet below Chi- 






cago Great Western 














Railway, on Linn 














Creek bottom. Water 














bed 100 feet. Minor bed 














at 25 , in sand. Pumped 














by steam, lowers to —23 














feet. Clay, 20; sand and 














blue clay, 23; blue and 














gray limestone, 76. Di- 














ameter, 6 inches; cased 














43 feet. 




.do 


70 
82 

145 
98 
86 
79 

156 


20 
35 
45 
60 
62 
33 
80 


Limestone . 




Water bed at 67 feet. 


Diesing Bros 


...do 


.do. ... 




Water bed at 50 feet. 


Fourth Ward School. 


do 


..do 







Second Ward School. . 


do 


....do 






Arnold School 


do 


do 






Third Ward School. 


do 


do 






Woodbury School 


..do 


do 






Anson School 


do 


106 
300 


33 

19 


do 






Glucose Manufactur- 


do 


do 


- 19 


10 other wells simDar, 


ing Co. 




except average 200 feet 














deep. Curb 6 feet above 














Chicago & North West- 














ern Railway. Second 














bottom. Open wells all 


• 












through limestone. 
3,000,000 gallons have 
been pumped in 24 
hours. Used In manu- 
facturing glucose. Di- 
ameter, 4 inches; cased, 
20 feet. Soil, 4; yellow 
clay, 14; sand and 
gravel, 1; limestone, 
180; shale, blue and buff, 
101. 
Very strong flow. 


Frank Graham 


IJ miles east of 


154 


120 


do 


-100 




Albion. 












B. H. Kokel.. 


2 miles northeast 
of Marshalltown. 


110 


70 


.do. 




30-gallon test lowered 10 
feet. 








W. B. Beeson 


3 miles north of 
Marshalltown. 


128 


88 


Gray lime- 
stone. 


- 90 


Good and strong. Not 
lowered. Yellow clay, 
45; blue clay, 43; lime- 
stone, 40. 


T. 84 N., R. 17 W. 














(Maeion). 














L. Mickley 


4J miles east of 


246 




Sand 




No rock. 




Marshalltown. 












L.H.Wallace 


North Gr een 
Mountain. 


190 


170 


Limestone . . 




Water bed in sand with 








wood at 100. 


W.M.Stewart 


3 miles northeast 
of Marshall- 
town. 


198 


190 


Blue sand. . . 


- 80 


Chief water in 30-foot bed 
of sand. 


L. Mickley 




303 


300 




— 140 


Strong well. Water, hard. 
Yellow clay, 90; blue 




Marshalltown. 






stone. 
















clay and muddy sand, 














210; oolitic limestone, 3. 


D. Yetley 


1 mile northeast 


162 


150 


Limestone. . 


-100 


Very strong. Yellow clay 
and sandf, 60; blue clay 




of Marshall- 












town. 










and sand, 90; limestone, 
12 



i 



MARSHALL COUNTY. 
Typical wells of Marshall County — Continued. 



729 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 83 N., R. 17 AV. 
(Le Grande). 

Col. Dougherty 

D. Holken. 


2 miles north of 
Le Grande. 

SE.Jsec. 21 

6 miles southeast 
of Marshall- 
town. 

2 miles north of 
Ferguson. 

Le Grande 

. . .do 


Feet. 
92 

306 

260 
56-! 

355 
337 
232 
306 
325 
280 

281 
170 
183 
236 

180 

308 

210 

231 
258 

232 

255 
109 
346 


Feet. 
9 

300 
408 


Limestone. . 

Soft lime- 
stone. 

Gravel and 
sand. 

Shale and 
sandstone. 

Sand 

do 


Feet. 

- 80 

-140 

-120 
-180 

-135 
-137 
-132 
-156 
-150 
-40 

-100 

-120 
-140 

-110 

-140 

-130 
-150 

-140 

- 18 


Hard rock exposed in Le 
Grande quarry, near by. 
Strong well. Water 
very hard. Yellow clay, 
9; limestone, 83. 

Lowers 100 feet on pump- 
ing. Yields 5 gallons 
per minute. Yellow 
clay, 60; blue clay, 190; 
quicksand, 56. 

No rock. 


Chas. Lodge. 


F. B. Brenecke 

0. Bryngelson 

E. Harem 


Test of 5 gallons lowers 
water 20 feet. Yellow 
clay, 35; blue clay, 85; 
sand and clay, 70; blue 
clay, 110; soft shale, 108; 
slate and limestone, 40; 
shale and sandstone, 
114. 

No rock. 
Do. 


J. Hanks 


do 


225 
300 

"'i20' 

120 
130 
120 
140 

140 

207 

132 

190 
205 

190 
192 


Limestone . . 

do 

Sand 

Limestone 
and shale. 

Shaly lime- 
stone. 
Sandstone 
(DesMoines) 
Shaly lime- 
stone. 
do 

Limestone. . 

OoUtic hme- 
stone. 

Limestone 
and shale. 

Sand in 
shale (Des 
Moines). 

Shaly lime- 
stone. 

Limestone. . 

do 

Sand and 

gravel. 

do 




D. Wolken 


do 




S. R. Piper 


. do 


Do. 


J.J. Mote 


....do... 




T. 83 N., R. 18 W. 
(Timber Creek). 

John Goshon. . . 


3i miles south of 
Marshalltown. 

4 miles northwest 
of Haverhill. 

Northeast Haver- 
hill. 

2 miles east of 
Luray. 

J mile south of 
Haverhill. 

N.J sec. 32 

3 miles southeast 
of Lamoille. 

NE.Jsec. 5 

NE.isec. 1 

6 miles south- 
west of State 
Center. 

W. Jsec. 15 

NW. Jsee. 15 

State Center 


Not a strong well. 


H. Knoll, sr 


J. F. Cooper 


Pumping 5 gallons a min- 
ute lowers water 50 feet. 


H. Mesinesse 


T. 82 N., R. 18 W. 
(Jefferson) . 

T. Breekweg 


First water bed at 140. 


T. 82 N., R. 17 W. 
(Green Castle). 

Chas. Coulbrom 

T. 83 N., R. 19 W. 
(Washington). 

J. H. Harff... 


Strong well. 


T. 82 N., R. 19 W. 
(Logan). 

Poflamburger & 
Walker. 

William Fort 


Used in manufacture of 
brick and tile. 

Capacity 10 gallons a min- 
ute without lowering. 


T. 83 N., R. 20 W. 

(State Center). 

Mrs. Bishop 


Louis Ricker 




C. H. Lehman 


sediment. 
Good gravel well. No 

rock. 
Pumps dry li hours by 

steam. 











730 UKDEEGROtJNr) WATER BESOtTECES OP lOWA. 

Typical wells of Marshall County — Continusd. 













Head 




Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 84 N., R. 19 W. 














(Maeietta). 




Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




W. E. Tomlins 


S. i-see. 22 

5 miles southwest 
of Albion. 


225 
320 








No rock. 






Gravels and 
sand. 




Strong water in sand at 




300. No rock. 


T. 85 N., R. 20 W. 














(LiBEETY). 














Thos. Andrews 


SE.isec. 22 


223 


180 


Limestone . . 


- SO 


Yellow clay (seep water), 
30; blue clay (streaks of 
sand with little water), 
143; soapstone, 30; shaly 
limestone. 5; limestone, 
blue and nard, 20. 














C. M. Smith 


SW. isee. 4 

NE. isec. 14 


235 
132 




.....do 






W. E. ElUott 


129 


do 




No shales. 


T. 85 N., R. 19 W. 














(Bangor; parts 














OF Iowa and Lis- 














COMB). 














Susan J. Brown 


SE. J see. 9 


130 


100 


Limestone . . 




Very strong vein in crev- 
ice in limestone. Yel- 
low clay, 35; blue clay, 
55; sand and gravel 
(seep water), 10; blue 
clay, 100; sand, 20; blue 
clay, 105; shaly, Hght- 
eolored rock, 25; hard 
hmestone, 10; quick- 
sand (?), 3; limestone, 2. 


Carrie E. Arney 


NW. Jsec. 35 


208 


204 


do 


- 40 


Yellow clay, 30; sand and 
clay, 10; blue clay, 35; 
sand, 10; blue clay, 
65; sand, 6; blue clay, 
99; soapstone, 35; coal, 
1; white clay, 2; lime- 
stone, 10. 


T. 84 N., R. 20 W. 














(Minerva). 














Henry Busse 


SW. isec. 13 

SW. J see. 34 


365 
303 


325 
225 


Limestone . . 
do 


-150 




Joe Goodman 


Yellow clay, 20; sand and 














clay, 5; blue clay, 75; 














sand, 10; blue clay, 72; 














gravel and sand (heavy 














water), 10; shalv rock, 














10; hard limestone, 53. 



POLK COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Polk County is located immediately south of the geographic 
center of Iowa, and the location of Des Moines, the capital and chief 
city of the State, within its borders, has made it the political and 
commercial center. The surface is that of the gently rolling prairie 
plain characteristic of northern and central Iowa, modified only by 
its stream-carved valleys. The general elevation of this plain is 
approximately 1,000 feet above sea level. 



POLK COtTFTt. *73i 

Two distinct phases of the drift plain are present, difTering chiefly 
in maturity of dissection and topographic age. The line separating 
the younger Wisconsin plain on the north from the older Kansan 
on the south passes just south of Mitchellville, Rising Sun, Des 
Moines, and Valley Junction. About five-sixths of the county is 
therefore within the area covered by the latest glacial invasion, the 
Wisconsin, and this line marks its southernmost extension in the 
United States. The Wisconsin area is remarkably level, only slight 
sags and swells being noticeable. The former are frequently saucer- 
shaped and hold sloughs and shallow ponds. The latter are but 
gentle rises of land between the sags. The stream valleys are 
narrow and shallow, and the whole area has the appearance of 
extreme topographic youth. The Kansan area, on the other hand 
presents narrower, flat-topped divides and broader, deeper stream 
valleys, the whole showing the well-drained, maturely dissected 
topography of a much older type. 

Polk, like the counties of southeastern Iowa, is crossed by master 
streams flowing southeastward through broad preglacial valleys. 
The most important is the Des Moines, meandermg in its broad 
valley from the northwest to the southeast corner, 150 to 200 feet 
below the upland, and dominating almost the entire drainage. Of 
less importance is South Skunk River, paralleling the Des Moines to 
the northeast, in a valley only slightly less broad and deep. Raccoon 
River furnishes a marked exception to the general trend of master 
streams and enters Des Moines River at Des Moines from a direction 
somewhat south of west. 

GEOLOGY. 

Alluvial deposits are found on the broad flood plains of Des Moines, 
Raccoon, and South Skunk rivers and on some of their leading trib- 
utaries. These deposits are especially thick south of the line marking 
the limit of the Wisconsin ice, comprising heavy deposits of gravel in 
the form of valley trains in valleys leading southward. These are 
so covered with alluvium that they can not be distinguished and 
will therefore be classed with the alluvial deposits. 

The limits of the Wisconsin drift have been outlined in discussing 
its topography. The loess forms a thin veneer over the uplands Ijdng 
outside of the Wisconsin limits and underlies the Wisconsin in places. 
The Kansan drift underhes the Wisconsin drift and the loess and 
controls the topography of the latter. It is the most important 
Superficial deposit in this area. Beneath the Kansan extensive gravel 
deposits and buried soil beds and an older drift have been noted in 
places. The gravels are believed to belong to the interglacial Afto- 
nian stage and the drift to the Nebraskan stage. 



•732 UNDERfiBOuND WATEB HESOUECES OF IOWA. 

The country rock beneath the drift of Polk County everywhere 
belongs to the Des Moines group of the Pennsylvanian series. Shales 
and sandstones, with a few limestones and here and there a coal seam, 
constitute the chief rocks. The Des Moines group rests unconform- 
ably upon a very uneven surface of ''St. Louis limestone." (See 
Pis. XIII, XV, XVI.) 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The aquifers utilized in Polk County are the alluvium and valley 
train gravels, the loess, the drift, and the sandstones of the Des 
Moines group. 

Polk County is well supplied with shallow drift waters. Country- 
rock water, however, is very variable and is generally of poor quality, 
owing to the large amount of mineral matter it holds in solution. 

A valuable water horizon is that of the gravels and sands inter- 
stratified with alluvium and underlying the flood plains of Des 
Moines, Raccoon, and South Skunk rivers and other smaller streams of 
lesser importance, such as Beaver, Big, Fourmile, Mud, and Camp 
creeks, tributaries of the Des Moines; Walnut Creek, a tributary of 
the Raccoon; and Indian Creek, a tributary of the Skunk. 

Drive points and open wells find an abundance of good water at 
very shallow depths in these valleys. The deposits are especially 
valuable in the southern part of the county, owing to the large amount 
of gravel spread out upon these valley floors as valley trains by 
streams from the melting Wisconsin ice. The public supply for Des 
Moines is secured from these beds by a series of infiltration galleries 
built into the gravels of the Raccoon River valley. Valley Junction 
also derives a small public supply from the same source by means of 
an open well. 

In the area south of the Wisconsin ice front the thick deposit of 
fine porous clay, known as the loess, is an important source for shallow 
wells from which but a small supply is needed. The chief importance 
of the loess lies in the fact that it grades downward into a fine sand, 
becommg coarser and overlying the relatively impermeable till sheet 
of Kansan age. The common depth of loess wells is 10 to 20 feet; 
one well, that of J. G. Berryhill, in sec. 19, T. 78 N., R. 25 W., has a 
depth of 70 feet, but this is exceptional. This loess in the Kan- 
san area is a very uncertain source for water — except in the certainty 
with which its wells go dry during droughts. 

Within the area occupied by the Wisconsin drift many wells pene- 
trate the loess and draw excellent water from it, but owing to the 
difficulty of distinguishing it from the drift, the two are better classed 
together. The water is plentiful because this porous deposit, lying 



POLK COUNTY. 733 

between the two till sheets, forms a good storage reservoir and does 
not dry out so readily as it does where it is exposed, as in the surface 
overlying the Kansan. This is a condition usually favorable for 
seepage springs, and such springs are common in the valleys cutting 
the margin of the Wisconsin drift. 

The drift furnishes water for the great majority of wells in Polk 
County. The wells are so variable in depth and the drift sheets so 
variable in thickness that it is difficult to distinguish the different 
water beds, though several are worthy of mention. 

The Wisconsin drift is thin, yet owing to the undrained character 
of the surface, it yields much water to shallow wells which may be 
obtained almost anywhere by means of a spade or an auger. The 
water comes from small seeps and veins associated with sand pockets 
or from thin layers of sand and gravel. With the usual depression 
of the ground-water level in dry summer seasons many of these fail 
and the wells have to be dug deeper. 

A better supply may be found in the sandy lower portion of the 
loess wherever this is present between the Wisconsin and the Kansan. 
Even in the absence of the loess this horizon is frequently marked 
by a gravel or sandy layer which is a strong water bearer and source 
of springs. 

The Kansan is the most commonly used of all the drift horizons, 
the water being found, as in the Wisconsin, in small seeps and veins. 

The Aftonian gravel, underlying the Kansan drift, forms a most 
valuable source of well water where it occurs, but in this region it 
can not often be found unless the gravels immediately overlying the 
country rock are of this age. 

The Nebraskan is not clearly distinguished, but where found it 
generally consists of a thin layer of gravel and sand lying on the 
bedrock beneath the Aftonian gravel, thus adding another possible 
source of water. 

The drift is present everywhere throughout the county, except 
where replaced in river valleys by the alluvium, which is in itself an 
even better aquifer. It is therefore rarely necessary to enter country 
rock except for a larger supply than the drift affords. 

Although water can be found in the sandstones and coal seams in 
the Des Moines group, it is rarely potable on account of its impregna- 
tion with many minerals. The only available sources in this group 
are the tliick lenses of sandstone, some of which usually carry excel- 
lent water. Unfortunately such thick and persistent lenses are rela- 
tively uncommon in this area. Some beds exist in the southeast corner 
and to the north of Ankeny, but nowhere are they more than local 
as compared with the Ked Rock sandstone of Marion and Jasper 
counties. 



734 UNDEEGEOUKD WATEK RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

FLOWING WELLS. 

Of the several deep wells the deepest and best known is the Green- 
wood Park well in Des Moines, with a depth of 3,000 feet; water 
now stands 45 feet below curb, though at first there was a small 
flow from the St. Peter sandstone. Others are the courthouse well 
in Des Moines, 381 feet deep, flowing from the Des Moines group, 
and the well on the river bank in front of the Des Moines public 
library, 461 feet deep, flowing from a sandstone bed at 360 feet. A 
flow on the farm of M. R. Sadler, near Mitchell ville, from a coal 
prospect hole 100 feet in depth, is an example of another class of 
shallower wells, some in the drift and some in the coal measures. 

GAS ^\:ells. 

Gas has been reported in several of the drift wells near Saylorville 
and in the northern part of the county; one opening owned by Louis 
Brendel furnishes it in sufficient quantit}^ to operate a gas burner. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

AnTceny. — On the uplands about Ankeny (population, 445) drift 
wells 40 to 60 feet deep are common, though some go down 150 feet. 
These are supplied from layers of sand and gravel and are variable. 
Not uncommonly the drift supply is insufficient, and rock wells are 
drilled. As the highest rock (the shales of the Des Moines group) is 
in many places 150 to 230 feet deep, it may be necessary to sink to 
depths ranging from 200 to 400 feet, the last hundred feet being m 
the "St. Louis limestone." An excellent sandstone water is not 
infrequently found among the coal shales of this vicinity, but no 
well-defined sandstone layer occurs in the "St. Louis limestone," as 
it does in the counties to the south and east. 

Des Moines. — The public water supply of Des Momes (population, 
86,368) is owned by the Des Moines Waterworks Co. The supply 
is derived from the gravel beds of the Raccoon River valley on the 
inside of the great bend opposite the intersection of Nineteenth and 
Walnut streets, in the southwestern part of the city. The water is 
collected in infiltration galleries built 25 or 30 feet below the surface 
in such a way that the water flows from the bottom only. A section 
consisting of loam, river-washed sand and gravel, silt, sand, and 
gravel, potter's clay, and sandstone is reported. More than half 
a mile of galleries are constructed in a layer of coarse, clean sand and 
gravel fine and free from silts. They lead by gravity through a 
36-inch cast-iron main into a large pump well, 48 feet in diameter 
and 34 feet deep, located on the station grounds northeast of the 
river. This is bricked and cemented and arched like a great cistern. 

An old gallery 1,450 feet long extends from a small pump well in 
the station yard westward along the railroad tracks, and at its 
west end a short branch leads directly to Raccoon River. In times 



POLK COUNTY. 735 

of great emergency water may be taken directly from the river, but 
this has been done only a few times. The estimated capacity of the 
present system of collecting galleries is 10,000,000 gallons a day at 
the lowest stage of water. At an ordinary stage it is inexhaustible 
with the present pumping plant. The actual consumption for the 
year 1911 was 5,258,770 gallons daily. 

Within the pumping station three pumps — an 8,000,000-gallon 
Holly, a 7,000,000-gallon Gaskill, and a 6,000,000-gallon Worthmg- 
ton — give a daily capacity several times that yet required. The 
Worthington pump is held in reserve and with one of the others may 
be connected direct to the river intake in case of conflagration. The 
three, are supplied with steam from a battery of five boilers of 110 
horsepower each, by which a head of 100 feet is constantly main- 
tained, a pressure ample for any fire. A direct pressure of 100 
pounds for the business portion and 140 pounds for the higher north- 
west portion of the city is maintained. The lower pressure may be 
increased to 140 pounds in case of fire, though this is rarely neces- 
sary. About 130 miles of mains supply 1,303 fire hydrants and 
12,315 taps, the latter through meters. Probably 80 per cent of the 
population depend on the public water supply. 

The Des Moines Linseed Oil Co. and the Des Moines Manufactur- 
ing & Supply Co. have abandoned drive wells as unsatisfactory for 
steam purposes on account of boiler pitting and use the public supply. 
Both of these companies, together with the Des Moines Gas Co., 
treat the water with 2 or 3 pounds of soda ash for 1,000 gallons and 
find the results very satisfactory. The Edison Electric Light Co. 
and the Des Monies Incubator Works, as well as many other manu- 
facturing plants near Des Moines River, take their supply direct from 
the river. The Des Moines Ice Co. secures its supply from four 
26-foot point wells, drawing 40 gallons a minute at a temperature of 
64°, for use in the manufacture of ice and for the condensers. River 
water is used for the boilers. The Des Moines Hosiery JVIills uses a 
supply from eight points varying in depth from 12 to 34 feet, in allu- 
vium and gravel. The water stands 8 to 10 feet below the surface. 
The longer points furnish water carrying increasing amounts of iron 
salts in solution. The water is hard and requires the use of a com- 
pound to prevent boiler scale. Points are generally renewed every 
year or two, on account of ferruginous and calcareous cement collect- 
ing on the screen. A storage reservoir having a capacity of 10,000 
gallons is used. At the plant of the National Starch Works Co., 1^ 
miles south of the fair grounds, a supply of 300,000 gallons daily was 
obtained from 50-foot collecting galleries. The plant is now aban- 
doned, so the water system is not in use. 

A large private water-supply system is that of the Agar Packing 
Co. This company uses the public water supply for washing and 



736 UNDEEGKOUND WATEK RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

cooking, but does not find it economical for all purposes. Two 
sources are used. The first consists of a battery of seven 4-inch 
Cook points, with 5-foot screens, driven 40 feet into alluvium and 
gravel. The general section is as follows: 

General sectioii at factory of Agar Packing Co. 

Feet. 

Filling 6 

Clay, yellow 10 

Gravel and sand 24 

Clay, hard, blue. 40 

Water stands 15 feet below the surface, and the wells average 16 
pounds vacuum while pumping. The water yields some scale and 
rust. This water is used first as a condenser of ammonia in the 
refrigeration plant and afterward for washing and scrubbing. About 
500 gallons a minute is constantly pumped, except in freezing weather. 
The second source is a well 18 feet in diameter by 16 feet deep, connect- 
ing directly with the river by means of a 12-inch pipe opening with 
screen in the channel. About 900 gallons a minute may be thus 
obtained and is used for boilers, the other waters being too hard, and 
for spraying hog pens and similar work. The river water scales but 
slightly, and this tendency is easily removed by the use of a small 
amount of boiler compound. Fire protection for the plant is had 
by the use of all the pumps and of water from the city system. 

The courthouse well has a depth of 381 feet. Its curb is 805 feet 
above sea level. It flows at the surface from a depth of 370 feet. It 
was completed by George Garver in 1888. 

Driller's log of well at courthouse at Des Moines. 



Depth. 



Sand and gravel 

Slate, black 

Coal 

Fire clay 

Slate 

Sandstone 

Slate 

Iron pyrites 

Slate 

Coal blossom 

Sandstone and granite 

Shale with pyrites; shale layers 2 to 4 feet thick , 

Sandstone .' 

Slate 

Sandstone, with two bands of flint, 18 inches and 9 inches thick, respectively 
Sandstone 



Feet. 



63 
81 
84 
89 
113 
123 
133 
134J 
138J 
139 
240 
300 
339 
345 
362 
381 



The Greenwood Park well (PL XVI) has a depth of 3,000 feet and a 
diameter of 10 to 3 inches. Its curb is 872 feet above sea level, and 
its head 45 feet below the curb. The tested capacity is 400 gallons 
per minute. Sulphureted water from depths of 498 and 668 feet 



POLK COUNTY. 



737 



(Mississippian) rises within 30 feet of the surface. Water beds 
were indicated by changes of level of water in the tube at several 
depths between 1,011 and 1,208 feet (Silurian) ; water from depth of 
1,425 feet (Niagara) rose above surface; water was found at 2,025 feet 
(St. Peter) ; at 2,208 feet (New Richmond) ; and at 2,330 feet (Oneota). 
Date of completion, 1896. Drillers, J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 
T. Van Hyning, who supervised the drilling of the well, reported that 
..when the drill entered the St. Peter the flow of water increased until 
it amounted to H gallons a minute; pumping 52 gallons a minute for 
18 hours lowered the water level 125 feet; when the pump was 
stopped the water rose within 6 feet of the top but did not flow again. 
When the drill entered the New Richmond the water level fell to 50 
feet below the surface; in the Oneota it fell to 80 feet below the 
surface. Probably other water beds were struck, for on the comple- 
tion of the well the water stood 45 feet below the curb. It still main- 
tained this level when, in 1902, the city water mains were extended to 
the park and the well was closed. 

Record of strata in Greenwood Park well at Des Moines {PI. XIII, p. 526; PI. X V, p. 

670; PL XVI, p. 612). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene (14 feet thick; top, 872 feet above sea level): 

Till, bvifE, sandy, with a few pebbles; noncalcareous 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian: 

Des Moines group (484 feet thick; top, 858 feet above sea level): 

Shale , black, brittle, carbonaceous 

Shale, gray, "fossiUferous" 

Shale, black, carbonaceous, calcareous, highly pyritiferous 

Shale, gray 

Shale and limestone, bluish gray, highly fossiliferous 

Shale, varicolored 

Shale, bluish gray, highly and finely arenaceous, hard 

Shale, bluish gray, slightly calcareous 

Shale, dark drab and black, carbonaceous 

Shales, gray, drab, and purplish; practically noncalcareous; 1 foot of gray 

chert at 284 feet 

Mississippian: 

"St. Louis limestone" and Osage group (200 feet thick; top, 374 feet above sea 

level): 

Chert and shale; heavy bed, very hard to drill; most of the sample is an 

argillo-calcareous powder; the shale is reported as caving in from above, 

but its calcareous nature indicates that it is in part interstratifled with 

chert and hmestone 

Limestone and chert, brownish gray 

Kinderhook group (160 feet thick; top, 174 feet above sea level): 

Shale, light blue and gray 

Shale, terra cotta red, highly calcareous 

Shale, light blue-gray 

Shale, light gray, highly calcareous; fine cherty residue 

Devonian (80 feet thick; top, 14 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, light buff; much gray chert 

Silurian (507 feet thick; top, 66 feet below sea level): 

Limestone, light blue-gray, crystalline, saccharoidal; effervescence slow; consider- 
able white gypsum 

Limestone, chsrty, crystalline, blue-gray; effervescence moderately rapid , 

Limestone, cherty, crystalline, saccharoidal, dark blue-gray and bifl; effervescence 

indicates magnesian limestone, but not dolomite 

Gypsum and shale; gypsum gray and white, in flakes; shale green, perhaps from 

above 

Limestone, light blue-gray, highly seleniferous; some flakes of gypsum 

Limestone, cherty, arenaceous; grains of sand, minute rounded; much shale in 

rounded fragments, perhaps from above 

Dolomite, buff, crystalline, granular with much chert and some chalcedonic silica; 
3 samples 

36581°— wsp 293—12 47 



Feet. 



14 



Feet. 



1 


15 


1 


16 


3 


19 


4 


23 


15 


38 


67 


105 


10 


115 


60 


175 


11 


186 



170 
30 


668 
698 


40 
10 
25 

85 


738 
748 
773 
858 


80 


938 


2 
53 


958 
1,011 


97 


1.208 


15 
145 


1.223 
1,368 


22 


1,.390 


55 


1,445 



738 UNDEKGEOUND WATEK KESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in Greenwood Parh well at Des Moines {PI. XVI) — Continued. 



TMck- 

ness. 



Depth. 



Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (33 feet thick; top, S73 feet below sea level): 

Shales; in large fragments; purplish yellow and green; noncalcareous; finely 

laminated 

Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone (508 feet thick; top, 606 feet below sea 
level): 

Dolomite; in yellow-gray powder; cherty 

Dolomites, yellow, bufl and brown; mostly cherty; residue finely quartzose; 

5 samples 

Shale, green, very slightly calcareous 

Dolomite, brown, arenaceous 

Shale, dark green, hard, "fossiliferous''; practically noncalcareous 

St. Peter sandstone (39 feet thick; top, 1,114 feet below sea level): 

Sandstone, fine, white; grains moderately well rounded 

Prairie du Chien group: 

Shakopee dolomite (124 feet thick; top, 1,153 feet below sea level): 

Shale; greenish powder of dolomite, chert, fine quartz sand, green shale, 

andpyrite 

Dolomite, arenaceous, cherty 

Shale, drab, calcareous; in finest powder; grains of bufl, cherty dolomite. . . 

Dolomite, gray 

Dolomite, gray; minute rounded vesicles resembling matrix of oolite from 

which grains have been dissolved 

Dolomite 

Shale; as at 2,085 feet; "exceedingly hard to drill " 

New Richmond sandstone (94 feet thick; top, 1,277 feet below sea level): 

Dolomite, arenaceous, gray; 2 samples 

Shale, drab, calcareous 

Sandstone, white, fine, calciferous 

Dolomite, bufl 

Sandstone, clean white quartz sand; grains rounded 

Dolomite, bufl 

Sandstone, bufl; grains broken, much dolomite 

Sandstone, friable, white, fine 

Shaie, drab, slightly calcareous 

Sandstone, white 

Dolomite, bufl, white; much quartz sand 

Shale 

Sandstone, gray and bufl, calciferous; most of grains broken 

Shale, light blue 

Oneota dolomite, (175 feet thick; top, 1,371 feet below sea level): 

Dolomites of various tints, many cherty; argillaceous at 2.250, 2,272. 2,333, 
2, 340 feet; arenaceous at 2,270 and 2,333 feet; at 2,305 feet there is 17 feet 

of white, blue, and green chert; 32 samples 

Cambrian (582 feet penetrated; top, 1,546 feet below sea level): 

Sandstone, white; fine grains, mostly rough surfaced; some dolomite 

Dolomite, brown; in chips 

Sandstone 

Dolomite, rough, gray, and brown 

Sandstone, fine, white and reddish; 3 samples 

Shale, light blue-gray 

Sandstone, calciferous, bufl 

Dolomite, arenaceous, gray, bufl, and brown; 6 samples 

Shale, light blue-gray 

Dolomite, gray and bufl, siliceous 

Sandstone, gray, fine, calciferous 

Marl, highly quartzose, dolomitic, argillaceous; yello^vlsh powder; 2 samples 

Sandstone, calciferous, gray and white; 3 samples 

Sandstone; in sand and small chips superficially resembUng dolomite; calciferous, 

glauconitic, close grained; grains white, gray and bufl; 10 samples 

Shale and dolomite; shale hard, bright green, slaty; dolomite white, highly sili- 
ceous, with much greenish, translucent amorphous silica, 2 samples; over one- 
half of the second sample soluble in acid 

Sandstone, bufl; in powder, glauconiferous; rock is termed sandstone although 
composed chiefly of light-colored particles which effervesce freely In acid; frag- 
ments of crystalline quartz form but a small proportion of the drillings 

Sandstone, saccharoidai; dark with purpUsh tinge, dark color due to numerous 

grains of glauconite, purpUsh tinge to ferruginous stains on quartz sand; sand 

grains of crystalUne siUca, rough surfaced, imperfectly rounded, many fractured. 

Dolomite, dark gray, greenish, macrocrystalline, glauconiferous; sparingly 

arenaceous ." 

Sandstone, greenish; grains microscopic 

Shale, dull gray, fine grained, and exceedingly finely laminated 

Sandstone, glauconiferous, calciferous; grains imperfectly rounded, with hard, 

dark-green slaty shale 

Marl; in bufl flour; microscopically arenaceous; calciferous; glauconiferous 

Marl, pink; calciferous; arenaceous; one-third of drillings by weight insoluble in 
acid ; to bottom of weU 



Feet. 
33 

260 

200 
8 
30 
10 

39 



20 



130 



POLK COUNTY. 739 

Mitchellville. — ^The State Industrial School for Girls at Mitchell- 
dlle is supplied with water from several wells. (See PI. XV, p. 670.) 

Water is forced into a tank of 1,600 barrels capacity, elevated on a 
90-foot tower, from which 10 fire hydrants and taps in each building 
are supplied at a pressure of 45 pounds. The school consumes about 
8,000 gallons of water a day, less than one-fifth the capacity of the 
plant. 

Well No. 1 has a depth of 865 feet. The water is strongly saline 
and is not potable and the well was abandoned. Driller, F. J. 
McCarthy, Minneapolis. 

Well No. 2 has a depth of 470 feet and a diameter of 8 inches to 
103 feet, 6 inches to 350 feet, 4^ inches to 370 feet, 3^ inches to the 
bottom; 6-inch casing to 103 feet, and 4^-inch from 348 to 360 feet 
to shut out a foot of soapstone. The curb is 987 feet above sea level, 
and the head 102 feet below curb. Water came in at 100 feet but was 
cased out; also from 320 to 350 feet, heading 50 feet below curb, but 
the supply was small and easily reduced by pumping ; also from 440 
to 452 feet in porous rock; tested capacity 20 gallons a minute. 
Date of completion 1901. 

By August, 1904, this well had filled with sediment to 340 feet above 
its base, or nearly 200 feet above the working barrel of the pump. 

Well No. 3 has a depth of 625 feet and a diameter of 10 inches to 
107 feet, 8 inches to 317 feet, and 6 inches to the bottom; casing, 4^ 
inch, from 477 feet to bottom. The curb is 987 feet above sea level 
and the head 63 feet below curb. Tested capacity 15 gallons a minute 
at completion of well; present capacity 45 gallons a minute; water at 
depth of 550 and 563 feet. Temperature, 60° F. The well was diilled 
by J. H. Shaw, of Sioux City, and was completed in January, 1907. 

Driller's log of well No. 1 of the State Industrial School, Mitchellville. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



No samples 

Shale 

Rock 

Shale, green 

Limestone and shale . 



Feet. 
296 
269 
45 
75 
180 



Feet. 
296 
565 
610 
685 
865 



Record of strata in well No. 2 of the State Industrial School, Mitchellville. <^ 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil, black 

Clay, yellow , 

Sand 

Clay, blue , 

Clay, gravel, and small stones 

Clay, yellow 

d Driller's log to 352 feet; from 352 to 470 feet description of samples. 



Feet. 

4 
10 

3 
35 

2 
30 



Feet. 
4 
14 
17 
52 
54 
84 



740 UISTDEEGEOUISTD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in well No. 2 of the State Industrial School, Mitchellville — Contd. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, cobblestones, and gravel. 

Clay, yellow 

Clay and sand mixed 

Sandstone 



Soapstone. 

Rock, red 

Rock, hard, with layers of flint. 

Soapstone and slate 

Rock, blue 

Slate and soapstone 



Rock, hard, gray 

Soapstone with hard layers of slate (dark). 

Rock, hard, gray 

Soapstone 

Rock, hard 

Soapstone, hard 

Rock, hard, gray 



Soapstone. 

Rock, hard, with 1 foot of iron pyrites. 

Slate 

Rock, hard, with bands of flint 

Soapstone, hard 

Slate, hard, gray 

Sandstone 

Iron pyrites 

Sandstone, hard 

Slate 



Sandstone 

Slate, gray 

Sandstone, hard, with crushy layers. 

Slate, gray 

Sandstone, hard 

Iron pyrites 

Sandstone, very hard 

Limestone 

Sandstone, hard 

Soapstone 



Limestone 

Limestone, brown, crystalline, vesicular; with large masses of blue-gray chert , 

Limestone, brown; with irregular blue shaly masses 

Shale, blue, calcareous, nearly gritless 

Shale, blue-gray; with disseminated siliceous nodular masses 

Limestone, brown, vesicular; effervescence moderately slow; crystalline; fossiliferous . 

Shale, blue-gray and buff mottled, massive, calcareous; highly siliceous, with minute 
quartzose particles 

Limestone, blue, crystalline, somewhat vesicular; efiervescence rather slow , 

Limestone, blue, crystalline, porous; fossiliferous, with casts and molds; minutely are- 
naceous, argillaceous 

Limestone, mottled gray; much disseminated chert in grains and with geodic cavities 
with chaicedonic and crystalline quartz 

Limestone, yellow and dark gray; mottled like diorite; rather slow effervescence; ar- 
gillaceous, minutely arenaceous 

Limestone, blue-gray, argillaceous, and green-gray, saccharoidal; macrocrystalline 

Limestone, light brownish gray^ saccharoidal^ macrocrystalline; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, mottled dark and light gray, vesicular; effervescence rather slow; macro- 
crystalline-earthy, siliceous, with green disseminated particles of clay 

Limestone, blue-gray, vesicular, with cavities lined with chaicedonic and crystalline 
drusy quartz; with disseminated green clay as above 



Feet. 
3 
5 

10 
3 
7 

10 
2§ 

12 
2i 

10 
6 

18 
8 
2 

12 
5 

10 
2 

12 
5 
7 
5 

10 

15 
2 
4 
2 

15 
5 

24 
2 
7 
2 

5 

10 

5 

1 

2 

4 
2 



Feet. 
87 
92 
102 
105 
112 
122 
124J 
1361 
139 
149 
155 
173 
181 
183 
195 
200 
210 
212 
224 
229 
236 
241 
251 
266 
268 
272 
274 
289 
294 
318 
320 
327 
329 
334 
344 
349 
350 
352 
356 
358 
360 
361 
366 

380 
400 

410 

420 

430 
445 
450 

460 

470 



Record of strata in well No. 3, State Industrial School, Mitchellville." 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Sandstone, fine , gi-ay ; some effervescence in hot hydrochloric acid, indicating magnesian 
cement; some carbonaceous shale in coarse grains 

Sandstone, similar to the above; brisk effervescence in hot hydrochloric acid, none in 
cold acid; a few crystals of pyrite 

Shale, blue-gray, fine, rather hard, no grit 

Limestone, suberystalline, gray, fine grained; some dark carbonaceous shale, also some 
similar to that at 174 feet 

Shale, dark, fissile, fine textured 

Shale, light to dark gray; light colored is hard and fine textured; dark gray is gritty 
and crumbles more easily; some calcareous content is indicated by effervescence in 
cold hydrochloric acid; a little sandstone 

Shale, gray, fine textured 



Feet. 



a Description of driUings by James H. Lees, assistant State geologist of Iowa. 



Feet. 
120 



174 
186 



191 
207 



211 
240 



POLK COUNTY. 741 

Record of strata in well No. 3, State Industrial School, Mitchellville — Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Shale, variegated, gray, red, green; sample shows some crystal grams which probably- 
come from magnesian limestone; slight effervescence in hot hydrochloric acid 

Limestone, blue-gray, fine grained, subcrystalline; some fragments of gray fine-tex- 
tured shale like that at 211 feet 

Shale, dark gray, fine 

Clay shale, dark gray, no laminae evident; darker than the above; slightly gritty, hard, 
clay concretions 

Limestone, light gray, fine grained, pyritiferous, crystalline; brisk eflervescence in cold 
hydrochloric acid 

Clay shale, gray, fine textured; effervesces slightly in cold hydrochloric acid 

Limestone, light to dark gray, subcrystalline; grains of vesicular pyrite present; brisk 
effervescence in hydrochloric acid 

Limestone, as above, containing water 

Chert and limestone; chert gray, fine grained, one fragment being part of a quartz geode; 
limestone, gray calcite and dark -gray granular limestone; effervescence brisk with 
cold hydrochloric acid 

Limestone, magnesian, light to dark gray; finely granular; some grains of quartz 

Shale, blue-gray, fine 

Limestone, white and crystalline to dark gray; brisk effervescence in cold hydrochloric 
acid; considerable dark sand and some quartz crystals; water 

Limestone and chert; chert, milk-white, with numerous well-formed quartz crystals; 
limestone, gray, granular 

No record , 



Feet. 



Chert and limestone; chert predominates in sample, in small, angular, blue-gray chips; 
limestone in light yellowish-gray powder and fine sand; abundance indicated chiefly 
by brisk effervescence in cold hydrochloric acid. Large residue of clay and chert, 
with a few sand grains, after thorough digestion. Sample contains some blue-gray 
shale which may have come from above 

Chert and limestone, in about equal amounts; chert similar to that in sample above; 
limestone subtranslucent, crystalline-granular, somewhat iron stained. Residue 
after digestion in acid chiefly chert with some quartz grains and ferruginous granules; 
at. 



Limestone with some chert; limestone in crystalline gramiles and yellowish powder; 
chert as above. Residue almost entirely chert, some fine, light-gray silica, a few 
pyrite grains. Sample lighter gray than preceding; at 

Limestone in fine, clear, granular sand, brownish gray from coating of calcareous pow- 
der; some chert and a little shale, the latter possibly from above. Effervesces read- 
ily, residue small, chiefly chert, with some small grains of translucent quartz; at 

Limestone^ similar to above, but less chert, pyritiferous, eflervescence more rapid than 
that of higher strata. Residue small, chiefly quartz; at 

Limestone, similar to above, little chert, cleavage faces of calcite give sparkling appear- 
ance. Residue small, chert and quartz grains, with some clay, as in previous sam- 
ples; at. 



Limestone, in fine gray and subtranslucent sand; digestion in acid reveals presence of 
much quartz in fine grains, also a little blue-gray chert. Some shale and numerous 
small masses of limestone fragments held by ferruginous cement; at 



6 

125i 



Feet. 
240 



250 
260 



327 
330 



340 
357 



370 
419 
420 

434 

440 
5651 



574J 

575 

579 

595 
610 

615 

620 



A combination of the data of wells 2 and 3 gives the following 
section: 

Combined section of wells 2 and 3 (PI. X V, p. 670). 




Depth. 



Quaternary (987 to 885 feet above sea level) 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian: 

Des Moines group (885 to 670 feet above sea level) 

Mississippian: 

"St. Louis limestone" and Osage group (670 to 517 feet above sea level) 

Probably same as last (517 to 377 feet above sea level) 

Kinderhook group (377 to 302 feet above sea level) 



Feet. 
102 



317 

470 
610 
685 



742 XJNDEBGEOXJND WATEK EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Below the green shale from 610 to 685 feet "the limerock and 
shale," extendmg, according to the log of well No. 1, to 865 feet 
(122 feet above sea level) may be in part Kinderhook, but in all 
probability it includes also some upper Devonian. If the saline 
water of this well is considered as native to the lower sources, it is 
possible that the drill penetrated to the Salina ( ?) formation of the 
Silurian, 

Another well at MitchellvUle, 95 feet deep, draws from a gravel 
layer at 80 feet. The water is excellent and is used for all purposes. 
The supply may, however, be readily exhausted by hard pumping. 

Saylor. — A boring 1,800 feet deep is reported from the vicinity 
of Saylor, in sec. 12, T. 79 N., R. 24 W., but no rehable data regard- 
ing it are available. 

Saylorville. — A flowing mineral well, less than 400 feet deep, near 
Saylorville, in sec. 3, T. 79 N., R. 24 W., is said to discharge about 
5,000 gallons an hour. The source of the water is probably in or 
immediately above the Mississippian. 

Valley Junction. — The public supply of Valley Junction (popula- 
tion, 2,573) is owned by the Valley Junction Water & Light Co., 
which owns two wells that furnish the supply. One is a flowing well 
278 feet in depth which receives its water from a sandstone bed near 
the bottom and has a head 16 feet above the curb. The water is 
strongly mineral and is permitted to flow into a cistern, whence it is 
pumped for fire and m emergency. 

The common supply is taken from a large open well 24 feet in 
depth, which draws its waters from the alluvial gravels found at 
depths of 12 to 24 feet anywhere in the town. Water stands within 
12 feet of the surface, but it may be pumped out. Water is pumped 
from the second well into a tank 22 feet in diameter and 16 feet high, 
elevated on a 75-foot tower from which it is distributed by gravity 
through 2 miles of mains to 17 fire hydrants and 30 taps; 90 pounds 
pressure is generaUy maintained. 

Driven wells may be had almost anywhere in the lower part of 
town at depths of 12 to 25 feet. The water stands so near the sur- 
face that in case of flood in Raccoon River the ceUars are filled 
and water occasionally breaks up through the streets. The open 
sands and gravels lie immediately under the surface soils, except 
where they are covered with a layer of gumbo, and the ground water 
rises and falls with the river. Thus water is easy to get but Hable 
to be contaminated. On the hill bored wells 40 to 50 feet in depth 
are the rule. 



STOBY OOTJIfTY. '748 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Polk County: 

Typical wells of Polk County. 









o 




§1 




Owner. 


Location. 


J3 


AM 


Source of 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 






a 


P.2 


supply. 


M t. 3 
a> o o 








P 


P 




W 








Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




Mrs. Jennie E.Day. 


3 mUes south of 






Des Moines . 


+ 20 


Coal prospect. Water bed, 
250 (?). 


Ankeny. 










Fort Dodge, Des 
Moines & South- 




150 




Sand and 
gravel. 


- 20 






75 to 125. 


em R. R. 














W. M. Donnaghy . . 


6 miles north of 
Ankeny. 


274 


290 


do 


- 70 


Filled to 274; other water beds 
150 to 200, m fine sand. 


F. H. Himter 


2 miles northeast 
of Ankeny. 


265 


140 


Sandstone 
(Des Moines). 


- 80 


Other water beds, 150 to 200. 


Henry Wagner 


J-mile from An- 
keny. 
City Library 


380 


240 


Sandstone... 


- 60 




City of Des Moines. 


461 


44 


Gray sand- 


+ 7 


Till (alluvium), 44; soapstone, 










stone. 




10; sandstone, 7; flme clay, 
111; slate, 17; coal, 4; sand- 
stone, 80; sandstone, striped, 
some water, 30; sandstone, 
120; sandstone, hard, 
striped, water bearing, 38. 
Principal water bed at 360; 
another at 225; flows freely 
as a park well. 


Girls Industrial 


Mitchellville 


470 


102 


Sand and 


-102 


Other water beds in rock. 


School. 








gravel. 






Do 


do 


865 




At 350 feet. . 


— 60 


Very hard water. 


Do. 


.do 


95 
220 








T. S. Sayre 


NW. i sec. 20, T. 


Sand. .' 


— 80 


No rock. Slight sulphur taste. 




79N., R. 22W. 




, 






J.O.Lee 


SW. k sec. 16, T. 
78 N., R. 22 W. 


175 




do 


- 25 


No rock. Hard water. Drift 








25; blue clay, 25; yellow 
clay, 20; hard black clay. 


























100; yellow clay, with 














gravel, 5; gravel and water. 
No rock. Hard water. Drift 


Beaver Township . . 


NE. } sec. 25, T. 
79 N., R. 22 W. 


65 




do 












or soil, 21; blue clay, 44; soft 














blue sand rock (drift con- 














glomerate); sand and water. 


Valley Junction 


Valley Junction. . . 


24 




Gravel and 


- 12 


10 feet in diameter. No rock. 


Water & Light 
Co. 
Do 








quicksand. 






.do 


278 




Sandstone... 


+ 16 


Flows §-inch stream; mineral. 







STORY COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Story County is at the geographic center of Iowa. Its surface, as 
a whole, is so nearly level, compared with the southern and eastern 
parts of the State, that it appears nearly flat — a condition due to the 
drift deposited over it by the last great ice sheet. Since this depo- 
sition too Httle time has elapsed to permit much modification of the 
gently rolling surface, and the area remains one of physiographic or 
topographic youth. Swales and shallow saucer-shaped basins are 
very common, but only the largest streams have developed weU- 
marked valleys. The hills are inconspicuous low sweUs, save in a 
few places where kames and morainal ridges are well developed. 
Local relief is slight, and the maximum difference in elevation, 



744 UNDBRGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

between the highest point on the moraine hills near Summit^ with an 
altitude of 1,075 feet, and the point where South Skunk River leaves 
the county, is less than 250 feet. 

South Skunk River, which drains the western half of the county, 
and Indian Creek, which drains the eastern half, both flow southward 
through fairly well developed preglacial valleys. Their tributaries, 
however, are few and poorly developed, and ponds, small sloughs, 
and undrained areas are common. Many smaller tributaries and 
most ponds are intermittent, disappearing in dry seasons. 

GEOLOGY. 

The glacial drift is thickly spread over the surface of the entire 
county except in the valley floors of South Skunk River and its chief 
tributaries. Squaw and Indian creeks, where it has been eroded away 
or covered with alluvium. In the South Skunk River bottoms below 
Ames and along Indian Creek at Maxwell these deposits have been 
found to be from 50 to 100 feet thick, showing the preglacial character 
of the lower portions of the valleys. 

Two drift sheets at least are present, the Wisconsin and the Kansan. 
They are separated by the loess and in many places by sands and 
gravels (the Buchanan), beneath the loess. Beneath the Kansan 
another gravel bed (the Aftonian) is locally present. The bedrock is 
everywhere the coal measures (Des Moines group), except in the west- 
central portion about Ames, where South Skunk River and Squaw 
Creek have cut through them into the ''St. Louis limestone," the cut- 
ting being made possible by a decided arching of the strata. Surface 
exposures of the bedrock are comparatively rare. 

Aside from the low antichne which elevates the ''St. Louis lime- 
stone " along South Skunk River about Ames and the minor irregularity 
of the surface, Story County shows no structural features worthy of 
mention. The Des Moines group has a maximum thickness of about 
200 feet, is of varying character, and dips slightly southeast. (See 
PL XI, p. 382.) The thickness of the drift layers is extremely variable. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

In Story County water is drawn from the alluvium, the Wisconsin 
drift, the loess, the underlying interglacial sands and gravels 
(Buchanan), the Kansan drift, the sands and gravels (Aftonian) 
beneath the Kansan, the Des Moines group, the "St. Louis lime- 
stone," and deeper beds. 

AUuvium in quantity sufficient to form a water bed is limited to the 
valleys of South Skunk River and Squaw and Indian creeks. Here, 
not only beneath the flood plain but under the weU-marked terraces 



STORY COUNTY. 745 

which lie from 20 to 30 feet above it, coarse gravels and sands of 
glacial and fluvial origin alternate with clay and silt for depths of 50 
to 100 feet and form a fairly distinct water province, whose importance 
is enhanced by the fact that several towns, including Ames and Cam- 
bridge on South Skunk River, and Maxwell and Iowa Center on Indian 
Creek, are situated within it. All these towns draw their supplies 
from these deposits, which yield a satisfactory quantity of good water. 
The creamery weU at Cambridge ^ shows the nature of the strata. 

Record of creamery well at Cambridge. 



Depth. 




Loam and yellow clay 

Sand and gravel 

Clay, blue 

Sand, fine 

Gravel, coarse , 

The alluvial area is about half a mile wide on each stream, except 
on South Skunk River south of Ames, where it is about 2 miles. 

As in all the other areas covered by the Wisconsin drift sheet, the 
drainage of the Wisconsin area in this county is immature and the 
ground-water level so near the surface that the chief source of under- 
ground water for all purposes has been shallow bored and dug wells. 
The depth of the Wisconsin till, 20 to 80 feet over the general upland, 
is so great that in the earlier days comparatively few wells penetrated 
it even to the loess. Cultivation and artificial drainage have, however, 
lowered the ground-water level and this, together with the increased 
demand for water for stock, has necessitated the deepening of old wells 
or the sinking of new ones, and the latter as a general rule have been 
bored or drilled. Most of them draw their supplies from the sand and 
gravels between the two great drift sheets, which still remain the 
source most commonly utilized in the county. These beds give rise 
to many springs where they are exposed in the stream valleys; 
many are perennial and form an excellent supply for stock pastures. 

Deeper drift weUs reach a fairly persistent and satisfactory bed 
beneath the Kansan, in the sands and gravels immediately overlying 
the bedrock, though many good wells are obtained in local sand layers 
higher up. The depth is variable owing to the great variations in 
thickness not only of the Kansan but of the overlying Wisconsin; 
100 to 130 feet is common in the western portion of the county, and 
150 to 300 feet is not uncommon in its eastern portion. 

The general relations are shown in a well section given by S. W. 
Beyer ^ and interpreted by Norton. 

1 Beyer, S. W., Geology of Story County: Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 9, 1899, p. 206. 

2 Idem, p. 197. 



746 WHDEBGSOUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA* 

Log of Larson well in the NE. \ sec. 5, Lafayette Township. 



Depth. 



Wisconsin drift: 

Soil and yellow clay 

Clay, blue 

Loess: 

Quicksand 

Kansan drift: 

Clay, blue and yellow mixed 

Quicksand 

Clay, blue 

Aftonian gravel: 

Sandstone, gravel, water bearing 

Des Moines group: 

Sandstone 

Chert 

Shale, blue and black; coal; fine clay; and shale, black 



Feet. 



10 
15 

20 

25 
26 
103 



159 
161 
176 



The heavy deposit of sand and water-bearmg gravel is somewhat 
anomalous and may signify a preglacial channel. In some portions 
the Kansan is so thin that it is difficult to distinguish its upper beds. 

The record kept in the sinking of the Iowa State College well is of 
value in showing the relations of the drift horizons. 

Record of Iowa State College well, at Ames. 

Depth In feet. 

Till, yellow and gravelly; upper portion modified into soil 1-16 

Till, blue, sandy 16-32 

Till, blue ; some yellow clay 32-35 

Sand, yellow 35-40 

Till, bluish green, contains an abundance of gravel 40-50 

Silt, ash-brown; with greenish tinge, loesslike, but finer 62-97 

Silt, slightly arenaceous, at 102 

Sand, very fine, light yellow, at 105 

Sand; with coarse gravel; water bearing 110-120 

Shale, light bluish gray, calcareous, and cherty, at 126 

A gravel layer about 16 feet below the surface is the probable 
source of a spring which furnished the earlier water supply of the 
college. A sand and gravel bed 10 feet in thickness at a depth of 40 
feet and the coarse sand and gravel near the base of the well all indi- 
cate excellent supplies sufficient for ordinary use, though they have 
in late years proved insufficient to meet the demands of the college. 

A few weUs penetrate the entire drift and, entering the bedrock, 
find a satisfactory supply in sandstone lenses in the coal measures (Des 
Moines group) . These layers are so local and variable that no general 
prediction can be made concerning them, and their water is in places 
too highly impregnated with sulphur salts to be valuable for domestic 
use. As a rule, this group is here chiefly composed of shales and 
therefore practically dry. These beds are absent in the small area 
about Ames & Soper's mill, but reach a maximum thickness of 200 
feet in the southwestern portion of the county. A driller's log indi- 
cates the type of well. 



STOEY COUNTY. 747 

Log of Tildes, well, in the NE. \ sec. 1.2, Franklin Tovmship. 




Soil and yellow clay (Wisconsin) 

Sand and clay (loess) 

Clay, blue (Kansan) 

Slate 

Sand; with coal and water 

The "St. Louis limestone" lies so deep over most of the county as 
to be beyond the reach of ordinary wells, and its shaly character 
makes it less certain as a water bearer than it is farther south. How- 
ever, sandy layers mingling with the shaly beds beneath the heavy 
upper limestone supply a number of wells ranging from 130 to 400 
feet in depth. 

At the Iowa State College, at Ames, and at Nevada, the deeper beds 
have been drawn upon. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

In the eastern part of the county the stock wells are generally 
deeper than in the western part. Depths of 200 to 300 feet are not 
uncommon, the water being drawn mostly from sandstone beds of 
the Des Moines group. Bored wells in drift are sufficient for ordinary 
household purposes and small farms. 

Throughout the southwestern portion of the county farm wells 200 
to 400 feet in depth are most common, but few of them enter bedrock, 
abundant water being supplied by heavy gravel layers in the base of 
the drift. Cambridge, Maxwell, and Iowa Center, in the southern 
portion of the county, draw their supplies from the alluvial sands 
interstratified with the silts of South Skunk River and Indian Creek. 
WeUs 200 to 300 feet deep are common in the southeastern section. 
One of these is utilized for a small town supply at Collins. 

Several small and well-defined flowing-well basins are found in the 
northern part of Story County, in the bottoms of valleys, and have 
their origin in the drift. Beyer ^ describes these basins as follows: 

Of these, Keigleys Branch, Zearing, and Dyes Branch constitute the most note- 
worthy artesian basins in the order of their importance. Watkin's well is the strongest 
well in the Keigleys Branch basin and may be considered typical of the area. The 
sequence of strata passed through is as follows: k 

Soil, 3 feet; clay, yellow, 17 feet; clay, blue, 35 feet; gravel and sand, water bearing, 
7 feet; blue clay penetrated. 

It is reported that the drill dropped 9 feet on reaching the gravel and that water 
carrying gravel with it spouted out with great violence. Bowlders of several pounds 
weight were thrown out. The water contains much suspended sediment. Tempera- 
ture, 48° F.; rate of flow, 28,000 gallons per hour. 

1 Geology of Story County: Iowa Geol. Sun^ey, vol. 9, 1899, pp. 230-232. 



748 IJNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

There are numerous other flowing wells in this vicinity, but all of small flow. In 
the majority of instances the temperature is 2° or 3° higher than in the case of Watkin's 
well and about 5° higher than in ordinary shallow wells in the same locality, which 
show a temperature of about 45° to 46° F. 

In the Zearing basin all of the wells are located on the bottom land along Minerva 
Creek, within a radius of a mile from the town of Zearing. All are of small capacity 
and vary from 60 to 90 feet in depth. 

Along Dyes Branch several flowing wells have been developed. The water-bearing 
stratum is reached at from 80 to 120 feet below the surface, the depth depending upon 
the position of the mouth of the well. The water is of good quality, but, as in the case 
of the preceding basins, it carries considerable ferruginous matter, as evidenced by the 
taste and by the brownish rust which coats all vessels in which the water has been 
allowed to stand. 

Several other flowing wells are known at widely separated points in the county, but 
in every case they are of small capacity and possess Httle of general interest. 

The Skunk Valley at Story City and the Bear Creek Valley at 
Roland are also noteworthy artesian basins. In the former is located 
the city well of Story City. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Ames. — Tlie location of Ames (population, 4,223) on the terraces of 
South Skunk River and Squaw Creek insures an abundant supply in 
the alluvial sands at no great depth. The city supply is drawn from a 
well 10 inches in diameter, drilled within the casing, which was driven 
as fast as the well was drilled to a depth of 99 feet, and finished with 
a 10-foot screen. The water is thus drawn from coarse sands and 
gravels at a depth beyond danger of surface contamination. The 
head is usually about 48 feet below the surface. 

Tlie Chicago & North Western Railway uses a similar well in which 
a Cook strainer was sunk to a depth of 104 feet, the water standing 
30 feet below the surface. The log is of interest in this connection. 

Record of Chicago & North Western Railway well at Ames. 



Loam, sandy 

Sand, blue, and clay. 

Gravel, coarse 

Sand, water bearing. 



Depth. 




One of the most important wells in this vicinity is that of the 
Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. (See PI. XI, 
p. 382.) Formerly an abundant and excellent supply had been 
obtained from the gravels underlying the Wisconsin till, but this 
source faUed entirely in the dry summers of 1894 and 1895. The 
well has a depth of 2,215 feet and a diameter of 12 inches for 120 feet, 
10 inches for 300 feet, 8 inches for 648 feet, 6f inches for 362 feet, 5f 



STORY COUNTY. 749 

inches for 505 feet, and 5 inches for 280 feet, to the bottom. It is 
cased within 280 feet of the bottom; no repairs made. The curb is 
1,000 feet above sea level, and the present head is 20 feet below the 
curb. The original pumping capacit;% was 100 gallons a minute; 
present yield, 100 gallons a minute; yield can be materially increased 
by speeding the pumps. The well was completed in 1897 by Gray 
Bros., of Chicago. 

The water beds are stated by Beyer to be the Jordan, the New 
Richmond, and the St. Peter. Pumping tests indicate that the 
water-yielding ratio of these formations is 15 to 4 to 1, respectively,^ 

The temperature observations made of this well by Beyer ^ are of 
especial value. When the tests were made the well was practically 
fuU of water and had not been disturbed for more than a month. 
No corrections were made for convection currents nor for conduction. 
A Miller-Casella self -registering maximum- minimum thermometer 
was used. The instrument was lowered and the depth measured by a 
steel wire which passed around a calibrated drum. Readings were 
taken every 100 feet. The mean annual temperature at Ames is 
47.2° F.; the temperature at 2,100 feet below the surface is 63.4° F.; 
and the average gradient is 1° F. for every 129.6 feet of depth. 

Record of strata in deep well at Ames (PI. XI, p. 382).^ 

Pleistocene (120 feet thick; top, 1,000 feet above sea level) : 

Till, yellow, sandy to gravelly; upper portion modified Depth in feet. 

into soil 1-16 

Till, blue, sandy 16-32 

Till, blue; some yellow clay 32-35 

Sand, yellow 35-40 

Till, greenish blue; abundance of gravel and cherty 

limestone pebbles; matrix effervesces freely with 

dilute hydrochloric acid 40-50 

Silt, ash-brown; with greenish tinge, calcareous and 

absorbent, loesslike but finer 62-97 

Silt, slightly arenaceous 102 

Sand, very fine, light yellow 105 

Sand; with coarse gravel, waterbearing; quartz pebbles 

abundant; limestone fragments present 110-120 

Carboniferous (Mississippian) (300 feet thick; top, 880 feet 
above sea level) : 

Shale, light bluish gray, calcareous, cherty 126 

Limestone, blue-gray, argillaceous, pyritiferous 151 

Limestone, gray, argillaceous; some quartz 160-170 

Limestone, light gray, soft, even textured, cherty; 

effervesces very freely with weak hydrochloric acid. . 185 

Limestone, slightly argillaceous 200 

Limestone and shale - 210 

1 Beyer, S. W., Iowa Agricultural College water supply, Ames, 1897, p. 11. 

2 Idem, pp. 13-14. 

3 Idem, pp. 6-9. 



750 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



Carboniferous (Mississippian) (300 feet thick; top, 880 feet 
above sea level) — Continued. Depth in feet. 

Shale and limestone 240 

Shale, blue, noncalcareous, pyritiferous 310 

Limestone, argillaceous; 'tending toward an oolitic 
facies; effervesces strongly with dilute hydrochloric 

acid 315 

Shale, with fragments of white limestone; fossiliferous 

and pyritiferous 320 

Shale, earthy blue, arenaceous 325 

Shale, light reddish brown; some green shale, slightly 

calcareous 330 

Limestone, blue-gray; some green shale and brown 

limestone 375 

Limestone, brown, pyritiferous 385 

Limestone, brown; fragments of white cherty lime- 
stone and angular quartz grains. 395 

Limestone, brown, argillaceous 400 

Shale, light gray, highly calcareous 415 

Shale, gray-blue, calcareous 416-420 

Devonian (310 feet thick; top, 580 feet above sea level) : 

Limestone, yellowish gray; some carbonaceous matter. . 420 

Limestone, white, compact 440-456 

Shale, light bluish gray 460-475 

Shale and limestone 495 

Shale and limestone 540 

Limestone, white, and shale, greenish blue, noncal- 
careous 550 

Shale, ash-blue, calcareous 560 

Limestone, gray-blue; fragments of brown limestone 

and green shale 570 

Limestone, gray-blue 580 

Limestone, gray, and shale, blue and green 590 

Limestone, fossiliferous 600-610 

Limestone, gray-brown, subcrystalline 615-640 

Limestone, gray-brown, and shale 645-660 

Limestone, buff, subcrystalline 660-680 

Silurian (150 feet thick; top, 270 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, buff; earthy luster; soft; effervesces mod- 
erately with hydrochloric acid 690 

Limestone, blue and buff; the latter in part vesicular 

and magnesian 700 

Limestone, drab, highly argillaceous 710 

Limestones; several kinds; one a buff earthy limestone, 
finely laminated, effervescing slowly, the laminae 

marked by dark-gray bands 720 

Dolomite, light gray 730 

Dolomite, brown and gray, subcrystalline; varying in 

hardness and color 740 

Limestone, buff 750 

Shale, olive-green 755 

Limestone, buff 775,815-830 

Shale and limestone 840-850 

Dolomite, ash-gray 860 

Dolomite, white 870 



STOEY COUNTY. 751 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (160 feet thick; top, 120 feet above sea 

level): Depth In feet. 

Shale, green, plastic, noncalcareous 880 

Shale, brown; slightly or not at all calcareous; 2 

samples 890, 900 

Shale, blue and green, noncalcareous 930 

Shale, brownish, slightly calcareous 940 

Shale, brownish; white fragments 950 

Shale, blue, noncalcareous 960 

Shale, earthy brown, calcareous 970 

Shale, blue, calcareous 980-1,030 

Galena and Platteville limestones (380 feet thick; top, 
40 feet below sea level) : 

Limestone; sharp drillings in an argillaceous pow- 
der 1,040 

Limestone, white 1, 050-1, 060 

Limestone, white; much argillaceous material 1,080-1,090 

Limestone, gray-blue, with blue shale and white 

chert 1,100 

Limestone, gray-blue, compact; white chert in 

abundance; drillings sharply angular 1, 110-1, 130 

Limestone; as above, but less chert 1, 140-1, 170 

Limestone, slightly earthy, gray-blue 1, 180-1, 190 

Limestone, gray-blue, marly 1, 200 

Limestone, buff, magnesian, marly 1, 210-1, 230 

Limestone, ash-gray 1, 240-1, 260 

Limestone, ash-gray; fragments of noncalcareous 

black and green shale 1, 270 

Limestone, brown, soft 1, 280 

Limestone, gray and brown, cherty 1, 290 

Limestone, gray; considerable reddish brown resid- 
ual material 1, 300 

Limestone, cherty 1, 310 

Limestone gray, with green shale 1, 320 

Limestone, gray, siliceous 1, 330-1, 380. 

Shale, green, fissile, noncalcareous, fossiliferous 
and pyritiferous; fossils identified, Dalmanites 
pygidia and Isotelus (Asaphus) pygidia resembling 
some forms of /. gigas DeKay; Rafinesquina alter- 
nata, Orthis subequata, 0. fissicosta, and other 

Orthidse 1, 385-1, 410 

St. Peter sandstone (70 feet thick; top, 420 feet below 
sea level) : 
Sandstone, fine textured, white; grains even and 

well waterworn 1, 420-1, 460 

Sandstone, calciferous 1, 470-1, 480 

Prairie du Chien group (610 feet thick; top, 490 feet 
below sea level) : 

Dolomite 1, 490-1, 500 

Dolomite and sandstone; some doubly terminated 

quartz crystals 1, 510 

Sandstone 1,520 

Dolomite 1, 530 



752 UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Ordovician — Continued. 

Prairie du Chien group (610 feet thick; top, 490 feet 

below sea level) — Continued. Depth in feet. 

Dolomite, coarse sand, and green shale 1, 540 

Sandstone and dolomite; sandstone varying in size 

of grain 1, 550 

Sandstone; grains angular 1, 560 

Dolomite 1, 570 

Dolomite, arenaceous 1, 580 

Dolomite, arenaceous and cherty 1, 590-1, 600 

Sandstone, fine grained, angular, calcareous ce- 
ment 1, 610 

Sandstone, yellow; much siliceous dolomite 1, 620 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous 1, 630-1, 640 

Dolomite, white, finely quartzose 1, 650 

Dolomite, arenaceous 1, 660-1, 680 

Marl, yellow; in argillo-calcareous powder, cherty, 

quartzose 1, 690 

Dolomite 1,700-1,710 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous 1, 720-1, 730 

Dolomite 1, 740-1, 750 

Dolomite ; chert and sand 1, 760 

Sandstone 1, 770-1, 790 

Dolomite 1, 800-1, 830 

Dolomite, arenaceous 1, 840 

Dolomite, argillaceous and arenaceous 1, 850 

Dolomite 1, 860-1, 880 

Dolomite and sand 1, 890-1, 910 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous 1, 920 

Sandstone 1, 930 

Dolomite 1, 950-1, 960 

Dolomite, arenaceous; grains well waterworn 1, 970-1, 990 

Dolomite, arenaceous ; some green shale 2, 000-2, 010 

Dolomite 2, 020-2, 040 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous 2, 050 

Dolomite 2,060-2,070 

Dolomite, argillaceous 2, 080 

Shale, blue, noncalcareous 2, 090 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (115 feet penetrated; top, 1,100 feet 
below sea level) : 

Sandstone; with dolomite and a little blue shale. . . 2, 100 
Sandstone, white and waterworn; a small per- 
centage of the grains contained iron 2, 110 

Sandstone, white ; grains fine, sharp 2, 120 

Sandstone; as above, with coarser well-rounded 

grains 2, 130 

Sandstone, white; grains fine, even, well worn 2, 140-2, 175 

Sandstone, white; texture variable 2, 185 

Sandstone; grains stained red with ii-on oxide; red 
and gi-een shale; grains larger than above and 
more angular; iron pyrites and a black metallic 

mineral present 2, 195 

Shale, brownish red, arenaceous 2, 205 

Shale, green 2, 215 



STORY COUNTY. 



753 



Nevada. — The city of Nevada (population, 2,138) has two distinct 
sources of supply, a shallow open well 25 feet in depth, drawing its 
water from a coarse gravel bed, presumably at the base of the Wiscon- 
sin, and a drilled well 980 feet in depth, reaching the Silurian aquifers. 
Water is pumped chiefly from the shallow well and the deeper one 
is held in reserve, because of the expense of pumping the latter from 
a depth of 300 feet and because its water is strongly mineral. 

The shallow well yields only about 500 barrels a day and is easily 
pumped out in dry summers. The water is distributed by gravity 
from a tank, capacity 35,000 gallons, elevated on a 90-foot tower, 
and a pressure of 50 pounds is maintained on the main streets. 
Mains 5 J miles long supply 35 fh^e hydrants and about 140 taps. 
About one-fourth of the population use the city supply, and all others 
are provided with shallow wells from the same aquifer. 

The drilled well (PI. XI, p. 382) has a depth of 980 feet and a diame- 
ter of 11, 8, and 6 inches; casing to 810 feet. The curb is 1,005 feet 
above sea level and the original head 103 feet below curb. The 
water bed is at 940 feet (Silurian), a,nd the tested capacity 200 gallons 
a minute. Date of completion, 1895. Drillers, Palmer & Sandbo, 
of Caledonia, Minn. 

Driller's log of city ivell at Nevada {PI. XI, p. 382). 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Clay, yellow 

Sand 

Clay, tiU 

Shale 

Clay, black 

Slate 

Coal and slate 

Clay, light gray 

Shell limerock 

Limetock, white, mixed with flint 

Granite, blue 

Limestone, blue 

Shale, red 

Limestone, blue 

Soapstone 

Limestone, white 

Limestone, blue 

Clay, blue 

Limestone, blue 

Limestone, white 

Sandstone, dark 

Sandstone, white 

Sandstone, red 

Sandstone, white 

Sandstone, red 

Limestone, white 



Feet. 
30 
36 
46 
101 
121 
171 
246 
249 
252 
267 
282 
432 
482 
575 
583 
663 
671 
769 
801 
804 
859 
899 
934 
944 
956 
964 
968 
980 



The clay shales and coal from 101 to 267 feet may be interpreted 
as the Des Moines group. The Mississippian includes the "limestone 
mixed with flint" and the so-called "granite," and the Kinderhook 
may be represented in at least the upper part of the blue limestone 

36581°— wsp 293—12 48 



754 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

from 482 to 663 feet. Under this interpretation the Umestones from 
671 to 899 feet may be Devonian, and the sandstone beneath them 
may be dolomites of the Silurian. Certainly no sandstone is to be 
looked for at this horizon. 

Nevada is 1,005 feet above sea level. The artesian water used for 
city supply is so highly mineralized that it is important to know 
whether a better water could not be had by drUhng deeper. This 
question may be answered in the affirmative. The records of the 
present city well are regrettably incomplete and inconclusive, but the 
very scant data seem to show that the supply is drawn from the 
Silurian and higher strata. Had the weU been drilled deeper it would 
have found a much better water and the supply would also have been 
increased. Should the present well be deepened or another drilled, 
the Maquoketa shale may be expected within 50 or 100 feet below 
the bottom of this well, and this dry shale may reach a thickness of 
150 feet. The Galena and PlattevUle limestones, underlying the 
Maquoketa, should yield some water, especially above the green shale 
at or near the base of the Platteville, but the drill may fail to find 
water by failing to strike a crevice. The St. Peter sandstone, the 
first reliable water bed, would normally be encountered at about 600 
feet below sea level, or about 1,600 feet below the surface, but the 
presence of an upwarp of the strata in this vicinity, as shown by the 
deep well at Ames, may bring this sandstone 100 or even 200 feet 
higher. Below the St. Peter abundant stores of water will be found 
in the Prairie du Chien group and the Jordan sandstone, and the well 
may be sunk with advantage to 2,300 or 2,400 feet, although a supply 
sufficient for present needs may be found within 2,000 feet. The 
weU should be cased water-tight to the Maquoketa or to the Galena. 

Story City. — The public supply of Story City (population, 1,387) 
comes from a flowing well which just reaches rock at 100 feet, the 
aquifer being the Aftonian gravel at the base of the Pleistocene. 
This overflows at the surface at the rate of about 50 gallons a minute 
into a cistern from which it is pumped into an elevated tank which 
furnishes a pressure of about 40 pounds on the mains. The flow has 
slightly decreased. 

The same aquifer is generaUy drawn upon by the deeper weUs in 
this vicinity. In many wells on lowlands the water flows and 
in all it rises nearly to the surface. The supply from these wells is 
abundant and good. Where but a moderate quantity is needed, it is 
obtained at depths of 25 to 30 feet. 

Minor supplies. — Though shallow bored wells are common near 
Gilbert (population, 235) for household purposes, drifled weUs 100 
to 200 feet in depth are generaUy necessary for stock, and both 
the lower drift gravels and the country rock furnish the water. 
MaxAvell (population, 754) has two wells 80 and 100 feet in depth; a 



WEBSTER COUNTY. 



755 



tanK witn a capacity of 1,300 barrels, elevated 60 :eet from the ground, 
receives the water from the pumps, and from this it is distributed 
by gravity to the few fire hydrants and taps necessary for the vUlage. 
Direct pressure is available in case of fire. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wens m Story County: 

Typical wells of Story County. 













Head 




Owner. 


, Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 






Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




H. C. Wickham... 


SW. \ sec. 10, T. 
85N., R. 21 W. 


365 


120 


Rock (Des 
Moines). 


- 60 




R. D. Tresseler 


2 miles southwest 


98 


90 




-f-4-f 


Flow 16 gallons a minute. 




of Gilbert. 










J. Weigle 


7A miles north of 
'Gilbert. 


386 


150 


Rock ("St. 
Louis"?). 


- 40 


Pleistocene: Yellow clay, 18; 




sand, 12; blue clay, 120. 














Des Moines: Slate, 50. 














"St. Louis:" Fine clay 














mingled with streaks of 














hard rock, 186. 


City 


Ames 


108 




Sand and 
gravel. 


- 48 


10 inches diameter 9J-foot 






screen. 


Henry Byal 


5| miles south of 


420 


200 


Sandstone 


-180 


Soil, 2; yellow clay, 25; blue 
clay, 53; sand, 2; blue clay, 




Collins. 






( ' ' St. 
Louis"?). 














118; slate, 10; sandrock, 8; 














slate, 2; sandrock, 12; slate, 














1; sandrock, 20; slate, 1; 














rock, various changes, l76. 














No water above 418. 


Jos. ©linger 


2J miles northeast 
of Maxwell. 


288 


125 


do 


-138 


"In altematmg hard rock 
and sandrock." 


Sam MDler 


2§ miles northwest 
of Maxwell. 


118 


100 


do 


- 6 




Frank Fish 


Collins 


298 


180 


Brown 
sandstone. 


- 90 










G. Elliott 


3 miles east of Col- 


60 




AftonianC?) 


— 20 


Soil and yellow clay (Wis- 
consin), 12; Sand (loess?). 




lins. 






sand. 
















6; sand, coarse (Buchanan), 














8; clay, yellow (Kansan), 














8; clay, blue (Kansan). 23; 
sand and water (Aiton- 


























ian?), 3. 


B. Olson 


Z\ miles north of 
Slater. 


100 






- 60 


Bored. Cased with 12-inch 








tiling. Soil and yellow 














clay, 16; blue clay, 50; yel- 














low clay, sand and water, 
hard dark clay, 34. Good 
supply of hard water. 


























Chicago & North 


Ames 


104 




Sand and 


- 30 


Cook well strainer. 


Western Rail- 








gravel- 






way Co. 














City 


Nevada 


25 




Coarse 
gravel. 


- 10 


12 foot diameter; capacity, 
500 barrels a day. 






Do 


do 


980 


100 


Silurian 
sandrock. 


-150 


Mineral. Poor boiler water. 






Sand water beds at 25 and 














100 feet. 



WEBSTER COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGBAPHY. 

Webster County is situated in the middle of the Wisconsin drift 
and in most parts shows the almost perfectly flat surface configura- 
tion so common to all the counties covered by that drift sheet. One 



756 UNDEKGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

very marked deviation from the generally flat country is the deep 
valley cut out by Des Moines Kiver, which enters the north-central 
portion of the county and passes out at the southeast corner. Several 
tributaries of the Des Moiaes in the northwest have also considerably 
modified the flat country. 

GEOLOGY. 

The drift is represented by both the Kansan and the Wisconsin 
sheets, each of which extends over practically the whole county. 
The rock formations under the drift are represented by the Missis- 
sippian, Pennsylvanian (Des Moines group), and Permian (?). The 
Des Moines group extends over all except the northern part of the 
county, which is underlain by the Mississippian. The Permian ( ?) , 
which carries gypsum, occurs in isolated areas on either side of 
Des Moines River in the vicinity of Fort Dodge. 

The drift deposits have been for the most part laid down horizon- 
tally, although abrupt thickening and thinning of the beds are shown. 
Along Des Moines River they appear to foUow the slopes of the river 
bottom. Little is known regarding the structure of the older rocks, 
but they are probably nearly horizontal. (See Pis. VI, p. 258; XVI.) 

As is generaUy the case in counties of central Iowa that are covered 
by the Wisconsin drift, Webster County has two important drift- 
water horizons, one beneath the Kansan and the other beneath the 
Wisconsin. Some wells have gone through the drift and into the 
underlying rocks, where they have obtained water from limestone 
or sandstone. 

In Webster County comparatively shallow drift wells are numerous 
and yield good supplies of water. Rock wells are scarce. Nearly all 
water is rather hard. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

So far as the existing supply of water is concerned, the most 
important aquifer in this county is the sand or gravel beneath the 
Wisconsin drift, which in most places lies withui 100 feet and in some 
places within 35 to 50 feet of the surface. Except along the stream 
bottoms the sand or gravel beneath the Kansan drift is reached at 
not less than 100 feet and in places at not less than 200 or 230 feet. 
Locally the Wisconsin has been completely removed by erosion along 
the main waterways and the first important aquifer to be reached is 
that beneath the Kansan instead of that beneath the Wisconsin. 
This is particularly true in the vicinity of Fort Dodge. Locally 
water-bearing sand beds may occur within either the Wisconsin or 
the Kansan drift. 



WEBSTER COUNTY. 757 

Some wells have gone into the rock formations below the drift, as 
along the river north of Fort Dodge, where the ''St. Louis limestone'* 
is reached, and farther south along the river near Lehigh, where the 
coal measures (Des Monies group) have been reached. A few deeper 
wells in the high-level country have also gone through the whole drift 
and into the coal measures, where water is obtained either from lime- 
stone or sandstone. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

No distmct water provinces exist in Webster County. Conditions 
are very similar over the entire county, except along the principal 
drainage lines where some flowing wells occur, as along Des Moines 
River near Fort Dodge and along the tributaries of the Des Moines 
near Lehigh and Dayton. It is thought that the source of water in 
these flowing wells is at the base of the Kansan, the Wisconsin 
having generally been stripped along the streams. 

SPRINGS, 

Springs are uncommon m Webster County, except along drainage 
lines — the Des Moines and its branches. Several large springs occur 
along Lizard Creek near Fort Dodge. A mineral spring is utilized at 
Kalo and many small springs may be found along the larger streams. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Dayton. — Dayton (population, 717) pumps its water by gasoline 
engine from a well about 688 feet deep and distributes it by gravity 
with a pressure of 45 pounds. There are \\ miles of mains and 16 
fire hydrants; 400 persons use 10,000 gallons daily. The water is 
hard. The well (PI. XVI) has a diameter of 10 to 6 inches. The curb 
is 1 ,089 feet above sea level and the head 111 feet below the curb. The 
water, which comes from 570 to 688 feet, is lowered 100 feet by 
pumping. The well was completed in 1895 by J. H. Shaw, of Sioux 
City. 

Driller'' s log of well at Dayton. 



Soil and yellow clay 

Clay, blue 

Sana, white, and bowlder. 

Clay, blue, or shale 

Clay , yellow , or shale 

Clay, blue, or shale 

Coal 

Clay, blue, or shale 

Clay, black, or shale 

Clay, blue, or shale 

Limestone, brown 

Limestone, white 

Limestone, blue 

Limestone, white 




758 UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

Record of strata in tvell at Dayton {PL XVI, p. 672). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Quaternary (163 feet thick; top, 1,089 feet above sea level): 

Soil 

Clay, stiff, Ught gray, calcareous 

Till, blue; 3 samples 

Sand, coarse 

Till, blue 

Till, yellow, and fine gravel 

Till, blue; 3 samples 

Carboniferous : 
Pennsylvanian: 

Des Moines group (207 feet thick; top, 926 feet above sea level): 

Shale, di-ab, calcareous; 4 samples : 

Coal and coaly shale 

Shale, hard, drab 

Shale, dark reddish-brown, nearly black 

Shale, drab 

Shale, black; 4 samples (from 300 to 350 feet) 

Mississippian: 

"St. Louis Umestone"and Osage group (155 feet thick; top, 719 feet above 
sea level): 

Sandstone, light gray, fine grained; in chips 

Limestone, brown, and chert, drab; some chips of black shale from above. 
Limestone, light yellow-gray; brisk effervescence; in part oolitic, in part 

encrinital; 5 samples 

Kinderhook group (163 feet penetrated; top, 564 feet above sea level): 

Dolomite, haid, light brown, crystalline, porous; in sand; 2 samples 

Limestone, magnesian, drab, crystalline; moderately slow effervescence; 

in thin cnips; 3 samples 

Chert, light gray; siliceous oolite, drab; some brown limestone; 3 samples. 

Chert, light gray, and brown limestone 

Limestone, gray, cherty; slow effervescence; some fine quartz sand; fine 
sand 



Feet. 

4 
21 
50 

8 
22 
20 



20 

28 

107 

30 

45 
65 
15 



Feet. 
4 

25 
75 
83 
105 
125 
163 



208 
211 
235 
260 
300 
370 



390 
418 



525 
555 



600 
66,) 



688 



Fort Dodge. — The water supply of Fort Dodge (population, 15,543) 
is obtained from a deep well and is distributed by direct pressure and 
by gravity. The domestic pressure is 100 pounds and the fire pressure 
125. There are 20| miles of mains, 122 fire hydrants, and 1,359 taps. 
The daily consumption in summer is 1,600,000 gallons and in winter 
900,000 to 1,200,000 gallons. 

The city well at Fort Dodge (Pis. VI, XVI) has a depth of 1,827^ feet 
and a diameter of 15 inches to 278 feet, 13^ inches to 328 feet, 12 
inches to 499 feet, lOJ inches to 1,056 feet, 8^ inches to 1,390 feet, 6 
inches to 1,421 feet, and 5 inches to the bottom of the well. It is 
cased between l,036i and 1,056 feet, 1,332 and 1,390 feet, and 1,375 
and l,438f feet. The curb is about 1,011 feet above sea level. A 
flow from ''gravel" at 328 feet was 144 gallons a minute; at 1,497 
feet it had increased to 316 gallons a minute; at 1,535 feet it measured 
314 gallons a minute; at 1,578 feet it had risen to 484 gallons a min- 
ute; and at the completion of the well supplies from still lower beds 
raised the total amount to 571 gallons a minute. Temperature, 
about 55° F. The well was completed in 1907, at a cost of $8,000, by 
the Miller Artesian Well Co., of Chicago.^ 

1 Since 1908 two additional wells have been drilled for city supply. Well No. 2 has a depth of 670 
feet and a diameter of 20 inches at the top and of 13§ inches at the bottom. It is a flowing well and 
discharges 150 gallons a minute. Well No. 3 is located 1,000 feet from the other wells. It is 215 feet 
deep, 8 inches in diameter, and flows 600 gallons a minute. The combined flow of the three wells in 
March, 1912, was reported at more than 1,500,000 gallons in 24 hours. 



WEBSTER OOUJiTTY. 759 

Record of strata in city well No. 1 at Fort Dodge (PI. VI, p. 258; PI. XVI, p. 672). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



No samples 

Carboniferous (Mississippian} (450 feet thick; top, 913 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, buff; slow eftervescence; in sand 

Sandstone, yellow-gray, calciferous, and argiUaeeous 

Shale, tough, greenish 

No record 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, in finest meal, residue argillaceous and siliceous; 
and shale, greenish gray, minutely sandy and limy 

Shale, tough, greenish; 3 samples 

Limestone and shale 

Shale, bluish : 

Shale and limestone 

Shale; two samples '. 

Limestone, oolitic, white or light-yellow, soft; rapid effervescence; 2 samples 

Limestone, minutely arenaceous and pyritiferous 

Limestone; rapid enervescence 

Shale 



Feet. 



Feet. 



Limestone; rapid eflervescence; light colored; 3 samples 

Limestone, maf^nesian 

Limestone, white, crystalline 

Limestone, buff; slow effervescence 

Limestone, yellow, crystalline; rapid eflfervescence 

Limestone, buff, moderately slow eflfervescence 

No samples 

Limestone, cherty 

Limestone, buff; moderately slow effervescence 

Limestone, buff, hard, vesicular; considerable caleite; slow effervescence 

Limestone, as above; drab, cherty , 

Limestone; rapid effervescence; in large chips 

Limestone, as above; cherty 

Limestone; slow eflervescence; cherty 

Limestone; di'ab; rapid effervescence 

Shale; in concreted powder; light blue-gray; calcareous 

Shale and limestone; shale, gieen, noncalcareous; limestone, yellow; rapid effer- 
vescence 

Dolomite, dark blue-gi'ay ; in fine sand 

Dolomite, dark-drab, porous, subcrystalline; in chips 

Limestone, in fine drab sand; slow effervescence; residue pyritiferous, argillaceous, 
and minutely quartzose 

Shale, greenish-gray; in concreted calcareous powder 

Limestone, blue-gray; slow eflervescence; some yellow limestone of rapid efler- 
vescence; some chips of calcareous greenish shale 

Shale, hard, green, finely laminated; somewhat calcareous 

Devonian and Silurian (310 feet thick; top, 463 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, bufl and light yellow, soft; rapid effervescence; some shale from above. 

Limestone; in fine white rneal; rapid eflervescence 

Limestone, light buff and drab; moderately slow eflervescence 

Dolomite, light blue or light yellow gray; in fine sand; at 598 macrocrystalline; 
highly vesicular; in large chips; 5 samples 

Limestone, blue-gray; rapid effervescence 

Dolomite, hard, compact, subcrystalline, yellow and blue gray; 2 samples; some 
greenish shale at 648 feet 

Limestone, yeUow and gray; rapid effervescence; some greenish shale 

Limestone, buff, compact; slow eflervescence; some shale 

Dolomite, blue-gray, compact, subcrystalline; in large chips; some shale 

Dolomite, light and darker blue-gray; 2 samples; in fine sand 

Shale, highly calcareous, in light gray loosely concreted powder; some dolomite. . . 

Shale, as above; light blue 

Dolomite; bufl 

Dolomite and shale; dolomite drab, rough; shale, blackish, bituminous, burns with 
flame 

Dolomite; drab, earthy 

Dolomite; light bufl, dense 

Dolomite; drab; considerable blackish shale; 2 samples ■ 

Shale, blue, clayey, and bufl dolomite; chips of both rusted on surface to ocher 
yellow 

Xiimestone, magnesian, or dolomite; drab, earthy 

Dolomite; drab or bufl; mostly in crystalline sand; 5 samples 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (250 feet thick; top, 153 feet above sea level): 

Shale, blue; in calcareous, concreted powder; 4 samples 

Limestone; rapid eflervescence; bufl and ^ray, soft 

Shale and limestone; shale, green, pyritiferous; limestone, light bufl, fine 

crystaUine, granular; slow effervescence 

Shale; m highly calcareous, blue-gray concreted powder 

Limestone or dolomite, buff, hard; in sand, some greenish shale, probably 

from above 

Limestone and shale; limestone, light gray, rather soft, moderately slow effer- 
vescence, fine crystalline granular; in sand; shale, in blue powder 



98 
108 
128 
138 

148 
178 
188 
198 
208 
228 
248 
258 
268 
278 
308 
318 
328 
338 
348 
358 
388 
398 
408 
418 
428 
438 
448 
458 
468 
478 



508 

518 
528 

538 

548 

558 
568 
578 

C28 
638 



678 
688 
708 
718 
728 
738 

748 
758 
768 



918 
928 



938 
948 



760 UNDEKGEOUND WATEE RESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in city mell No. 1 at Fort Dodge (PI. XVI) — Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Ordovician— Continued 

Maquoketa shale (250 feet thick; top, 153 feet above sea level — )Continued. 

Shale; in light blue-gray, highly calcareous powder, concreted; 15 samples; 

some white chert at 958 feet, much white chert at 968 and 9SS feet; limestone, 

gray magnesian at 988 feet, cherty from 1,058 to 1,098 feet 

Shale, bright green; in chips; chips of white nonmagnesian limestone and 

white chert 

Galena dolomite (170 feet thick; top, 97 feet below sea level) 

Dolomite and chert, light gray 

Shale, in gray concreted powder, calcareous 

Dolomite, gray; in fine sand, mingled with powder of shale; 2 samples 

Shale or marl, in light-yellow concreted powder; highly calcareous; residue 

cherty and argillaceous 

Limestone, gray; in sand; much chert 

Dolomite, crystalline, vesicular, yellow-gray and blue-gray; 4 samples 

Dolomite, light bufli; much white chert 

Dolomite, light bull and drab; 2 samples 

Dolomite, gray and buff, subcrystalline; much chert; effervescence slow; 3 

samples .' 

Platteville limestone (130 feet thick; top, 267 feet below sea level) 

Shale, highly calcareous; in greemsh-gray, loosely concreted powder; residue 

cherty and. minutely arenaceous; 5 samples .* 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone; bufi; hke that at 1,258 feet 

Shale, green-gray, calcareous; chips of argillaceous limestone at 1,338 feet; 4 

samples 

Shale, bright-green, hard, fissile 

Shale, dark brown, fissile, bituminous; burning with flame; with limestone of 

rapid effervescence 

Shale, as at 1,378 feet, a few fragments of brown, bituminous shale 

St. Peter sandstone (50 feet thick; top, 397 feet below sea level) 

Sandstone, light gray; largest grams 0.8 millimeter diameter 

Sandstone, white and light yellow, clean; 4 samples 

Prairie du Chien group (310 feet thick; top, 447 feet below sea level) 

Dolomite, gray, hard; some quartz sand; 3 samples 

Sandstone, clean, white; grains rounded; 5 samples 

Dolomite and oolitic chert and quartz sand 

Dolomite and quartz sand; 5 samples 

Sandstone 

Dolomite, gray, crystalline; arenaceous in chips 

Sandstone and dolomite; white fine-grained sandstone; a very little admixture 

of dolomite; 3 samples 

No samples 

Dolomite, gray, hard, crystalline; in fine clean sand; 2 samples 

Sandstone, white, and dolomite; chiefly quartz sand with a few grains of dolo- 
mite 

Dolomite, in small chips; with much white quartz sand 

Sandstone and dolomite; as at 1,738 feet 

Cambrian: 

Jordan sandstone (59 feet penetrated; top, 757 feet below sea level) 

Sandstone, clean, white; 2 samples 

Dolomite and chert with sandstone; mostly sand 

Sandstone, clean, white; 2 samples 

Dolomite and sandstone; dolomite, gray; sandstone, white; drillings chiefly 

sand 



Feet. 
150 


Feet. 
1,098 


10 


1,108 


10 
10 
30 


1,118 
1,128 
1,158 


10 
10 
40 
10 
20 


1,168 
1,178 
1,218 
1,228 
1,248 


30 


1,278 


50 
10 


1,328 
1,338 


40 
10 


1,378 

1,388 


10 
10 


1,398 
1,408 


10 
40 


1,418 
1,458 


30 
50 
10 
50 
10 
10 


1,488 
1,538 
1,548 
1,598 
1,608 
1,618 


60 
40 
20 


1,678 
1,718 
1,738 


10 
10 
10 


1,748 
1,758 
1,768 


20 
10 
20 


1,788 
1,798 
1,818 



1,827 



Analyses of drillings from city well at Fort Dodge fl 



Depth of samples, in feet. 



628 



938 



1.228 



CaCOs. 
MgCOs 
CaS04. 
SiOs... 
AI2O3.. 
re203.. 
H2O... 



56.35 
39.49 
.11 
2.16 
.39 
.25 
.94 



49.24 

40.01 

.92 

1.65 

7:37 

.37 



47.09 

40.63 

1.00 

2.01 

8.54 

.33 

.61 



45.48 
31.25 



17. 60 

.96 

1.50 

3.21 



100. 04 



100. 21 



100. 00 



47.05 

41.26 

.67 

7.69 

2.42 

.30 

.65 



100. 04 



a Made in chemical laboratory of Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa. 

A flowing well at Fort Dodge has a depth of 127 feet. 



WEBSTER COUNTY. 

Driller's tog of Fort Dodge flowing well. 



761 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Black soil, yellow clay, and blue clay 

Limestone 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Sandstone, white, and water 

Sandstone, white 

Limestone (no water) 



Feet. 



Feet. 
31 
37 
64 
70 
72 
112 
127 



Gowrie. — Gowrie (population, 829) pumps its public supply from 
a well 620 feet deep, and distributes it by gravity with a pressure 
of 40 pounds through one-half mile of mains to 10 fire hydrants 
and 10 taps. Sixty persons use the water, consuming 15,000 gallons 
daily. The water is hard. 

The well has a diameter of 8 inches to 200 feet and 6 inches to 
bottom; casing to about 350 feet. The head is 50 feet below the 
curb and the temperature 45° F. The well was completed in 1902, 
at a cost of $1,150, by Mattock & Louke, of Jefferson, Iowa. 

According to the driller's log, soil, yellow clay, blue clay, and shale 
prevail to a depth of about 155 feet, limestone from 155 to 315 feet, 
and water-bearing sandstone from 315 to 620 feet; according to 
another report, the well is mostly clay and shale to the depth of 
200 feet. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Webster County: 

Typical wells of Webster County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in 
feet). 


Charles Daniels 

W.H. Goodrich.... 


3 miles east-north- 
east of Lehigh. 

4 miles east of Le- 
high. 

Fort Dodge 

4 miles west-south- 
west of Fort 
Dodge. 


Feet. 
235 

120 

127 
366 


Feet. 

187 

112 

31 

85 


Sandstone... 
Sand 

Sandstone... 
Limestone . . 


Feet. 

- 55 

+ 15 

+ 3 

- 75 
to 

-100 


Black soil, 2; yellow clay, 
15; blue clay, 170; black- 
jack or shale, 30; sand- 
stone, 15; very white 
sandstone and water, 3. 

Flow from drift sand. 
Black soil, 2; yellow clay, 
28; blue clay, 36; sand, 40; 
blueclay, 3; fine sand and 
water (flow), 3; lime- 
stone, 8. 

Pressure, 12 pounds; water- 
bed, 72. 

Pumped by gasoline en- 
gine. Black soil, 5; yel- 
low clay, 15; blue clay, 65; 
gypsum, 10; light-colored 
shale, 11; coal, 4; lime- 
stone, 5; shale and lime- 
stone alternations, 91; 
limestone, 59; potter's 
clay, 2; limestone and 
water, 99. 


County farm 



UHDIBGROXJND WATEK SESOUROEB OF IOWA. 
Typical wells of Webster County — Continued. 



Owner. 


Location- 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given In 
feet.) 


A. W.Hawley 

Peter Nelson 

Z.W.Thomas 


2 J miles east- 
southeast of 
Pioneer. 

3 miles northeast 

of Vincent. 
5 miles southwest- 

southofBarnum. 
8 miles east-north- 

east of Fort 

Dodge. 
IJ miles southeast 

of Fort Dodge. 


Feet. 
227 

125 

219 

68 


Feet. 
112 


Sandstone.. 

Sand 

.... do 


Feet. 

- 40 

- 50 

- 40 

- 8 


First water in drift sand at 
100 feet. Black soil, yel- 
low clay, blue clay, 100; 
sand and water, 12; black 
jack or shale, 114; sand- 
stone and water, 1. 

No rock. 

Do. 


J. Mann 




. do.... 


Bored well, 12-inch tiling. 
No rock. 








Plymouth G y p - 

sum Co. 
Minneapolis & St. 

Louis R. R. 

Town of Dayton . . . 


54 
625 

688 
68 


54 
41 

208 


do....... 

Sandstone. . . 

Limestone. . 

"Soft muck" 

(?). 


- 12 

- 60 

-111 
+ 2 


Bored well to gjrpsum. 

Steam pump for locomo- 
tive. Black soil, 3; yel- 
low clay, 8; blue clay, 30; 
shale, 70; harder shale, 45; 
limestone, 160; sandstone 
and water at bottom, 309. 

Gasoline engine pump (see 
p. 757). 

Flows, used for locomo- 


Dayton 


Chicago & North 


do 


Western Ry. 




tive. No rock. Yellow 
clay, blue clay, sand, 
gravel, 60; clay or soft 
shale, 7; soft mucky clay 
or shale and water, 1. 



CHAPTER XIII. 
SOUTH-CENTKAL DISTRICT. 

INTRODUCTION. 

By W. H. Norton. 

The south-central district embraces the 12 counties of Adair, Appa- 
noose, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Ringgold, 
Union, Warren, and Wayne. The entire area is underlain by the 
Pennsylvanian series, the Des Moines group forming the country rock 
over the eastern counties and the Missouri group that over the larger 
part of the six western coimties. 

Deep wells have been drilled at but six points — Centerville (PL XVI) , 
Pella (PI. VIII, p. 352), Flagler, No. 10 Junction, Corydon, and 
Osceola. Of the first five wells drillmgs, or at least the drillers' logs, 
have been preserved ; but four of the five are situated along the eastern 
border of the area, and of the Osceola well nothing is known except 
the depth. Both geologic structure and artesian conditions are thus 
left largely to inference. The deeper strata of southern Iowa form a 
trough whose axis extends from Des Moines to the southwestern 
counties of the State. In south-central Iowa the water-bearing beds 
of the early Paleozoic terranes dipping toward this axis reach their 
maximum depth in the southwestern counties of the district. The 
surface, moreover, rises toward the west. For these reasons the St. 
Peter sandstone lies more than 2,000 feet beneath the surface, except 
along the eastern border. (See PL XVI, p. 672.) 

The sandstone at the base of the Pennsylvanian series is not per- 
sistent in the eastern part of the district, but the meager facts at 
hand indicate that it thickens to the west. It yields water at Glen- 
wood and at Bedford, in the southwest district of the State. 

In the eastern counties, where the cover of the Pennsylvanian is 
thin and is cut by the major river valleys, the base of the Pennsyl- 
vanian is found to vary widely in elevation. This is due not only to 
local upwarps and downwarps of the strata but also to the strong 
unconformity that parts the Mississippian series from the Pennsyl- 
vanian. The map (fig. 6, p. 898) exhibits the conjectural elevation 
above sea level of the base of the Pennsylvanian in south-central 
and southwestern Iowa. The data on which the map is constructed 
consist of a few drill holes, sunk in search of coal, and deep wells at 

763 



764 UNDEKGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

several points in Iowa and northern Missouri. From Polk County 
southwest to Bedford the Mississippian descends about 650 feet; 
from Polk County due south to Chillicothe, Mo., it falls in the aggre- 
gate but 250 feet. From Centerville west to Bedford it falls 733 feet; 
from Bedford west-northwest to Glen wood it rises 140 feet (PI. 
XVIII, p. 898) ; and west to Nebraska City it rises 150 feet. From the 
map it will be seen that the Mississippian floor forms a shallow trough 
extending from near Des Moines to the southwest corner of the State. 
The line of the maximum depth may not coincide with the Des 
Moines to Bedford axis, although it is necessarily so drawn, as these 
two points are those of maximum known depth. The sag may also 
be narrower than represented and be bounded on each side by more 
level surfaces. In the eastern counties the contours bend somewhat 
sharply southward, and as shown by the depth to the Mississippian 
at Chillicothe, Mo., they must bend to the southwest before reaching 
that town. To the west the contours also extend southward, as 
shown by the gentle dip of the floor from Lincoln, Nebr., to Glen- 
wood, a dip averaging some 3 feet to the mile. In using the map 
(fig. 6, p. 898) it should be remembered that the known points are far 
apart and between them may intervene minor sags and swells 
entirely unknown. Erosion valleys cut into the Mississippian before 
the Pennsylvanian was deposited may lower the floor in places 100 
or 200 feet below the estimate. 

In southeastern Iowa the Mississippian series, especially the wliite 
limestone of the Burlington and the sandstones in the "St. Louis 
limestone," are aquifers of local value, but although these beds con- 
tinue under this area they yield small and uncertain supplies. A 
sandstone of Silurian age is known to occur at Pella and at Center- 
ville, and sandstones apparently too high for the St. Peter and 
probably to be placed m the Silurian are reported at Ottumwa, 
Bloomfield, and No. 10 Junction in Monroe County. How far west 
these sandstones may extend is altogether problematic; but the 
Silurian continues to be a water bearer by means of its limestones 
beyond the western limits of the district. The heavy magnesian 
limestones assigned, because of their anhydrite beds, to the Salina(?) 
formation of the Silurian yield water at both Bedford and Glenwood, 
and will probably also yield water in this area at depths nowhere 
exceeding 1,000 to 1,100 feet below sea level. The water at Bed- 
ford, however, is so highly mineralized that it is worthless. 

Soon after well No. 3 at Centerville was drilled in 1904 its water 
contained 1,228 parts of solids, but the solids regularly increased to 
2,545 parts in 1908, probably due to the deterioration of the casing 
and the entrance of the upper harder waters. Well No. 2 reaches 
only into the Silurian and, according to the analysis by Dr. J. B. 



SOUTH-CENTRAL DISTRICT. 765 

Weeins, contains a very much larger amount of mmeral matter than 
the other Centerville well. 

The Maquoketa shale may not extend far into the south-central 
district, and probably to the south and west the Silurian and Galena 
merge into an unbroken series of magnesian limestones. These lime- 
stones should be water bearing, but at what particular levels can not 
be predicted, nor is it certain that any given well will find a water- 
bearing crevice. Moreover, the quality of the water is unknown, 
but very probably, in the western part of the area at least, it is too 
highly mineralized for an acceptable city supply. 

In the eastern counties the St. Peter and the water beds subjacent 
are to be reckoned as dependable artesian assets, and here artesian 
wells can be recommended, though the water is as a rule highly 
mineralized. The failure of the deep city well at Pella (PI. XIII, 
p. 526) to secure potable water has had a discouraging effect in its 
own and adjacent counties — an eft'ect not wholly counteracted by 
the successful wells at Bloomfield and Centerville (PI. XVI, p. 672). 
The Pella well was sunk only about 60 feet below the St. Peter. The 
mineralized waters of the higher formations were first cased out, but 
as the supply from the St. Peter proved insufficient, the casing was 
pulled and all watera allowed to mingle. No analysis was made of 
the St. Peter water while it alone was admitted to the well. Had the 
casing been retained and the well drilled a few hundred feet deeper, 
an abundant supply of good water would probably have been ob- 
tained, as at Ottumwa (PI. X, p. 374). 

Except in the eastern tier of counties the depth to the St. Peter 
and the water beds below it is so great that the sinking of deep wells 
to these deeper formations is not recommended. Nowhere south 
and west of Des Moines have these deep terranes been reached by the 
drill. ^ At Chillicothe, Mo., almost due south of Des Moines and a 
little more than 50 miles beyond the State line, a deep well found at 
250 feet below sea level a sandstone referred by Shepard to the St. 
Peter,^ the overlying Ordovician and the Silurian bemg supposedly 
absent. If this reference is correct— and it is corroborated by the rise 
of the sandstone southward from Chillicothe to outcrops near iVIis- 
souri River — there ma}^ be a gentle rise of the St. Peter from Polk 
and Warren counties due south as well as southeast. As the Chilli- 
cothe section is made up from a driller's log, it is possible that the 
sandstone in question is the Silurian sandstone found at Centerville 
and elsewhere in southeastern Iowa. In this case there is still a rise 
of the strata southward from Des Moines, but one much more gentle. 
To the west the first accurate data obtainable as to the St. Peter are 

> A deep boring at Nebraska City, Nebr., reached the St. Peter sandstone in 1912 at a depth of 2,78.3 
feet below the surface, or of 1,853 feet below sea level. 
* Underground waters of Missouri: Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 19.3, 1907, p. 07. 



766 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



from the deep well at Lincoln, Nebr., where the St. Peter was reached 
at 127 feet below sea level. The wells at Council Bluffs, Glenwood, 
and Bedford, as well as those of Forest City and Burlington Junction, 
Mo., all fail of reaching this terrane. The drill hole at Nebraska 
City, Nebr., reached the summit of the Decorah shale at 1 ,824 feet below 
sea level and the St. Peter was reached at a depth of 1,853 feet 
below that level. These facts point to a wide trough in the older 
Paleozoic rocks, whose axis extends southwest from Des Moines to 
the southwestern counties of the State. The descent of the axis is 
probably very gentle, being much less than the southwestern dip of 
the strata of northeastern Iowa, unless the strata below the Penn- 
sylvanian thicken toward the southwest. From the axis the rise of 
the strata to the east is exceedingly gentle ; to the west and north it 
seems considerably steeper. The hypothetical elevation of the St. 
Peter is seen in the map (PL III) , which is based on several assump- 
tions — that the St. Peter descends from Des Moines to the southwest 
as other terranes are known to do as far as Forest City, Mo.; that it 
descends from Glenwood eastward, as other terranes are found to do 
as far as Bedford (PL XVIII, p. 898) ; that the upwarp of the strata 
seen at Chillicothe, Mo., deflects the contours somewhat to the south- 
west in the southern counties of the district; that along the axis of the 
trough the strata between the base of the Mississippian and the St. 
Peter maintain and somewhat increase the thickness which they 
show at Des Moines. 

The table below shows the elevation above sea level of the chief 
towns of the district, and the estimated depths to the base of the 
Pennsylvanian and that to the top of the St. Peter. These estimates 
are not so accurate as those made for the eastern and northern parts 
of Iowa, but even if they are as much as 300 feet in error, they will 
serve to indicate in a general way the depth to which wells must be 
sunk to reach these horizons. Another unfavorable condition is the 
high altitude of towns along the divide between the Missouri and the 
Mississippi, on account of which the water will stand low in the wells. 

Artesian estimates for towns in the south-central district of Iowa. 



Town. 



Elevation 

above sea 

level. 



Hypothetical depth- 



To base of 
Pennsyl- 
vanian. 



To top of 
St. Peter. 



Albia 

Chariton.. 
Corydon. . 
Creston. . . 
Greenfield 
Indianola. 
Knoxville 

Leon 

Osceola. . . 



Feet. 

959 

1,042 

1,105 

1,312 

1,368 

976 

909 

1,019 

1,137 



Feet. 



575 

750 

1,225 

1,150 

450 



820 
875 



Feet. 
1,700 
2,100 
2,050 
2,900 
2,650 
2,175 
1,850 
2,325 
2,550 



UN-DBRGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 767 

ADAIR COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Adair County is in the south-central district of the State. Its sur- 
face is a high, sUghtly rolling drift plain, across which runs the 
"great divide." The crest of the divide passes southeastward through 
Adair. North of Greenfield it divides and a secondary branch goes 
southward beyond the State line. West of this branch the drainage 
is southward to the Missouri through tributaries of the Nodaway. 
The drainage of the small triangle between the two branches passes 
southeastward to Grand River, another tributary of the Missouri. 
The northeast third of the county is drained into the Mississippi 
through Middle and North rivers, tributaries of the Des Moines. The 
county contains no ponds or undrained areas. 

GEOLOGY. 

Loess mantles the uplands of the entire county, in the eastern part 
with the fine, light, clayey type typical of southern Iowa, and in the 
western part with the darker, less clayey kind, characteristic of the 
Missouri Valley. The Kansan drift thickly covers the area, and well 
sections in many parts of the county indicate that heavy beds of 
Nebraskan drift are general. The drift is very thick, especially in 
the western half of the county. 

The Dakota sandstone underHes the drift in the western third of the 
county, and is in turn underlain by Carboniferous rocks (Missouri 
group). The Mssouri group, wliichlies beneath the drift in the east- 
ern two-thirds of the county, comprises heavy limestones, inter- 
bedded with thin, light shales. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

Few wells in the county fail to obtain water from the drift. In 
many places sandy beds are found beneath the loess, beneath the 
Kansan, and beneath the lowest drift sheet, and as a rule all of these 
are water bearing. Many shallow wells rely entirely on seepage from 
the loess, but such wells are likely to fail in dry seasons. On the 
uplands the entire drift yields so scantily that many stock farms resort 
to ponded rain water. 

in wells passing through the drift into the soft, porous Dakota 
sandstone find, at depths ranging from 150 to 300 feet, an abundant 
supply of good water that rises within 100 to 230 feet of the surface. 
Neither dry holes nor undesirable water have been reported. In the 
area underlain by the limestones of the Mssouri group the drift is a 



768 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

little thinner. The wells in that part of the county range in depths 
from 100 to 250 feet, and the water is invariably hard. No deep wells 
have been bored in this county. 

The southeastern portion of the county is the most favored in the 
matter of ground water. Bored wells, ranging from 20 to 50 feet, are 
common, and a few are much deeper. Drilled wells obtain excellent 
water from the Dakota sandstone at depths ranging from 200 to 300 
feet. 

SPRINGS. 

The sandy layers of the drift supply water to seepage springs, but 
few such springs yield sufficient water for a stock farm. A few 
stronger springs, whose waters may come from the Dakota sandstone 
on the adjacent divide, are reported in the southwestern part of the 
county along the valley sides of the East Nodaway and its tributaries. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Adair, — Adair (population, 900) is situated on the crest of the 
Mississippi-Missouri divide, a region where the drift is so thick that 
it is difficult to obtam a satisfactory supply of water. An unsuccess- 
ful well was sunk by the city to a depth of several hundred feet, but 
unfortunately no complete record exists. 

Most of the residents are suppHed with water by wells dug or bored 
into the loess or by cisterns. Five cisterns, with a capacity of 200 to 
350 barrels each, a gasoHne fire engine, and 900 feet of hose furnish 
the fire protection for the city. 

Greenfield. — In Greenfield (population, 1,379) drift wells 30 to 60 
feet in depth afford the general supply. A public supply used for 
drinking and for fire protection is obtained from 30 dug wells 8 feet 
in diameter. A city well drilled some years ago into limestone of the 
Mssouri group to obtain boiler water for the electric-light plant was 
abandoned because the water contained so much sulphate of lime and 
magnesia that it was unfit for the purpose. The well was 221 feet 
deep and was sunk 13 feet into the limestone. The water rose within 
75 feet of the surface. The strength of this well suggests a supply 
from the lower drift rather than from the limestone. Since abandon- 
ing this well the lighting plant has used storm water collected in an 
artificial surface reservoir. 

A well on the farm of W. W. Whittams, Ih miles west of Greenfield, 
was abandoned at a depth of 274 feet, the last 34 feet of which was in 
limestone of the Mssouri group ; the well was quickly pumped dry. 



ADAIR COUNTY. 769 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Adair County: 
Typical wells in Adair County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 

below 
curb. 


Remarks. 


T. 74 N., R. 33 W. 
(Washington). 

J. A.Hulbert 

T. 76 N., R. 32 W. 
(Prussia). 


il miles southeast of 
Bridge water. 


Feet. 
286 


Feet. 
276 


Sandstone 
(Dakota). 


Feet. 
100 


Strong; slightly min- 
eral. 


John Montgomery.. 

T. 77 N., R. 33 W. 
(Summit). 


\\ miles southwest of 
Canby. 


187 


180 


do 


127 


Hard; roily before 
storms. 


William Turner 

T. 75 N., R. 32 W. 
(Summerset). 


IJ miles west of Adair 


345 


307 


Fine sand- 
stone. 


230 




W. W. Whittams.. 

Henry Hida 

John Mangle 

H. W. Adams. . 


li miles west of Greenfield. 

3 miles south of Fontar 

nelle. 
2 miles west of Fonta- 

nelle. 
NW. i see. 21 


274 
316 
315 

254 


240 
300 
299 
240 


Limest one 
(Missouri). 

Sands t on e 

(Dakota). 

do 

Limest one 
(Missouri). 


137 
146 
125 

75 


Scanty supply; aban- 
doned. 
Slightly mineral. 

Hard water; strong 
well. 


T. 76 N., R. 33 W. 
(Eureka). 




Frank H. Seers 

T.75N.. R.33 W. 
(Jackson). 


6 miles northwest of Fon- 
tanels . 


282 


260 


Sands tone 
(Dakota). 




Strong well. 


Truman Lewis 

Henry Rose 

Al. Bowers 


5 miles north of Bridge- 
water. 

2 miles north of Bridge- 
water. 

3 miles north of Bridge- 
water. 


317 
286 
270 


300 
270 
260 


do 

Limestone . . 
Sandstone... 


120 
176 
160 


Strong well. 
Fine hard. 


T. 75N., R. 31 W. 
(Greenfield). 




City of Greenfield.. 


Electric-light plant 


221 


208 


Drift and 
limestone 
(Missouri). 


75 


Strong well. 


T. 77N., R. 30 W. 
(Lincoln). 












G.D. Whittams... 
W. H. Barnett 


Sec. 19 

SE.Jsec. 23 


148 

78 


136 


Sands tone 
(Dakota). 

Drift sand... 


lOS 


Soft water; strong 
well; 20 gallons per 
minute. 

Plenty; good. 


T.76N., R.30 W. 
(Harrison). 










William Wallace . . 


SE. J sec. 23 


135 

82 


56 
36 


Limest one 

(Missouri). 

do 


78 


No water. 


David Johnson 


NE.isec. 19 


Good hard water. 


T. 76N.. R. 31 W. 
(Grove). 






Harriet Guthiel... 


NE.isec.l4 ,.... 

SE. Jsec. 12 .. 


134 

200 


122 


do 




Abundant fromblack 


Nate Brinton 


Gravel 




shale; bad taste. 
Insufficient; aban- 










doned. 



36581°— wsp 293—12- 



-49 



770 UlTDEEGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

APPANOOSE COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The surface of Appanoose County consists essentially of a much- 
eroded drift plain sloping very gently toward the east. Chariton 
River, the principal stream, enters at the northwest corner and flows 
southeastward diagonally across the county in a flat-bottomed valley 
approximately 150 feet deep and several miles in maximum width. 
From the west it receives a number of relatively long tributaries, all 
of which, with their branches, have cut into the upland plain, but from 
the east it is fed by very short streams, the divide that separates its 
drainage system from that of Soap Creek and Fox River being only a 
few miles east of the Chariton. Apparently the minor streams tend 
to flow in the direction of the general upland slope. 

GEOLOGY. 

The following formations are exposed within the county: (1) Allu- 
vium, which is confined to the principal valleys; (2) loess, which is 
only a few feet thick, but which lies at the surface over much of the 
region; (3) glacial drift, which is generally found at the surface or 
immediately below the loess; and (4) Carboniferous rocks belonging to 
the Des Moines group of the Pennsylvanian series, which crop out at 
many points along the principal streams. 

In a large part of the county the drift sheet is thin, but in places, 
especially near the east margin, it is more than 100 feet thick. The 
irregularities of the rock surface produce many corresponding local 
irregularities in the thickness of the overlying drift. The glacial 
material is reported to contain a large amount of wood, leaves, and 
shells. The Pennsylvanian is several hundred feet thick and con- 
sists of shale with minor amounts of limestone, sandstone, and coal. 
Below it lie the rocks of the Mississippian series, which consist chiefly 
of limestone. (See Pis. X, p. 374; XVI, p. 672.) 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The rocks of the Pennsylvanian series furnish water to a few wells, 
but in general they are unsatisfactory as a source of water. They 
consist chiefly of impervious shale with porous beds few and far apart, 
and therefore yield meagerly; also their water is undesirable for many 
purposes, because of its high mineralization. Below the Pennsyl- 
vanian are formations that yield more freely, but the cost of drilling 
to these is so great that it can be undertaken onl}^ by municipalities 
or by railway companies or other large industrial concerns, and as far 



APPANOOSE COUNTY. 771 

as exploration has gone the water is so high in different dissolved 
solids that it is ill adapted for use in boilers and is not desirable for 
public supplies. Moreover, its head is so low that in many places it 
would have to be lifted several hundred feet to bring it to the upland 
surface. 

In some of the largest valleys the alluvial materials yield abundant 
and reliable supplies of only moderately hard water to shallow and 
inexpensive dug or driven wells, but many of the settlements and 
a vast majority of the farms are remote from valleys, and their prin- 
cipal underground source of supply consists of irregularly distributed 
sandy and gravelly deposits associated with the bowlder clay- 
Wliether these yield a sufhcient amount is very much a matter of 
hit and miss. In some localities gravel beds occur that will furnish 
enough for waterworks and locomotive supplies; in others it proves 
difficult to extract enough water from the drift to meet the con- 
sumption on an ordinar}^ stock farm, and in years of severe drought 
the lack of water for household and stock purposes may become an 
acute problem. The shallow water is rich in calcium and the bicar- 
bonate radicle, but is usually superior to the water from the Pennsyl- 
vanian or deeper formations for both domestic and boiler use. 

One of the largest supplies secured from glacial material is that 
of the Chicago, Kock Island & Pacific Railway Co. at Centerville. 
The well is situated on the upland, which is trenched, at no great 
distance from the well, by deep ravines that lead to • tributaries of 
Chariton River a few miles away and at a level 150 feet lower. The 
well was dug to a depth of about 37 feet and ends in a bed of sand, 
from which about 3,500 gallons of water an hour are obtained. 

Because of the unsatisfactory status of underground sources, Appa- 
noose County has come to depend to a great extent on surface water 
for household, stock, and boiler supplies. For the household, rain 
water is stored in cisterns ; for stock, the wash from rains is collected 
by constructing dams across ravines; and for boiler feed, different 
plans are employed, as, for example, the reservoir of the Chicago, 
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. at Mystic, into which surface and 
spring waters are gathered. In resorting to surface supplies, quality 
is the chief consideration for the household, soft water being desired ; 
quantity is the chief consideration for live-stock supplies; and both 
quality and quantity are factors in railway and other industrial 
enterprises. 

In the many villages of Appanoose County the water for drinking 
is drawn mainly from shallow private wells in close proximity to a 
variety of contaminating agencies. The situation is especially bad 
in valley towns, where shallow wells on the bottom lands at the foot 
of populated slopes are peculiarly exposed to pollution. It is not 
easy, however, to find a feasible means of improving the conditions. 



772 



UNDEKGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



Something would be gained if each householder would protect his own 
well, but a really adequate remedy requires a system of waterworks 
drawing from a source safe from pollution. In spite of difficulties 
it is probable that systematic search will discover a sufficient sani- 
tary and otherwise satisfactory source of public suppUes for most of 
the villages. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Centerville. — Information concerning the three deep wells that have 
been sunk in Centerville (population, 6,936) is presented in the fol- 
lowing paragraphs : 

City well No. 1 is 2,495 feet deep. Its diameter is 12 inches to 55 
feet, 10 inches to 95 feet, 9 inches to 155 feet, 8 inches to 335 feet, 7 
inches to 492 feet, 6 inches to 616 feet, 5 inches to 2,335 feet, and 4 
inches to bottom of well. It is cased to 804 feet. Its curb is 1,017 
feet above sea level, and its head 260 feet below the curb. It obtains 
water at 1,200 and 2,450 feet. Tested capacity at completion, 200 
gallons a minute. It was completed earlier than 1893 by J. P. MUler 
& Co., Chicago. 

The strata penetrated are indicated in the following table: 

Record of strata in deep well No. 1 at Centerville {PI. X, p. 374 ; PI. XVI, p. 672). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Quaternary (top, 1,017 feet above sea level) 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian (436 feet thick; top, 927 feet above sea level): 

Shales 

Coal and coaly shale 

Shale, with a few thin seams of limestone, none more than 5 feet thick; sample 

of calcareous shale at 500 

Mississippian: 

"St. Louis limestone" and Osage group (515 feet thick; top, 491 feet above sea 
level): 

" Rock; " probably limestone 

Shales, variegated, arenaceous toward bottom 

• Limestone, rough, gray, siliceous; 2 samples 

Shales, seleniferous, with some limestone and chalcedony; 7 samples 

Limestone, nonmagnesian, blue gray, highly cherty; shale, arenaceous; in 

concreted powder; 4 samples 

Shales, cherty; limestone; 4 samples 

Limestone, white; rapid effervescence; much white flint and chalcedony; 

3 samples 

Limestone and shale; limestone, brisk effervescence, soft, white, dark, 
brown, blue gray, in places clayey, siliceous, and pyritiferous; shales, in 
places arenaceous; shale marked at 855, 895, and 915; 18 samples, in con- 
creted powder 

Kuiderhook group (59 feet thick; top, 24 feet below sea level): 

Shale, blue and green gray; 6 samples 

Devonian (260 feet thick; top, 83 feet below sea level): 

Shale, with white and gray nonmagnesian, soft, limestone; 6 samples 

Limestone, gray, rather soft; rapid effervescence 

Shale, arenaceous 

Limestone, gray, rapid effervescence; siliceous; water bearing 

Shale; arenaceous at 1,210 feet 

Umestone, argillaceous 

Limestone, light gray, argillaceous; brisk effervescence 

Limestone, compact, fine grained, light blue gray 

Shale, calcareous; or limestone, argillaceous, light yellow 

Limestone, hard, somewhat argUlaceous, light yellow 

Limestone, white (some gray), compact, moderately hard, nonmagnesian; much 

shale in flakes 

Limestone and shale, in gray concreted powder; limestone, yellow and gray, crys- 
talline, soft, in fine meal; nonmagnesian; cherty residue; at 1,350 residue of fine, 
rounded quartz grains; 6 samples ....... 



90 



67 
1 

368 



40 



20 



60 



157 

158 



526 



34 


560 


50 


610 


30 


640 


65 


705 


55 


760 


55 


816 



855 



1,041 
1,100 



60 


1,160 


8 


1,168 


21 


1,189 


11 


1,200 


20 


1,220 


10 


1,230 


10 


1,240 


20 


1,260 


10 


1,270 


10 


1,280 



1,300 



1,360 



APPANOOSE COUNTY. 

Record of strata in deep well No. 1 at Centerville — Continued. 



773 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Silurian (ISO feet thick; top, 343 feet below sea level): 

Limestone, buff, magnesian; argillaceous at 1.360 feet; 2 samples 

Shale, blue, and limestone; in concreted powder 

Limestone, soft, blue, nonmagnesian, with some white chert and much shale 

Limestone, blue gray, hard, compact, fine grained, nonmagnesian 

Limestone and shale, blue, calcareous, in light gray powder and meal 

Sandstone; grains fine and only fairly well rounded; many pointed with secondary 
enlargements; in ime powder containing also particles of light-colored limestone. 

Sandstone, hght gray, calciferous; as above 

Sandstone, buff, calciferous 

Sandstone, white, fine; grains fairly uniform in size and well rounded, mostly 
smooth, but many show crystalline secondary enlargements, giving the sand a 

sparkling appearance .' 

Sandstone, calciferous, with some fragments of blue shale in drillings 

Limestone, in gray meal; moderate effervescence; highly siliceous with rounded 

quartz grains and chips of chert; 4 samples 

Ordovician: 

Galena dolomite and Plattevllle limestone, 200 feet thick; top, 523 feet below sea 
level: 
Dolomite or magnesian limestone, buflE and gray; many drillings have cherty 

and arenaceous residues 

Limestone, dark and light gray; moderate effervescence; much green shale in 

drillings 

Limestone, buff; moderate effervescence 

Shale, blue, soft, unctuous, noncalcareous 

St. Peter sandstone, 40 feet tliick; top, 723 feet below sea level: 

Sandstone; white, clean, quartz sand; rounded grains, moderately fine; 4 

samples •. 

Prairie du Chien group (715 feet penetrated; top, 763 feet below sea level): 
Shakopee dolomite: 

Dolomite, buff and gray; arenaceous at 1,820 feet; 6 samples 

New Richmond sandstone: 

Sandstone and dolomite, light gray and white; drillings consist of rounded 

grains of quartz and angular chips of dolomite; 8 samples 

Sandstone, light yellow gray, in fine angular grains; a little white dolomite 

and green shale in drillings " 

No samples 

Oneota dolomite: 

Dolomite, light gray and white, highly cherty from 2,140 to 2,185 feet; 

somewhat arenaceous at 2,125 and 2,240 feet; 9 samples 

No samples 

Sandstone, calciferous, or dolomite; arenaceous; grains rounded, smooth, 

of moderate size; chips of hard gray dolomite 

No samples 

Dolomite, gray; buff at 2,455 feet; somewhat arenaceous from 2,440 to 2,465 
feet 



Feet. 



60 



40 
110 



135 
92 



Feet. 
1,380 
1,390 
1,400 
1,410 
1,430 

1,440 
1,450 
1,460 



1,470 
1,480 



1,540 



1,700 

1,720 
1,730 
1,740 



1,780 
1,890 

1,995 

2,060 
2,125 



2,260 
2,352 

2,352 
2,420 

2,495 



This well was drilled in the public square of the town long before 
waterworks were installed; and was never pumped except at the 
driller's test. When waterworks were built it was thought best to 
drill another well in a convenient location rather than to erect the 
pumping station in the public square. 

City well No. 2 is 1,540 feet deep. Its diameter is 10 inches to 368 
feet, 8f inches to 480 feet, 71 inches to 630 feet, 61 inches to 826 feet, 
5inches to 1,160 feet. Uncased from 1,160 feet to bottom of weU. The 
curb is 1,017 feet above sea level; and the head is 280 feet below the 
curb. Water is obtained from 1,439 feet to bottom; tested capacity, 
350 gallons a minute. The weU was drilled in 1895 by J. P. Miller & 
Co., of Chicago. 

The driller reported a sand rock extending from 1,470 to 1,510 
feet and yielding water that rose within 60 feet of the surface; beneath 
the sand rock the drill passed into a fissured rock, and the water 
sank to 280 feet below the curb, and the drillings were washed away. 



774 



XJNDEEGKOUND WATER EESOTJECES OF IOWA. 



City well No. 3 is 2,054 feet deep. Its diameter is 16 inches to 73.25 
feet; 12 inches to 180 feet, 10 inches to 500 feet, 8 inches to 733.25 feet, 
6-inches to 118.15 feet, 4| inches (uncased) to bottom. The curb is 
1,017 feet above sea level, and the head 286 feet below curb. The 
tested capacity is 200 gallons a mmute. The well was drilled by 
L. Wilson & Co. of Chicago and was completed in 1904, at a cost of 
$10,000. 

The casing of this well is admirably designed to keep out the upper 
waters. The 10-inch pipe extends to the curb, and it and all other 
piping of smaller diameters are sealed at bottom with lead. 

Driller's log of well No. 3 at Centerville. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow . 
Clay, blue... 
Gravel 



Cap rock 

Soapstone and shale 

Shale of different colors 

Shale streaked with rock 

No record 

Coal blossom 

Shale, at 

Soapstone, at 

No record 

Soapstone with some sand 

No record 

Soapstone and shale 

No record 

Shale, at 361, 3S0, 425, 450, 475, 500, and. 

Sand, white 

Shale 



Rock and shale, shale caving badly 

Shale, blue, hard 

Limestone and shale, at 

Limestone, at 

Limestone and shale, at 860, 900, 925, 950, 9S0, 1,015, and 

Solid limestone; traces of natural gas in black rock at 1,190 feet. 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone 

Streaks of sand and limestone 

Sand 



Feet. 



213 
100 

10 

46 
256 

40 
108 

50 
100 



Feet. 

50 

60 

70 

74 

125 

150 

159 

165 

170 

185 

200 

260 

280 

293 

340 

361 

585 

600 

630 

650 

745 

790 

830 

1,127 

1,340 

1,440 

1,450 

1,496 

1,752 

1,792 

1,900 

1,950 

2,050 



The water is lifted from this well into a surface reservoir and thence 
pumped into a standpipe from which it is distributed, by gravity 
pressure, through 8^ miles of mams to 74 fire hydrants and 352 serv- 
ice pipes. It is estimated that about one-fifth of the homes are 
connected with the waterworks and that an average of 63,000 gallons 
of water is consumed daily. 

The chief disadvantage of the water of well No. 3 is its heavy 
mineralization. The water, as shown by analysis (p. 174), is so hard 
that it is undesirable for toilet, laundry, or boiler uses; its iron content 



CLAEKE COUNTY. 775 

discolors vessels in which it is used; and it is so salty that it is some- 
what unpalatable. If, as seems not improbable, enough w^ter can 
in years of normal rainfall be obtained from a system of wells or infil- 
tration galleries in the drift gravels known to exist in the vicinity of 
the city, this source would be preferable to a deep well, as the water 
is better and would probably be much more extensively used by the 
people. The pumping lift would also be much less. The deep well 
could be held in reserve to furnish a supplemental supply when 
needed. A third possible source of water for Centerville is filtered 
water from Chariton River. 

Moulton. — The Electric Light Co. well at Moulton has a depth 
of 538 feet and a diameter of 6 to 3^ inches. It is cased to 498 
feet. The curb is 987 feet above sea level, and the head is 230 feet 
below the curb. It yields 16 gallons of highly mineralized water 
a minute from 40 feet of hard white sandstone at 530 feet depth. 
It was completed in 1905 by F. D. Tuttle, of Cedar Rapids. 

Driller's log oftvell at Moulton. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay 

Sand, fine, at 

No record 

Shale, dark, sticky . 

Limestone 

Sand, white, fine.. 
Limestone 



Feet. 
100 



300 

63 

24 

43 

2 



Feet. 
100 
100 
400 
463 
487 
530 
532 



CLARKE COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Clarke County is in the south-central portion of the State, on the 
divide between Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The crest of the 
divide has here an easterly trend and pitch, so that though the drain- 
age of the northern slope is toward Des Moines River and that of the 
southern slope toward the Missouri, the dramage of the main eastern 
slope is divided between the two. The area is primarily a drift plain 
into which the stream valleys have been carved, and all parts of it 
are well drained by open valleys separated by broad flat-topped 
uplands. 

The entire surface is mantled with loess and Kansan drift which, 
in many places, is 100 to 150 feet thick. 

Throughout the county the drift rests on Carboniferous rocks, 
for the most part belonging to the Missouri group and consisting of 



776 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

limestone, shales, and some thin coal seams. The Missouri group 
thins eastward and is absent in the vallej^s of some of the larger creeks 
on the eastern and northern borders of the county, thus bringing the 
rocks of the Des Moines group directly beneath the drift. The Des 
Moines group consists chiefly of shales and sandstones with some 
limestone and beds of coal and is the productive coal formation in 
the State. Though well-marked local dips occur, the strata are in 
general practically horizontal. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The water supply of Clarke County is obtained chiefly from shallow 
wells in the drift, which are in general satisfactory for domestic and 
stock use but are inadequate for public supplies. 

Two important water horizons occur in the drift, one in the sand 
immediately underlying the loess, locally known as first sheet 
water, and the other in the sand and gravel beneath the Kansan, 
locally known as second sheet water. In some localities other water- 
bearing sands and gravels are found higher within the drift, but the 
water is likely to be so polluted with decaying vegetable matter as 
to have a disagreeable taste and odor. 

On the lower ground in the county water is obtained as a rule from 
shallow wells dug and bored to the first horizon, though many of the 
stock-farm wells reach the second. On upland divides the water 
from the first horizon, though fairly satisfactory in quality, often 
fails in dry seasons, owing to the general lowering of the ground-water 
level. The depth at which it is reached ranges from 10 to 40 feet, 
depending on the thickness of the loess. Where suflicient water is 
not obtained from the subloessial sand, wells are bored or drilled to 
the sand and gravel just beneath the drift, which horizon may be 
within 50 feet of the surface or may not be within 250 feet; the 
supply, however, seldom fails. 

Water from this deeper sand and gravel is obtained on the farm 
of Adam C. Rarick (SE. J sec. 18, T. 72 N., R. 26 W.) from a well 
163 feet deep, in which the water level is but 16 feet below the sur- 
face. The water is hard and slightly mineral. 

Local failures to find water in the drift have resulted in the sink- 
ing of a few wells into the bedrock. Those reported range in depth 
from 250 to 300 feet, and probably draw supplies from the limestone 
of the Missouri group. The water is said to be very satisfactory for 
stock, but the data are insufficient to warrant very definite conclusions 
as to the general value of this limestone as an aquifer. From evi- 



CLARKE COUNTY. 777 

dence obtained in the surrounding counties, however, it is known to be 
generally unsatisfactory on account of hardness of the water and its 
meager quantity. One of the deepest and best wells of this type is 
that of Louis A. Brown, 3 miles northeast of Murray (SE. J sec. 35, T. 
73 N., K. 27 W.). This well is 298 feet deep, enters rock at a depth of 
189 feet, and draws its chief supply from the limestone of the Missouri 
group at a depth of 260 feet. The water is hard and stands 80 feet 
from the surface. R. Arnold, 7 miles southwest of Murray, failing 
to find a satisfactory supply of water by digging 90 feet, drilled 340 
feet to water; and John Diehl, 4| miles northeast of Osceola, drilled 
320 feet to find water. Drilled wells are more common in the west- 
central part of the county. 

SPRINGS. 

In the more hilly portions of the county many good stock springs 
are found on steeper slopes, where the sand and gravel layers of the 
drift outcrop. Shallow wells dug on hillsides tap similar strata and 
are made to flow into cattle troughs by means of pipes let into the 
lower side a few feet below the surface. For a fuller discussion see 
Lucas County (pp 786-787) . 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Murray. — Murray (population, 796) has no public system of water 
supply. Fire protection is afforded by a half dozen open wells 30 
feet deep, pumped by hand. 

Osceola. — The public supply of Osceola (population, 2,416) is 
secured from an artificial reservoir, 2.72 acres in area, which collects 
the surface drainage of 280 acres of pasture land. A triplex pump 
(capacity 250 gallons a minute) raises the water from the intake well 
to a 60,000-gallon tank elevated on a 90-foot tower. The water is 
distributed by gravity through about 4 miles of mains to 27 fire 
hydrants and 50 taps. In case of fire direct pressure of 120 pounds 
may be applied by pumping. The average consumption is 10,000 
gallons daily, sold at rates ranging from 35 to 20 cents a thousand 
gallons, according to the amount used. The Osceola Light, Heat 
& Power Co., which pumps the water, finds it satisfactory for use 
in boilers. It is customary to treat it with a small quantity of 
kerosene. The city system is connected with the Chicago, Burling- 
ton & Quincy Railroad tank, so that in case of emergency either 
system may supply the other. 

Sediment is removed from the water by a mechanical filter. The 
supply is sufficient to meet all demands and is fairly satisfactory. 

Unfortunately information regarding the underground-water 
supply of this county is exceedingly meager. A well is said to have 



778 



UNDEEGEOUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 



been sunk at Osceola to a depth of 1,953 feet, diameter 8 to 4 inches; 
but no further information was obtainable. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Clarke County: 

Typical wells in Clarke County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks. 


A. C. Rarick 

William Beebe... 
L. A. Brown 


SE.Jsec. 18,T.72N., 

R. 26 W. 
SE.isec.29,T. 71N., 

R. 27 W. 
SE.isec.35,T.73N., 

R.27W. 


Feet. 
163 

250 

298 


Feet. 

250 
189 


Drift sand 

Sand above 

bed rock. 
Limestone 


Feet. 
16 

100 

80 


Hard and slightly 
mineral. 

Water bed at 260 feet. 



DECATUR COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The upland level in Decatur County lies 1,100 to 1,200 feet above 
sea level, and is cut by numerous southward-trending stream valleys 
into parallel ridges and trenches that must be crossed by east-west 
railways and wagon roads. The principal stream, Grand River, 
occupies a broad fiat-bottomed valley 200 feet below the flat-topped 
ridges and plateaus. 

GEOLOGY. 

Beneath the uplands and, to some extent, beneath the valley sides, 
is a thin but widespread deposit consisting of loess and a related gray- 
blue plastic clay, in some places partly oxidized to yellow. This 
plastic clay is nearly free from grit but includes locally some tiny 
pebbles, as can be seen in the railway cut at Lamoni. In fineness of 
grain and imperviousness to water it differs sufficiently from the 
typical loess to influence profoundly the agricultural value of the 
land. Over the wide flood plains of the principal streams the surface 
formation consists of alluvium. 

Next below the loess and clay, or in many locahties lying at the 
surface, is an accumulation of bowlder clay with minor amounts of 
sand and gravel. The bowlder clay is weathered and yellow at the 
top, but is darker, more compact, and quite unweathered at some dis- 
tance below the surface. The upper part is Kansan in age, but there 
is reason to believe ^ that the basal deposits belong to an older drift 

1 Bain, H. F., Geology of Decatur County: Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 8, 1898, pp. 283-292. 



DECATUR COUNTY. 



779 



sheet. Beneath the uplands the average thickness of the drift and 
associated material is probably not far from 200 feet, but in many 
places the streams have cut through to the bedrock. 

The rocks upon which the drift rests belong to the Pennsylvanian 
series of the Carboniferous. Throughout most of the area the upper 
rock is predominantly limestone, well exposed in a quarry 1^ miles 
southwest of Davis City; it marks the base of the Missouri group of 
the Pennsylvanian and overlies the Des Moines group of the same 
series. The latter consists of several hundred feet of strata that are 
predominantly shale, though they include numerous thin beds of 
sandstone, limestone, and coal, with heavy beds of sandstone near the 
bottom. Shales belonging to the Des Moines group outcrop in the 
valleys in the southern part of the county. The sandstone near the 
bottom of the Des Moines group is shown in the lower part of the sec- 
tion of the Biggs or Hazelett well (p. 783). Its occurrence is note- 
worthy, as no sandstone corresponding to it has been reported in the 
counties directly east. A higher bed was penetrated in the Sharp 
boring: at Leon. 



Section of Sharp prospect hole at Leon, in the NW. i NE. \ sec. 32 T. 69 N., R. 25Wfi 
[Altitude of surface, about 1,050 feet.] 





Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Bowlder clay 


Feet. 

23 

3 

274 

5 

34 

2 

41 

7 

19 
i 

20i 

14 

1 

2 

2 

221 

li 
2i 

4i 

8H 

I! 

4 

2 

3.V 

2' 

2 

23§ 


Feet. 
23 


Sand (dry) 


26 


Glacial drift 


300 


Sand (with water) 


305 


Shale 


339 


Limestone or calcareous shale 


341 


Shale 


382 


Sandstone, fine grained'. ... .. .. 


389 


Shale 


408 


T/imest,nnp.. . . . 


408| 


Coal 


410 


Shale 


430J 


Coal 


431i 


Shale 


4451 
446 


Tiime.<?t,nnp. , . . 


Shale 


448 


Coal... 


450 


Shale 


473 


Coal 


474| 
477 


Shale 


Limestone 


478 


Shale 


482i 
485 


Coal 


Shale 


494 


Limestone 


494i 
500i 
502 


Shale 


Coal 


Shale 


509J 
514 


Sandstone 


Shale 


518 


Coal 


519.| 
521i 
523 


Shale 


Coal 


Shale 


526i 


Limestone 


5281 
5301 
554 


Shale 


Sandstone, entered 







a. A complete description of the drill core of the Sharp boring has been prepared by James H. Lees, 
assistant Statfe geologist of Iowa, and is published in Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 19, 1909, pp. 247-251. 



780 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

In Decatur County water is obtained from (1) the alluvium, (2) the 
upper layer of the glacial drift, and (3) sand beds at the base of the 
drift or incorporated between deposits of bowlder clay. Reliance is 
placed chiefly on shallow dug or bored wells which end near the con- 
tact of the loesslike clay with the oxidized bowlder clay or which 
penetrate the latter, ending if possible in a gravelly zone. The 
extent to which the surficial water table follows the irregularities 
of the surface is remarkable. Thus, for instance, in ascending a 
hillside at Leon one may find a succession of shallow wells, each with 
water near the surface and with the water level differing notably 
within the space of a few rods. This condition is also illustrated by 
the fact that in some places artificial springs are made by projecting 
an iron pipe horizontally from the bottom of a hillside well to the 
surface farther down the slope. It is obvious that the steep gradients 
of the water table are correlated with imperfect porosity of the water- 
bearing material and smaU yields of the wells. The shallow water 
is moderately hard but otherwise good, except that in many places 
it is obviously exposed to pollution, some hillside wells, especially 
in villages, being so located that they must receive the direct seepage 
from privies on higher ground and not many yards distant. 

Altogether a number of wells have been drilled to the lower part 
of the drift and beds of sand have generally been encountered, but 
it seems that the water from these is likely to be meager in quantity 
and poor in quality, though further prospecting might develop more 
favorable results. 

The water-bearing strata in the Pennsylvanian series are for the 
most part so thin and imperfectly porous that their yield is small. 
The water is rich in sulphates, which give it a certain medicinal value 
as a laxative, but make it undesirable for general household use and 
also cause foaming in boilers, especially in locomotives. In hardness 
and scale-forming properties it differs widely, the water from some 
wells being relatively soft. 

In the valley of Pot Hole Branch (sec. 29, T. 68 N., R. 26 W.), 
where Pennsylvanian strata are at the surface, a 6-inch well was 
drilled through limestone, shale, and a little sandstone, etc., to a 
depth of 118 feet, where a porous seam was pierced, from which 
mineralized water with a laxative effect issued and rose to a level 
30 or 40 feet below the surface. 

Two miles south of the State line, near the southeast corner of the 
county (NW. i sec. 1, T. 66 N., R. 24 W.), in a valley bottom whose 
altitude is about 672 feet above the sea, a feeble flow was obtained by 



DECATUR COUNTY. 781 

drilling into Pennsylvanian strata to a bed of quicksand at the depth 
of 153 feet. The water is rich in sodium sulphate and is used for 
medicinal purposes. Several other wells in this locality are of the 
same character except that they have never overflowed.^ 

It is evident from these data that the water from different seams 
does not rise to an accordant level and that there is a possibility 
of striking a flow in any deep valley. However, such flows are 
invariably weak and of very little, if any, practical value. 

By expensive drilling, deeply buried water-bearing formations can 
be tapped, but the water is likely to have a low head and to be of bad 
mineral quality. 

With present prospects, deep drilling can hardly be recommended, 
yet, on the other hand, run-off waters stored in surface reservoirs 
must be regarded as far from satisfactory and the condition of the 
private wells is most insanitary. Preliminary to installing water- 
works, every municipality can afford to explore the resources of the 
drift and other unconsolidated deposits above the bedrock, and it 
seems probable that if right methods are pursued enough water can 
in most places be secured from such a source. If no bed of sand that 
wiU furnish enough water of reasonably good mineral quality is found 
in the deeper parts of the drift, then it may be possible to develop 
a sufficient supply from the shallower parts of the drift. It is seldom 
advisable to dig a single well of great diameter. If instead smaller 
holes are bored at proper distances apart, the excavation of a given 
amount of earth will result in a much larger infiltrating surface, and 
the expenditure of a given amount of money ought to result in a 
larger supply. Moreover, such a system is elastic, for the number 
of bored wells can be increased indefinitely and the contributing 
area can thus be enlarged until the requisite amount of water is 
secured. It is not generally understood that any number of bored 
wells can, without difficulty or great expense, be connected at the 
bottom by horizontal iron pipes so that one pump can draw from 
aU of the wells simultaneously. (See p. 910.) This method of con- 
necting a series of wells could also be employed to much advantage 
on stock farms. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Lamoni. — At Lamoni (population, 541) a system of waterworks 
has recently been installed. The water is obtained from a reservoir 
which holds the run-off from a ravine west of the town and has a 
capacity of 3,500,000 gallons. The water is pumped into a tank 
elevated on a steel tower and is distributed by gravity through about 

1 Shepard, E. M., Underground waters of Missouri: Water-Supply Paper U. S. Geol. Survey No. 195, 
1907, p. 68. 



782 UN'DEEGEOUlSrD WATEE EESOUECES OP IOWA. 

3J miles of mains, tapped by 29 fire hydrants and about 20 service 
pipes. 

In the town two holes have been drilled into Pennsylvanian strata. 
The well of C. Brown was sunk near the railway bridge, where the 
surface is about 1,110 feet above the sea. It is 5^ inches in diameter 
and 300 feet deep. The drill passed through yellow and blue clay 
to about 150 feet, where a 2-foot bed of sand was found that con- 
tained some water; it then penetrated light-colored limestone and 
dark shale and sandstone, with 3 feet of red shale at a depth of about 
200 feet. The well ends in limestone from which a small amount of 
water rises to the surface and trickles over the rim of the casing. 
The other drill hole was a coal prospect and is located on higher 
ground. It was carried to a depth of 425 feet and revealed a similar 
stratigraphic section. 

Leon. — At Leon (population 1,991) the electric light plant obtains 
one of the best water supplies in the county from three open wells 
located in a small valley at the east margin of the town. Two of 
the wells are 6 feet and the other is 10 feet in diameter; all are cased 
with brick and go to a depth of about 40 feet. The water is reported 
to stand 12 to 25 feet below the surface, according to the season. 
In an ordinary day the pump is operated for about 2-| hours, in which 
time approximately 7,000 gallons are drawn from the weUs and the 
water level is thereby temporarily lowered less than 10 feet. The 
wells have been in use for a number of years and are reported never 
to have failed. The water is tolerably satisfactory for boiler feed, 
though it forms some scale. 

One well and several coal prospects at Leon have been sunk into 
the Pennsylvanian strata. 

The well was drilled for William Biggs in 1902 at a point a few rods 
west of the city square. It is 803 feet deep and is cased with 350 
feet of 4i-inch, 152 feet of 3^-inch, and 210 feet of 2|-inch pipe. The 
curb is 1,120 feet above sea level. Water was found in sandstone at 
a depth of 700 feet. No other water was reported. The normal water 
level is 340 feet below the surface or approximately 780 feet above sea 
level. With the suction pipe extending 36 feet below water level the 
yield is not sufficient to supply the pump, somewhat less than 40 
gallons a minute having been reported. In 1906 Mr. Biggs reported 
the yield to be 15 gallons per minute. The analysis (p. 174) shows 
that the water is only moderately hard but that it contains sufficient 
sodium and the sulphates to render it mildly laxative and give it 
some reputation as a medicinal water. The water is said to be more 
or less turbid at all times. 



LUCAS COUNTY. 
Driller'' s log of Biggs or Hazlett well at Leon. 



783 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue, and stone. . 

Limestone 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Sand 

Clay, blue 

Gravel 

Clay, blue 

Limestone, blue 

Clay, blue 

Clay and gi-avel 

Clay, blue.. 

Limestone 

Coal 

Soapstone 

Blue stone 

Blue soapstone 

Coal 

White soapstone 

Limestone 

Slate, black 

Hard soapstone 

Slate, black 

Coal 

Soapstone, blue 

Limestone, white 

Soapstone, white 

Soapstone, hard, white 

Coal 

Soapstone, blue 

Sandstone, white 

Unknown 



Feet. 



5 

23 

22 

1 

40 

14 

25 

2 

20 

6 

40 

2 

2 

7 

10 

23 

1 

62 

4 

6 

20 

1 

4 

33 

7 

6 

44 

4 

66 

158 

10 



Feet. 
55 
135 
140 
163 
185 
186 
226 
240 
265 
267 
287 
293 
333 
335 
337 
344 
354 
377 
378 
440 
444 
450 
470 
471 
475 
508 
515 
521 
565 
569 
635 
793 



LUCAS COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Lucas County lies on the eastern slope of the high plain which 
forms the divide between Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The area 
as a whole slopes gently eastward, but there is a slight slope both 
northward and southward from Chariton, the highest point on the 
divide in Lucas County. From this vicinity ^Vhitebreast and Cedar 
creeks flow northward through Marion County into the Des Moines, 
and Chariton River, approaching from the southwest, bends away 
southeastward and thence toward the Missouri. 

The entire area is part of a drift plain whose flat and almost level 
surface has been cut by a few broad stream valleys and an innumera- 
ble network of smaller ones until every portion of the region is well 
drained. The divides are broad and flat-topped, and pass gradually 
into the gently rolling hills which border the valleys. 

GEOLOGY. 

In the broad bottom lands along Chariton River and Whitebreast 
and Cedar creeks the aUuvial deposits of sand and gravel alternating 
with silt and mud are many feet in depth. 



784 



UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 



Over the uplands and extending well down into the valleys lies a 
mantle of the fine yellow clay called loess. Beneath this and cover- 
ing the entire county lies the Kansan drift, a bowlder clay containing 
pebbles of all sizes and shapes, many of which are granite or dark- 
red quartzite and therefore do not resemble the underlying bedrock. 
The maximum depth encountered in any of the coal prospect drill- 
ings of the Inland Coal Co., near the center of sec. 1, Lincoln Township 
(T. 72 N., R. 21 W.) was at an elevation of 1,017 feet above sea level. 
The section here is not only remarkable for depth but for the amount 
of sand contained. 

Log of coal-prospect hole in sec. 1, Lincoln Township. 



Depth. 



Soil and loess 

Till (Kansan) 

Sand 

Sand, with bands of blue clay 



The bedrock immediately underlying the drift of the entire county 
belongs to the Pennsylvanian series of the Carboniferous (PI. XVI, 
p. 672) and, with the exception of an irregular strip averaging less than 
a mile in width along the western border, to the Des Moines group. 
The Des Moines group consists chiefly of shales, sandstones, and a few 
limestones and coal seams. This narrow western margin is slightly 
overlapped by the rocks belonging to Missouri group, in which lime- 
stone and shale predominate. 

The sandstone of the "St. Louis limestone," which constitutes so 
important an aquifer in the counties to the east as to be known as 
the ''white water sandrock," is not utilized in Lucas County. The 
top of the upper limestone of the "St. Louis," which immediately 
overlies the sandstone of that terrane, is reported to be about 350 feet 
beneath the surface. In the NW. J sec. 15, Liberty Township (T. 
73 N., E. 22 W.) the Inland Coal Co. gives the following section, the 
surface being 832 feet above sea level: 




Log of coal prospect hole in Liberty Township. 



Depth. 



Drift 

Des Moines group 

Limestone 

Sandstone 




LUCAS COUNTY. 785 

SURFACE WATER. 

The large streams of Lucas County afford a permanent supply of 
running water which is not only economical but good for stock. The 
springs along the margin of the "bottoms" and in the broken lands 
in the vicinity of the larger streams are greatly valued by the stock 
farmers. 

On many stock farms where running water is not available a dam is 
built across a small ravine, behind which storm water collects and 
usually remains throughout the summer, as the drift forms a very 
impervious bottom and prevents rapid drainage. The water thus 
impounded is, however, very unsatisfactory, and the condition of such 
stock ponds toward the close of a warm, dry summer may be imagined 
better than described. Such water is suitable for use only in boilers, 
and for this purpose it is probably the least objectionable that can be 
obtained in this region. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

Alluvial bottoms of Chariton River and Whitebreast and Cedar 
creeks afford frequent shallow wells for many stock pastures. The 
newer public supply at Chariton is derived from this source. 

Most of the wells of the county are shallow and draw their water 
from sandy lenses irregularly distributed through the drift or from the 
sand and gravel deposit commonly found at the base of the drift. 
The remarkable sand layer noted in the section given on page 784 
seems fairly persistent between the Kansan till and the blue clay 
below (possibly the Nebraskan drift) ; at other points in the eastern 
part of the county it is said to be 40 feet thick and to supply some 
large and permanent springs. 

Except on the upland divides wells in the drift yield water that is 
satisfactory both in quantity and quality for ordinary demands for 
stock and domestic uses. 

Few wells in the county enter bedrock and none are known to pass 
through the coal measures, but the many coal prospect holes afford 
sufficient evidence of the quantity and quality of the contained 
waters. Beds of sandstone and sandy shale occur irregularly in the 
shales of the Des Moines group, and though many of these sand- 
stone beds are reported dry, some are so heavily water bearing as to 
interfere seriously with mining operations. 

Concerning mine waters in the western part of the county Mr. 
Verner, formerly State mine inspector, says : 

Mine waters in this part of the State come from the surface or from sandstone lying 
over a shale roof covering coal. This shale runs from nothing to 70 feet in thickness, 
36581°— wsp 293—12 50 



786 



UNDEKGKOUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 



and when it is thick it permits little water to percolate through. When this roof shale 
is thin, the mines are, as a rule, very wet and it is difficult to keep the roof from falling, 
and it may be necessary to abandon the mine. 

Some mine waters are so strongly charged with hydrogen sulphide as to be unfit for 
general use. Shaft waters are not good for steam making, for they pit and corrode the 
boilers rapidly, and as the waters of the drift wells are generally too hard, the boilers 
of many of the mining plants are supplied with impounded storm waters. 

The sandstone of the "St. Louis limestone," which in this county 
may be reached at depths of 400 to 600 feet, would probably produce 
moderate quantities of pure and wholesome hard water provided the 
water from the overlying Des Moines group were thoroughly cased 
out. 

The depth and arrangement of the drift and the sandstone layers 
of the Des Moines group that might be water bearing are indicated 
by the driller's log of a coal prospect hole drilled by the Inland 
Coal Co. The hole is located on Chariton River bottoms a little 
northeast of the southwest corner of sec. 30, T. 72 N., R. 21 W. 

Log of coal prospect hole near Chariton. 
[Elevation of mouth above sea level, 971.95 feet.] 



Soil 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, dark 

Sand 

Clay, black 

Sand. 

Clay, black 

Sand 

Shale, soft dark blue 

Shale, gray 

Shale, green 

Shale, dark 

Coal 

Clay, fine 

Shale, light 

Limestone, red 

Shale, light 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Sandstone, soft 

Bowlder 

Coal 

Shale, black 

Shale, soft, light 




183 11 



SPRINGS. 



Many excellent springs emerge from heavy beds of sand and gravel 
of the drift outcropping on the sides of the valleys in Lucas County. 
They are as a rule very constant in flow and are of great value on 
stock farms, as they yield streams of pure water, cool in summer and 
warm in winter, sufficient for 500 to 1,000 head of cattle, without 
expense of time, labor, or money except the initial cost of walling up 
and piping to a suitable tank. A spring on the farm owned by Hanna 



LUCAS COUNTY. 787 

Kent, 3 miles west of Lucas, is typical. This spring flows in a good, 
strong stream from an outcropping layer of sand at the bottom of a 
hill. On the J. M. Taylor farm, 3 J miles north of Derby, a spring of 
excellent water is located on the " old Mormon trace " road, so called 
because the locaHty was used by the Mormons in their western 
migration as a camping ground on account of the "plenteous water." 
The "Black Spring," owned by George Johnson, 5 miles northeast 
of Russell, flows a perennial stream of clear, hard water. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Chariton. — The public water supply of Chariton (population, 3,794) 
is drawn from shallow wells in the alluvial gravels and sands under- 
neath the bottom lands along Chariton River about 2 miles south of 
the city and about 89 feet below the level uplands. The water is 
pumped into an elevated tank in the city and supplies 7 miles of mains 
leading to 60 fire hydrants with water under about 50 pounds pressure. 
This normal pressure is supplemented by a steamer service for fire 
protection. 

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad formerly obtained 
water for engines, roundhouses, and shops by a dam across a branch 
of Chariton River immediately west of the city, supplemented by two 
wells 12 feet in diameter and 30 feet deep. The better well yielded 
35,000 gallons of water daily. The water was a good boiler water for 
this region, but the reservoir was unsatisfactory on account of the 
tendency of the river to flood in spring and to go dry in summer. 

Recently the company constructed a new reservoir a short distance 
farther west of the city, by damming a small stream fed by permanent 
springs. The dam is 30 feet high in the middle and the resulting pond 
is 1^ miles long. Abundant supply of satisfactory boiler water is 
secured. 

The deepest well reported at Chariton, that at the electric-Hght 
company plant, is 70 feet deep; little water is obtained below 33 feet, 
and that httle is very hard. 

Derby. — ^At Derby (population, 326) bored wells 10 to 60 feet deep, 
averaging 33 feet, are commonly used, as they furnish a good supply of 
water which rises within a few feet of the surface. There are several 
fine springs in the neighborhood. 

Lucas. — ^At Lucas (population, 666) water is obtained from drift 
wells ranging in depth from 15 to 50 feet. 

Russell. — Wells at and about Russell (population, 612) are shallow, 
averaging about 30 feet. The cit}^ well, 6 feet in diameter and 30 feet 
deep, is used by the public for drinking and for teams. A well 9 feet 
in diameter and 31 feet deep, and two cisterns 10 by 12 feet, constitute 
thje supply for fire protection. The water is pumped directly by a 
gasohne fire engine. The city well yielded 120 gallons per hour 
when dug. 



788 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

A composite well section in and about Russell, showing fairly per- 
sistent gravel layers, is as follows: 

Composite well section near Russell. 

Thickness in feet. 

Soil and loess 8 to 20 

Subloessial sand; scanty water. 

Yellow till (Kansan) 9 to 30 

Gravel at base of Kansan till; water-bearing. 

Clay, blue 10 to 60 

Coarse sand and gravel; much water. 
Coal shales. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Lucas County: 

Typical wells of Lucas County . 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock. 



Source of supply. 



Remarks (logs given in 
feet). 



T. 72 N., R. 21 W. (Lin 

coln). 

A. Culbertson 

D. G.Bennett 

J. A. Slattengren 

L. C. Whitten 

J. M. Cowan 

C. G, Erickson 



NE. J sec. 18.. 

SE. isec.24... 
SW. J sec. 23.. 
NE. isec. 13.. 
NW. isec. 8.. 
NE. isec.2... 



Feet. 
342 



324 
131 
174 
148 



Feet. 
94 

70 
65 
17 
22 
21 



Drift sand; sand- 
stone (D e s 
Moiues). 

Drift sand 



do 

Sandstone (Des 

Moines). 
Drift sand 



Sandstone (Des 
Moines). 



CIay,10; sand and gravel, 
84; coal measures, 248 

Loess, 10; drift, 60; coal 

measures, 234. 
Clay, 50; sand, 15; coal 

measures, 259. 
Drift, 17; coal measures, 

114. 
Clay, 11; sand, 11; coal 

measures, 152. 
Clay, 18; sand, 3; coal 

measures (with 45 feet 

of sandstone at base), 

127. 



MADISON COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 



Madison County is on the eastern slope of the divide between 
Mississippi and Missouri rivers. On the whole the area is a maturely 
dissected drift plain sloping gently to the northeast, in wliich direc- 
tion the principal streams, North River, Middle River, Clanton 
Creek, and South River, flow toward Des Moines River. The south- 
west corner of the county is drained by Grand River, which flows 
southward toward the Missouri. 

In the western and southern parts of the county the relief is very 
slight; in the northeastern part the flat-topped uplands are trenched 
100 to 300 feet by deep broad valleys with abrupt sides. 



MADISON COUNTY. 789 

GEOLOGY. 

The loess, a whitish-buff clay, free from gravel, covers ail uplands 
in Madison County and extends well down the slopes into all the 
larger valleys. Tliis deposit is not so thick as it is in the counties 
to the south and east. The Kansan drift underlies the entire county 
except where eroded away from some of the steeper valley sides. In 
its upper parts much woody and vegetable matter is found and in 
some places gas has been reported. These facts suggest that the 
deeper sand is an interglacial gravel of Aftonian age. 

The drift m the western and southern portions of the county rests 
directly upon the Missouri group, here represented by some heavy 
beds of limestone with shale. The limestone of the Missouri group 
is much altered above and the well sections frequently show a few 
feet of geest, or residual soil, between the drift and the unaltered 
limestone. In the northeastern portion the drift rests upon the 
Des Moines group, which consists chiefly of shales and sandstones 
with some limestones and coal seams. All the formations are nearly 
horizontal except for slight local dips. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE AND DISTRIBUTION. 

Sandy layers within and at the base of the loess yield small quan- 
tities of water to wells, few of which exceed 30 feet in depth. The 
loess is extensively used except on the uplands where it has been found 
very unsatisfactory owing to the serious diminution and frequent 
failure of its water supply in dry seasons. The upper sand bed and 
loess is dry in "ridgy" ground except in the middle of ridges. 

The water-bearing sands and gravels beneath the Kansan drift 
form the chief source of water supply for the county and are tapped 
at depths ranging from 20 to 200 feet. LocaJly, water may be 
obtained by sandy layers within the Kansan drift. 

In the uplands about St. Charles water is found in the Kansan by 
weUs about 30 feet deep, and in deeper drift sands overlying blue 
clay practically free from pebbles at depths ranging from 50 to 60 
feet. 

In view of the importance of the drift waters in Madison County 
a composite section on the uplands about Winterset is of interest. 

Composite section on upland near Winterset. 

Thickness 
in feet. 

Soil and yellow loess, dry 10-17 

Loess, blue gray, water bearing 3-10 

Sand, water bearing 2 

Till, yellow; some sand beds and pockets, the latter usually water 

bearing 10-30 

Till, blue, variable and often wanting; water very scarce 40 

Clay, light blue; much sand and gravel and many bowlders; gener- • 

ally much water immediately over bedrock 1-3 



790 UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The surface of the uplands underlaha by Hmestone of the Missouri 
group is so nearly level that, though the drift is but a few feet thick, 
few wells penetrate to rock. An abundance of good water is found 
in the limestone or m sandy layers at the base of the loess. Ground- 
water level is so high that water stands near the surface in the 
shallow dug wells or overflows as in the 13-foot well on R. A. 
Lenscher's farm (SE. J sec. 19, T. 77 N., R. 29 W.). An excellent 
type of the deeper drift well in this vicinity is that of J. M. Hoch- 
stetter (SE. J sec. 29, T. 77 N., R. 29 W.), a 50-foot well to sub- 
Kansan sands, which yields an abundance of fine water, with head 
15 feet from the surface. An interesting result of the ease with 
which water is obtained in this region is noted in the absence of 
windmills over the farm wells. Such conditions are found in the 
vicinity of Earlham and the region southwest. 

On the higher divides about Macksburg the loess is generally dry 
and the wells are bored to depths of 20 to 60 feet, many of them 
drawing their supply from the gravels beneath the Kansan. Not 
uncommonly the higher farms find serious difficulty in obtaining a 
full supply. 

In the broad belt of broken ground lying east of Earlham, Winter- 
set, and Barney, the stream valleys are cut through to the soft shales 
and the uplands between are capped with the limestone. Here the 
loess and upper sands are weU drained except in the middle of the 
broad divides, and wells are sunk to the sands at the base of the 
drift. The many outcrops of limestone in the sides of the vaUeys 
suggest why even these are dry in some localities. On the farm of 
G. W. Bowles (SW. I sec. 20, T. 74 N., R. 27 W.) 5 dry holes, 
ranging in depth from 75 to 170 feet, v/ere sunk; and on that of Jesse 
Roberts, IJ miles northeast of St. Charles (SE. J sec. 12, T. 75 N., 
R. 26 W.), 14 dry holes were dug before water was obtained 
from a valley weU 35 feet deep. The aquifer in this well is a sandy 
layer at the base of the drift and above the shale, as shown by the 
following section : 

Section of Roberts well near St. Charles. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow. 

Sand 

Shale 



Feet. 
25 
3 

7 



Feet. 
25 
28 
35 



The drift sands overlying limestone in the broken region are thor- 
oughly drained, but the water in those over shale is retained. 

Few wells in the county completely penetrate the drift. Some of 
those in the western and southern portions of the county find a good 



MADISON COUNTY. 791 

hard water in the second or third heavy limestone beds of the 
Missouri group, since these are interbedded with thin layers of clay 
or shale. In the northeastern portion of the county, where the drift 
overlies the Des Moines group, the rock wells are even more uncer- 
tain, A few obtain good supplies from sandstone beds, but the 
water is frequently highly mineralized. One well, that of Finley 
McDonald (see p. 792), penetrates the entire coal measures and draws 
a fair supply from the "St. Louis limestone" at a depth of 799 feet. 

SPRINGS. 

Strong flowing springs are common along margins and outcrops of 
the limestone of the Missouri group, and seepage springs are more or 
less frequent where drift sands outcrop in broken lands. The former 
afford valuable supplies of stock water on the margin of the deeper 
valleys. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

None of the towns of the county except Winterset have public 
supplies other than that furnished by shallow dug wells on the main 
streets, the water being drawn by hand pumps. 

Winterset. — At Winterset (population, 2,818) water is obtained 
chiefly from drift wells ranging in depth from 10 to 100 feet, the supply 
varying greatly with the season. One of the four wells which supply 
the Electric Light Co. plant may be considered typical. The section 
is as follows : 

Log of Electric Light Co. well at Winterset. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Loam 

Loess, yellow 

Ciay, blue 

Sand and gravel. 

Till, blue 

Limestone 



Feet. 

3 

10 
22 

1 
16 



Feet. 
3 
13 
35 
36 
52 



Water is found chiefly just over the limestone and is very hard and 
requires considerable treatment to render it fit for use in boilers. 
The wells are 4 feet in diameter and the four yield about 200 barrels 
daily in the drier seasons. 

The prospect of obtaining water from the deeper formations at 
Winterset is indicated by the record of the Finley McDonald well 
(NE. \ NE. \ sec. 1, T. 75 N., R. 28 W.), which has a depth of 799 
feet and a diameter of 3| inches. The curb is approximately 1,100 
feet above sea level and the head 190 feet below curb. Water was 
found at 248, 433, 538 (2^ gallons a minute), 630 to 648 (2f gallons 



792 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



heading 2 feet below curb, strong flow in sandstone), and 758 to 770 
(strong flow in crevice at 797 feet). The capacity of the well is 300 
gallons per hour, lowering 21 feet under a 10-hour test. 

Driller^ s log of McDonald well at Winterset. 



Clay ( Pleistocene) 

Limestone (Missouri) 

Shale (Des Moinfes) of various colors; fire clay, sandstone, limestone, and some coal.. 

Sandstone 

Shale, white 

Shale, black, bituminous 

Sandstone, hard, flinty 

Sandstone, dark-colored 

Sandstone, white (base of Des Moines) 

Limestone, white, hard, cherty (Mississippian) 




WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Madison County: 

Typical wells of Madison County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in 
feet). 


T.76N.,R.26W. 
(Crawford). 

Peter Cunningham. 

T. 75 N., R. 29 \V. 
(Webster). 


2 miles north of 
Patterson. 


Feet. 
103 


Feet. 
64 


Sand, at base 
of drift. 


Feet. 


Abandoned; insuffi- 
cient. 


T. D. Peterman.... 

T. 75 N., R. 28 W. 
(Lincoln). 


NW. JsecS 


301 


115 


Sandstone 
(Des Moines); 
limestone 
(Missouri). 




Drift, 115; Missouri, 148; 
Des Moines, 38. All 
waters only IJ gallons 
per minute. Mineral. 


Dave McCleary 

T.76N., R.28W. 


5 miles southwest 
of Winterset. 


577 


100 


Sandstone 
(Des Moines). 


260 


Drift, 100; Missouri, 56; 
Des Moines, 421. A 
weak well. Mineral. 


(Douglas). 














Finley McDonald . . 

T. 76 N., R. 29 W. 
(Jackson). 


NE. isec. 1 


799 


28 


Sandstone 
("St. Lou- 
is"). 


190 


Mineral. Test 300 gal- 
lons per hour for 21 
hours. Drift, 28; Mis- 
souri, 22; Des Moines, 
720; "St. Louis," 29. 


Dave Ford 


NE. I sec. 25 

SW. Isec. 13 


133 
95 


21 


Missouri 

do 


40 
50 




Rush Tate 


21; Missouri, 20; Des 
Moines, 92. 
2J gallons per minute. 


T.76N.,R.27W. 
(Union). 










S. A. Foley 


3J miles east of 
Winterset. 


485 


27 


Des Moines 


90 


20 barrels per day; in- 
sufficient. Drift, 27; 
Missouri, 27; Des 
Moines, 431. Aban- 
doned. 



MAEIOF COUNTY. 

Typical wells of Madison County — Continued. 



793 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in 
feet). 


T. 74 N., R. 27 W. 
(Walnut). 

H.W.Tate 

H. Hatterbuhr . 


SE. Jsec. IS 

SW. isec.20 


Feet. 
113 

315 


Feet. 
8 


Limestone 
(Missouri). 
...do 


Feet. 
75 


Excellent well. 
Scant; abandoned. 


T. 75N.,R.26 W. 
(South). 










Jesse Roberts 

Flouring mill 

T. 77 N., R. 27 W. 
(Jefferson). 


SE. Jsec. 12 

St. Charles 


185 
114 


70 
99 


Coal (Des 
Moines). 

Drift and sand- 
stone (Des 
Moines). 


16 


Unsatisfactory; aban- 
doned. 


A. D. Fletcher 

T. 77 N., R. 29 W. 
(Penn). 


SE. Jsec. 36 


268 


100 


Sandstone 
(Des Moines). 


160 


Soft water. 


J. M. Hochstetter. . 


SE. Jsec. 29 


SO 




Drift sand 


15 


Abundant and fine. 



MARION COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Marion County lies slightly southeast of the center of Iowa. The 
surface is a fair type of the Kansan till plain, approaching a mature 
stage of dissection. Des Moines and South Skunk rivers, conforming 
to the general trend of the master streams of the eastern portion of 
the State, flow southeastward across the northern part of the county, 
the former draining the major portion of the county through the White- 
breast, English, and Cedar creeks, which flow parallel to each other 
from the southwest and enter the Des Moines almost at right angles. 
This attitude is probably due to a slope of the plain to the northeast. 

The broad upland divides are gently rolling and vary but slightly 
from 900 feet above sea level ; near the main streams the land is some- 
what rough and broken. Des Moines and South Skunk rivers and 
Whitebreast Creek have completely developed flood plains with mean- 
ders and cut-offs in valleys largely preglacial. All other drainage is 
probably postglacial, though English and Cedar creeks are also well 
graded. No morainal depressions or ridges remain to impede the 
drainage. 

GEOLOGY. 

The entire county is covered with loess, Kansan drift, and possibly 
Nebraskan drift, save where the streams have cut through to bed- 
rock or have deposited alluvium on their flood plains. 

The bedrock underlying the drift consists cliiefly of Carboniferous 
sbale with some beds of sandstone and coal, all of which have been 



794 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

assigned to the Des Moines group of the Pennsylvanian series. (See 
PL XIII, p. 526.) In the deeper valleys of the eastern portion of the 
county the drift rests on limestone or, more rarely, on the underlying 
sandstone of the "St. Louis" division of the Mississippian series. 
Formations below the Carboniferous are not exposed in the county 
and are only known through deep wells put down at Pella and Flagler. 

The "St. Louis" strata have a slight southwestern dip and are 
somewhat irregular, owing to the presence of numerous anticlines 
and synclines of small extent. 

The Des Moines group rests unconformably upon the "St. Louis 
limestone" and contains many minor unconformities, due probably 
to contemporaneous erosion between its beds, which dip slightly and 
thicken toward the southwest. The usual great unconformity 
exists between the Des Moines group and the drift. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

t 

Each of three series, the Pleistocene, the Pennsylvanian, and the 
Mississippian, furnishes an important source of water supply in Marion 
County, though all are variable both in quantity and quality. 

The chief supply of water in the county is obtained from shallow 
wells dug in the drift, which is a fairly homogeneous bowlder clay 
ranging in thickness from 10 to 80 feet, though in few places exceeding 
60 feet, and which is found throughout the county. Water is within 
15 to 40 feet of the surface, generally in small sand pockets, veins, or 
seeps, and almost invariably at the base of the drift where it rests on 
shale. The drift water, where uncontaminated, is of good quality and is 
very generallj^- used for household purposes, since it is easily accessible 
and comparatively free from mineral matter. It is, however, subject 
to pollution in the larger towns and near coal mines. Its quantity is 
generally insufficient except for household use and for small farm 
supplies. Stock farmers find it inadequate and either dig large open 
wells into the shale to form reservoirs or drill into the bedrock. 

The coal measure rocks consist of coal, shale, and sandstone with 
occasional beds of limestone and conglomerate. Water is usually 
found in the seams and beds of coal, but this water is never potable 
owing to the abundance of iron and sulphur compounds in solution. 
The shales which compose the greater part of the group are compara- 
tively dry and where water is found in them it is so strongly impreg- 
nated with mineral matter as to be unfit for use. Tliis is character- 
istic of almost all waters of the Des Moines group. Exceptions 
occur, however, in the case of thick local lenses of sandstone several 
of which are found in the county. The best known of these is the 
channel deposit known as the Red Rock sandstone, which occupies 



MAEION" COUNTY. 795 

an area of less than 30 square miles in the north-central portion of the 
county and has a maximum tliicloiess of about 100 feet. Since it 
lies near the surface and furnishes an abundance of good water no 
wells go through it, but, owing probably to contemporaneous erosion, 
it is lacking in many wells where it might reasonably be expected. 

Another important water horizon is in many places found at depths 
of 100 to 200 feet in sandstone lenses some distance above the base 
of the Des Moines and usually above the coal seams. The rock varies 
in color from light blue to nearly wliite and in tliickness from 10 to 
40 feet, and contains pyrite and ironstone concretions, coal, fossils, 
and shale bands. The water is usually of good quahty for stock, 
though occasionally mineralized. The quantity is satisfactory; no 
well drawing water from this horizon has been known to fail under 
ordinary windmill or horsepower pumping, and no severer tests have 
been reported. Beds at this horizon are on the whole the most satis- 
factory source of supply for stock farms, quality and quantity both 
considered. 

The tliird water-bearing bed of the county, known among drillers 
as the ''white water sandrock," is a sandstone immediately under- 
lying a heavy-bedded limestone (the upper bed of the "St. Louis 
limestone" of the Mississippian) . It is a white, compact, granular 
sandstone with numerous flinty layers of cherty limestone from 1 to 
3 inches in thickness. At many points it is dry above, but at depths 
of 300 to 350 feet it contains an abundant supply of water for all stock 
wells. All wells to this sandstone stand windmill and horsepower 
tests, and several have been pumped with a steam pump with no 
apparent exhaustion. The water is generally hard and in some places 
mineralized, but is usually considered good for stock and for domestic 
uses. The *'St. Louis" will probably prove the most satisfactory 
source in the county, but it is not yet much used except in the eastern 
part, on account of the expense of drilhng to the depth at wliich it 
hes. Wells to the ''St. Louis" are reasonably sure of finding good 
wholesome hard water, which may be utilized in many kinds of manu- 
factures but is unsuitable for boiler purposes on account of the lime 
carbonate and other minerals it carries in solution. 

Only two wells in the county, those at Pella and Flagler, go below 
the "St. Louis" water rock. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

A few small areas of sand-veneered upland are found in Marion 
County in which the water supply is so interesting and unusual as 
to deserve mention. They lie in sees. 1, 11, and 12, T. 77 N., R. 18 W.; 
sees. 11 and 12, T. 76 N., R. 20 W.; and sees. 10, 15, and 16, T. 75 N., 
R. 20 W. In aU the sand is mixed with loess and has been wind 
borne to the northeast from the flood plain of a stream near a 



796 UNDEKGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

point where the erosion of thick beds of soft sandstone has been in 
progress. 

A supply of good water may be obtained in shallow wells near the 
base of the sand stratum, but some difficulty has been experienced 
on account of clogging of screens. Several permanent hillside springs 
rise from the same source. Though the quantity is scant and vari- 
able the possibilities of obtaining a supply from this source have been 
demonstrated in the private plant which furnishes water to the town 
of Eddyville in Wapello County. 

Along the bottom lands of Des Moines River and its tributaries 
are a number of small flowing wells, most of which are prospect 
holes sunk for coal. Most interesting of these is the 752-foot well 
drilled by the Whitebreast Fuel Co. at Flagler, in the valley of 
English Creek. A flow was obtained at 320 feet, and a stronger one 
at 626 feet, probably in the Devonian; the water has been used 
locally for medicinal purposes. 

Three artesian weUs for stock have been sunk with good success 
on the Des Monies bottoms south of the river from Dunreath, and 
about 2 mUes west of Red Rock. One of these, owned by James 
Worthington, on the line between sees. 3 and 4, T. 76 N., R. 20 W., 
is about 215 feet deep and is believed to penetrate the ''St. Louis," 
though a slight flow was found in the coal measures, which increased 
to 2 J gallons. The Robinson and Coffin wells are believed to be not 
so deep. All are slightly mineral, but are good stock wells. Several 
coal-prospect holes about Swan produced flowing wells, which have 
now disappeared and become only boggy places, owing to the pulling 
or rusting out of the casings. All are believed to be 200 to 300 
feet deep. 

Across the river in Morgan Valley and down toward Dunreath 
other flowmg coal holes have been utilized for stock wells. Another 
is in sec. 8, T. 77 N., R. 18 W., m South Skunk Valley. 

Most of the water of Knoxville and vicinity is drawn from shallow 
wells bored or dug into the drift, where a sufficient quantity for 
domestic use is found within 15 to 30 feet of the surface. When 
uncontaminated this is a good source, since it is usually free from the 
minerals which give an unpleasant taste to most of the waters from 
the coal measures. The water comes chiefly from the sand pockets 
and small veins characteristic of the drift. The supply is, of course, 
limited, and is decreasing, requiring the digging of more and deeper 
wells. 

Probably the best source of water in this vicinity, quality and 
quantity both considered, is the layer or layers of Pennsylvanian 
sandstone which outcrop extensively in the Competine Creek valley 
on the east side of town and also in Wliitebreast Creek on the west 



MAKION COUNTY. 797 

side. This sandstone is the source of good wells on all sides of 
Kjioxville but it seems to die out about 3 miles west of town; at 
least it is missed from several wells in that direction. 

This sandstone is from 10 to 40 feet thick, light blue to white in 
color, and bears some concretions or bands of iron sulphide. It is 
frequently dry above, but near the base at depths of 170 to 210 feet 
contains water, which rises to within 90 to 120 feet of the surface. It 
is a very good stock water, and many wells drilled for this purpose 
are also used for domestic purposes and are as a rule very satisfactory. 
The water is rather hard, but in only a few places is reported mineral- 
ized. Wells drawing their supply from this bed are not exhausted 
by the windmill and horsepower pumps in ordinary use on the stock 
farms. 

Where the sandstone is not found or where its waters are unsatis- 
factory on account of excess of minerals, the Mississippian ''white 
water sand rock" may be found at depths of 250 to 350 feet, under- 
lying a bed of heavy limestone. Tliis granular wliite sandstone may 
also be found dry above, but it contains an abundant supply of water 
toward the base. Though hard and frequently of strong mineral 
taste, it is a good stock water. 

In coal-prospect holes about Dallas a heavy lens of sandstone is 
found below coal seams 180 to 220 feet below the upland and 80 
to 100 feet below the Whitebreast Creek bottoms. This will probably 
prove a helpful source of supply for farm wells where the shallow 
weUs prove imsatisfactorj^. As yet, 20 to 40 foot wells in drift are in 
general use. Near Gosport and Attica coal-prospect holes to a depth 
of 150 to 200 feet show little sandstone and slight water. A dry 
weU 210 feet deep has been drilled in the northern edge of Attica, 
but at depths of 250 to 350 feet the sandstone immediately below the 
upper limestone of the "St. Louis" produces some excellent weUs. 
Bored weHs, 10 to 40 feet deep, are common about Marysville, 
Bussey, Tracy, and Hamilton, and in the latter place some are flowing. 
At Harvey 10 to 15 foot sand points are common along the Des 
Moines River and English Creek bottoms. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs, though fairly common in outcrops of coal measures 
along the borders of the chief valleys, are generally so slight in flow 
as to be of no importance. The cover of the drift forms boggy 
places rather than springs. Among the best known in the county 
is one known as the Mineral Spring, located 1| miles northwest of 
Hamilton on land owned by M. D. Flanders (sec. 27, T. 74 N., 
U. 18 W.). 



798 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 



CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Flagler. — The Johnston well has a depth of 752 feet and a 
diameter (at top) of 4 inches; casing of iron, cement, and tile to 51 
feet. The curb is 745 feet above sea level. Water comes from 
depths of 320 and 626 feet, discharging at the rate of 1^ gallons per 
minute. 

Record of strata in deep well at Flagler. 



Pleistocene: 

Clay 

Sand 

Carboniferous (Mississippian) 
Undifferentiated: 

Limestone 

Shale, sandy 

Sandstone 

Limestone 

Magnesian limestone . 

Limestone 

Shale, sandy 

Limestone 

Shale, sandy 

Limestone 

Shale, sandy 

Limestone 

Rock, hard, white. . . 

Limestone 

Kinderhook group: 

Shale, sandy 

Devonian: 

Limestone 

Shale, sandy 

Limestone 

Do 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


5 


5 


12 


17 


28 


45 


6 


51 


72 


123 


7 


130 


13 


143 


10 


153 


7 


160 


25 


185 


6 


191 


3 


194 


4 


198 


93 


291 


1 


292 


162 


454 


72 


526 


64 


590 


31i 


621J 


65i 


687 


65 


752 



Knoxville. — The public supply of Knoxville (population, 3,190) 
is owned by the city and is drawn from Whitebreast Creek and its 
underflow at a point about 2^ miles west from the city. The intake, 
which drains into a large well 22 feet deep, is a timbered tunnel 
cut through shale under the creek bed for a distance of 85 feet and 
filled in with broken brick. A Knowles steam pump, capacity 
500,000 gallons a day, forces the water through an 8-inch pipe into 
an open reservoir, the capacity of which is 10,000,000 gallons. An 
electrically driven Gould triplex pump with a capacity of 1,000,000 
gallons pumps the water for general use from the reservoir into a 
100-foot standpipe with a capacity of 96,000 gallons. For fire pur- 
poses direct pressure is resorted to, a reserve steam pump of 1,000,000 
gallons capacity being brought into use. The supply secured in this 
way is ample for fire protection, but the impurity of the water at the 
source is such as to render it generally unsatisfactory for domestic 
use. 

Pella. — Near Pella (population, 3,021) the drift is the chief source 
of supply for domestic purposes, though a number of wells go 200 
to 300 feet to the coal measures sandstones and a few probably to 
the lower sandstone, which, however, affords only a scanty supply 
of highly mineralized water. On the bottoms of both Des Moines 



MAEIOK COUNTY. 



799 



and Skunk rivers and their larger tributaries sand points driven a 
few feet frequently produce quite satisfactory wells. 

In 1895-6 the city of Pella drilled an 1,800-foot well. (See PI. 
XIII, p. 526.) Water was first found in the drift at a depth of 150 
feet and rose to within 100 feet of the surface, close to which it has 
remained ever since, as in other good wells in the vicinity. Other 
water-bearing beds were found from 1,300 feet to the bottom in the 
Galena, Platteville, St. Peter, and Oneota formations. The supply 
from the latter formations was found to be insufficient. Tubing has 
been put down to a depth of 1,200 feet, but the amount of mineral 
matter present makes it probable that the water is at least partly from 
the coal measures. Analysis shows that it contains 9,116 parts per 
million of solids and is so highly mineralized that it is totally unfit 
for domestic or manufacturing or boiler uses. The only uses to 
which it is put are sprinkling the streets and fire protection, for 
which purposes it is raised by a direct pump operated by a 10-horse- 
power gasoline engine (capacity 120,000 gallons) to an elevated tank 
with a capacity of 63,000 gallons. The original pumping capacity 
was 250 gallons a minute; present capacity, 50 gallons. Date of 
completion, 1896. Drillers, J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

The capacity of the lower water beds was tested by inserting a 
3-inch pipe with rubber packing at base 126 feet above the bottom 
of the well; through this pipe but one-half as much water could be 
drawn as on previous tests. Unfortunately no test of quality seems 
to have been made of the lower waters when thus separated. 

Record of stratain city well at Pella {PI. VIII, p. 352; PI. XIII, p. 526; PI. XIV, p. 548). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Quaternary (135 feet thick; top, 868 feet above sea level): 

Humus .' 

Till, yellow, mottled with gray; clay predominant ingredient; oeherous nodules; 

calcareous 

Till, blue, dense, tough, calcareous 

Sand and gravel; pebbles mostly buff, impure limestone and greenish and black 

siliceous clay stone; a fragment of coal and one of fossil wood 

Carboniferous: 
Pennsylvanian: 

Des Moines group (195 feet thick; top, 733 feet above sea level): 

Clay, dark, yellow-gray, sandy; a few small pebbles and fragments of gray 

unctuous shale 

Sand, very coarse; fragments of gray and black shale 

Gravel, coarse; up to 5 centimeters in diameter; surfaces stained with fer- 
ric oxides; in a matrix of black ferruginous clay or shale. Pebbles: 
Greenish-black argillo-siliceous, 22; clay u'onstone, 13; flint, 6; limestone, 

6; jasper and quartz, 6; sandstone, 2 

Shale, black; gravelly at 235 to 245 feet; fissile and gravelly at 272 feet. Peb- 
bles at 272: Limestone, 9; green argillo-siliceous, 6; flint, 12; red and yel- 
low jasper, 3; 5 samples 

Shale, dark gray 

Shale, hard, black, finely laminated, pebbly; 2 samples 

Mississippian: 

"St. Louis limestone" and Osage group (270 feet thick; top, 538 feet above sea 
level): 
Limestone and shale; in bluish-gray concreted argillo-calcareous powder; 
a few minute fragments of lightrgray limestone, some chalcedony, drusy 

quartz, and quartz crystals 

Limestone; in fine cream-colored powder 

Limestone and shale; in concreted powder; washing discloses gray lime- 
stone sand, disks of crinoid stems, chalcedony, white chert, and particles 

of hard blue-green shale 

Shale, blue, highly calcareous 



Feet. 



Feet. 



60 
110 



135 



190 

192 



285 
287 
330 



345 
375 



400 
405 



800 



UNDEEGEOTJND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



Record of strata in city well at Pella {PL VIII, p. S52; PI. XIII, p. 526; PI. XIV, 

p. 548) — Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Carboniferous — Continued . 
Mississippian — Continued. 

" St. Louis limestone " and Osage group (270 feet thick; top, 538 feet above sea 
level— Continued . 

Shale, blue-gray, slightly calcareous 

Shale and limestone; in light blue-gray argiJlo-calcareous powder; some 

limestone and chert 

Limestone and shale; in light blue-gray, argillo-calcareous powder; some 

limestone and chert 

Shale and limestone; in powder as above; some fragments of dark-gray 

flint and a few of limestone 

Limestone (?); highly argillaceous calcareous powder; many chips of blue 

and gray flint, a few of light yellow-gray limestone, and some of shale . . 

Limestone; chips of blue and gray flint, drusy quartz, chalcedony, blue 

shale, and many chips ofearthybufl limestone ". 

Limestone, light yellow-gray; in sand, with argillaceous powder; some 

chalcedony 

Kinderhook group (125 feet thick; top, 268 feet above sea level): 

Shale, green, fissile; some drab 

Shale, green, somewhat calcareous; in molded masses 

Devonian and Silurian (420 feet thick; top, 14.3 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, nearly white, soft; earthy luster; rapid effervescence 

Limestone; as above, with sand of hard brownish-gray magnesian limestone or 

dolomite 

Limestone, magnesian, light brown, coarsely crystalline, close textured; eflerves- 
■ cence slow; a few fragments of selenite noted; residue dark brown, argillaceous; 

4 samples 

Limestone, soft; in part chalky; effervescence rapid 

Limestone, light gray-brown, magnesian; some "clod" shale of same color; 2 

! samples 

Limestone, light gray, crystalline, highly cherty; driUings rusted so as to appear 

buff in mass 

Limestone, blue-gray; in large flakes 

Limestone, light brown-gray and gray; at 860 a few crystals of selenite; 4 samples. 
Marl, gypseous; in gray-wtiite, concreted powder largely of gypsum; some lime- 

f stone, argillaceous matter, and microscopic crystals of quartz; 2 samples 

Limestone, light gray, mottled with dark drab; in large flaky chips; numerous 

' crystals of selenite 

Dolomite, hard, gray; in chips; 2 samples 

Marl, gypseous, or gypsum; in light-yellow, nearly white powder, concreted into 
tough masses; breaking with smooth, slightly conchoidal fracture; friable with 
difBculty; in acid does not disaggregate, tliough slightly calcareous; under the 
microscope anhydrite is seen to be an important constituent and some pyramidal 

crystals of quartz are observed 

Shale, blue-gray, strongly calcareous; 2 samples 

Limestone, ma"gnesian,''light brown, crystalline 

Limestone and shale; limestone gray, earthy, pyritiferous; shale, light green, fossil- 

i iferous 

Limestone, magnesian, light b^o^vn, crystalline 

Limestone, mottled gray, crystalline, highly gypseous 

Marl, gypseous; some light-gray impure limestone and shale 

Marl, gypseous; 4 samples: at 1,110 feet a few thin flakes of limestone 

Limestone, magnesian, buff, gypseous 

Limestone, earthy, soft, gypseous, light gray, in flaky chips 

Dolomite, light blue-gray, hard; irregular fracture, microcrystalline; 2 samples 

Ordovician: 

Maquoketa shale (190 feet thick; top, 277 feet below sea level): 

Shale; green, green gray, drab, and slightly purplish; slightly calcareous or non- 
calcareous; hard and fissile; 4 samples 

Shale in molded masses, drab, somewhat calcareous; fine dolomitic sand 

Galena and Platteville limestones (350 feet thick; top, 467 feet below sea level): 

Dolomite; gray, crystalline, cherty; in fine sand; 4 samples 

Limestone, rather soft; much gray flint and a little brown bituminous shale.. , 

Limestone, magnesian; in light buff sand; 2 samples 

Limestone, soft, white; effervescence rapid 

Limestone, magnesian, yellow gray 

Limestone, light brown, crystalline; efEervescence rapid; 2 samples 

Limestone, magnesian, buff, crystalline 

Dolomite, cream yellow, buff, and brown, mostly cherty; residue after diges- 
tion in acid microscopically arenaceous or quartzose in several samples; 

chert usually pyritiferous with embedded crystals; 11 samples 

Limestone, brown, cherty; some small chips of dark-brown bituminous shale; 

2 samples 

Limestone, magnesian, gray, crystalline, with hard, slaty, blue-green shale 

Limestone, magnesian, light buff 

Limestone, gray, earthy, crystalline: rapid effervescence; 2 samples 

St. Peter sandstone (15 feet thick; top, 817 feet below sea level)— 

Sandstone, clean, white; quartz sand; 2 samples 

Prairie du Chien group: 

Shakopee dolomite (60 feet penetrated; top, 832 feet below sea level): 

Dolomite; drillings highly arenaceous, cherty, gray, and bufl; 3 samples. , 
Dolomite, bufl 



Feet. 
15 

30 

10 

20 

30 

5 

85 

100 
25 

10 

10 



115 

75 

90 
10 
20 
5 
5 
10 
5 



MAEIOlsr COUNTY. 



801 



Pleasantville. — The entire water supply of Pleasantville (popula- 
tion, 691) comes from sheets of sand in the drift at a depth of 20 to 35 
feet. Two dug wells on the corners of the public square are used for 
drinking and afford the only means of fire protection. In the country 
a few stock wells are drilled 200 to 250 feet to sandstone. 

WELL DATA. 

The follo%ving table gives data of typical wells in Marion County: 

Typical loells of Marion County. 













Head 




Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


above or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


T. 75 N., R. 21 W. 














(Fkanklin). 




Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 






SE. J sec. 25... 


87 


75 








T. 74 N., R. 19 W. 








(Indiana). 
















NW. isec. 23.. 
SE. isec. 6.... 


105 
346 


30 

260 








Thos. Craig 


"St. Louis"... 




High hill. Highly min- 
eralized and salty. 




















Stock prefer it to 














stream or pond water. 


J. K. Cathcart 


NW. isec.28.. 
NW. J sec. 11.. 
SW. i NW. i 


320 
210 
155 


260 
34' 


do 








Des Moines 




Dry. 


Frank Carathers. . . 


Sandstone 




Strong flow, 60 gallons 




sec. 33. 






("St. Louis"). 




per minute. Soil and 
clay, 18; sand and 
clay, 16; soft dark 
shale, 2; coal, J; me- 
dium soft dark shale, 
28i; soft Ught shale, 7; 
limestone, 2; soft dark 
shale, 2; soft light 
shale with limestone 
bands, 12; hard lime- 
stone, seamy, 2; soft 
light sandstone heav- 
ily water bearing 
toward base, 60; hard 
limestone, seamy, 5. 


T. 74 N., R. 18 W. 














(Liberty). 














M. D. Flanders 


SE. isec. 25... 
NW. isec.29.. 


84 
256 


12 
196 


Des Moines 




High ridge. 

High ridge. Mineral. 


W. B. Spillman — 


"St. Louis".-. 




T. 76 N., R. 20 W. 














(PAETS OF Union 














AND KnOXVILLE). 














Jos. Worthington . . 


NE. isec. 4... 


215 


30 


"St. Louis "(7) 


+ 18 


Just before sandrock 
occurs a hard, shelly 
limestone. Flow be- 
gan in Des Moines and 
increased in "St. 
Louis." Slightly min- 
eral. 

Rapid flow 2i feet from 
bottom in fine, com- 


W. R. Myers 


SE. isec. 33... 


56 




Des Moines 
























pact bufl sandstone. 


David Horsman 


Sec. 5 


216 




. do 




Dry hole. 


Do 


do 


191 




do 




T. 77 N., R. 20 W. 












(Red Rock; part 














OF Union). 














S. D. Robinson.. .. 


NE. isec. 34.. 


172 






+ 37 


River bottoms. Flow 








from cavity in rock, 



36581°— wsp 293—12- 



802 UNDEEGEOUIS^D WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Typical vjells of Marion County — Continued. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 
to rock 



Source of 
supply. 



Head 

above or 

below 

curb. 



Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 



T. 75 N., R. 19 W. 

(PART OF KNOX- 
VILLE). 

Walter Jenkins 



P. M. Stentz 

E. W. De Witt... 
John Smith 



Chas. Bender 

State Inebriate 

Home. 
Johnston 

T. 75 N., R. 20 W. 
(PART OF KJJOX- 
VILLE). 



B. M. Long. 

John Fee 

John Bruitt. 
John Ken . . . 



T. 76 N., R. 19 W. 
(Polk; part of 
Knoxville). 

John Bush 



T. 75 N., R. 18 W. 
(Clay; part of 
Lake Prairie). 



Brick and Tile Co. . 

T. 76 N., R. 21 W. 
(Pleasant 
Grove). 

Geo. Erb 



r. 76 N., R. 18 W. 
(parts of Lake 
Prairie and 
Clay). 

Pella Canning Co... 
Do 

Light & Power Co . 
Central College 



SW. isec.8.. 

SW. isec. 5.. 
SE. Jsec. 19. 
W. isec. 33.. 

E.J see. 33... 
Knoxville 



SW. isec. 2.. 



NE. J sec. 18. 
NE. isec. 2.. 
SW. i sec. 29. 
Sec. 14 



SE. J- sec. 31... 



24 miles west 
"of Tracy. 
Harvey 



4 miles south- 
east of Pleas- 
antville. 



Pella. . . 
....do. 
....do. 
....do. 



Feet. 
171 

169 
173 
253 

100 
340 



125 
175 
93 
94 



185 



250 
300 
190 
299 



Feet. 

72 



About 
100 



160 
290 



Des Motaes 



do 

Sandstone. . 
Des Moines- 



do 

Sandstone 

("St. Louis"). 

Devonian 

limestone. 



Des Moines. 
Sandstone.. 
Des Moines. 
do 



'St. Louis".. 



.do. 



Sandstone 
("St. Louis"). 



Sandstone. . 
Drift gravel 
Sandstone.. 



Feet. 
-110 



--80 
- 85 



+ 10 



-125 
-100 
-150 



Soft water; river bot- 
toms. 



Good well. 
"Second weU.' 



Mineral artesian. 



Plenty of good water. 



Slightly mineral. 



Soft. 



An excellent well. 



Scant and soft. 
Strong, hard and salt. 



MONROE COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The topography of Monroe County is of the type characteristic of 
the mature drift plain in southern Iowa. Being on the upland 
between Des Moines and Chariton rivers, the most southerly of the 
many parallel streams of Iowa flowing southeastward to Mississippi 
and JVIissouri rivers, the plain is well dissected by streams flowing 
irregularly out in all directions from the central divide on which the 
county seat, Albia, is located. The maximum elevation is approxi- 



MONROE COUNTY. 803 

mately 1,000 feet above sea level on the divide at the center of the 
southern border of the county, where the Iowa Central and Wabash 
railroads enter the county, and the minimum is about 680 feet above 
sea level where Des Moines River touches the corner of the county at 
Eddyville. Creeks and smaller streams are sufficiently numerous 
to give complete drainage, though none are of importance for other 
purposes. Only the largest, Cedar Creek, which truncates the 
northwest corner, and its tributary, Coal Creek, which drains the 
western half of the county, are mature enough to have the broad 
well-developed flood plains characteristic of similar streams in Marion 
and Mahaska counties. Des Moines River has a broad flood plain 
seven-eighths mile in width and a much broader old preglacial valley 
which slopes very gradually to the upland level. Its immediate 
tributaries are so steep as to produce a rather rugged topography 
throughout the northeastern part of the county. A small and 
unimportant part of the drainage of the southwestern portion of 
the county flows into Chariton River. 

GEOLOGY. 

The surface deposit, except where it is removed by erosion, is loess, 
which overlies a fairly thick mantle of drift. The drift rests upon 
the Des Moines group of the Pennsylvanian series, except over a 
very small area in the northeast comer, where Des Moines River and 
its tributaries. Grays and Mill creeks, have cut through to the ''St. 
Louis limestone" (Mississippian) . The thickness of the coal measures 
(Des Moines group) is probably 300 feet in the central part of the 
county increasing to 400 feet in the southwestern part. The Car- 
boniferous strata dip gently to the southwest and slight local anti- 
clines and synclines are discovered in working for coal. There is a 
marked unconformity between the Des Moines group and the ''St. 
Louis limestone." 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

Monroe County draws for water on the alluvium, the Pleistocene 
drift, the Des Moines group (coal measures), and the "St. Louis 
limestone." As in other counties underlain almost entirely by the 
coal measures, the waters from shallow or moderately deep wells are 
variable in quantity and frequently unsatisfactory on account of an 
unpleasant mineral taste. There are no distinct underground water 
provinces in the county. 

Along Des Moines River in the extreme northeast corner of the 
county, lies a belt of alluvium 1 to 2 miles wide, and along Coal, 
Cedar, and Avery creeks narrow bands of the same deposit are found, 
in aU of which water may be procured in the sandy or graveUy layers 
by points driven a few feet into the ground. 



804 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

In the north central part of the county near Buxton some wind- 
blown sand occurs (pp. 795-796). It is, however, little utilized, and 
is of importance as a water bearer over only a very small area. 

The fine yeUow, clayey silt known as loess veneers all the uplands 
in depths ranging from a few feet to 30 feet, thinning out along 
stream vaUeys. It is so closely associated with the underlyiag 
glacial drift that the two are here treated together. 

The Kansan drift consists of yellow clay mingled with bowlders, 
gravel, and sand above, passing into a more compact blue bowlder 
clay below. The upper portion is stained yellow and red by the 
oxidized iron compounds which have been leached out, and the blue 
is the unaltered, unoxidized drift. Few places are known in which 
the drift is over 80 or 100 feet thick, and 70 feet is perhaps a fair 
average for the county. The drift is thickest in the southwestern 
part, where few wells penetrate to the rock. 

The water which supplies most of the county for domestic pur- 
poses is procured from dug or drilled wells a few feet in depth which 
open sand pockets and small veins in clay. There is, however, below 
the Kansan tiU sheet a heavy sand and gravel layer 5 to 20 feet thick, 
in places cemented into conglomerate, which rests directly on bed- 
rock. This somewhat resembles the Aftonian gravel and suggests 
an older drift. 

The coal measures (Des Moines group) are composed chiefly of 
shales with irregularly bedded sandstones, but in the northern part 
of the county then* upper parts contain coal seams of great economic 
importance. The shales are of no value as water bearers and even 
the sandstones, which in places grade into limestones, are so variable, 
so inclosed in shale, and so permeated with u'on sulphate as to be of 
little value. A few local lenses, however, yield very satisfactory 
water. 

The "St. Louis limestone" consists of a compact, even-bedded 
limestone 20 feet m thickness overlying a coarse heavy-bedded sand- 
stone. The latter, which is known as the "white water sandrock," 
is seldom used in Monroe County, though it lies only 250 to 350 feet 
below the surface. No wells in the county go below this. One 
prospect hole, sunk by the Consolidated Coal Co., is reported to have 
been driven down to 1,365 feet, but no data concerning it can be 
secured. 

DISTRIBUTION. 

Shallow dug and bored wells and drive points penetrating alluvial 
sands and gravels are common in the valley of Des Moines River and 
its tributary creeks. On the uplands the sands beneath the loess 
and the gravels beneath the drift furnish the chief supply. A few 
wells on the upland south and west of EddyviUe penetrate the coal 
measures and procure water at depths ranging down to 220 feet. 



MONEOE COUNTY. 805 

At Lovilia, drift wells 20 to 50 feet in depth furnish an abundant 
supply of water, and water from some bored wells even flows away 
over the surface. The 50-foot wells draw their supply from the 
sands and gravels immediately overlying the bedrock sandstone. 

Similar conditions prevail in the valleys of Coal and Cedar creeks. 
On the upland divide, however, as at Weller, a good supply of water 
is difficult to get, except with a boring machine in low places or in 
wet seasons. It is probable that good stock wells may be had by 
drilling 300 or 400 feet as at the place of M. A. O'Bryan, 4 miles 
southeast of Weller, where slightly mineralized water is secured from 
coal measures with a head but 60 feet befow the surface. 

Underlying most of Albia (T. 72 N., K. 17 W.) and vicinity, and 
immediately overlying the first vein of coal, is a bed of sandstone 
25 to 60 feet in thickness. This is best known in the mining shafts 
3 or 4 miles west about Tower, where it is so abundantly supplied 
with water as to seriously interfere with the working of the mines and 
to compel the closing of some of the shafts. A second sandstone, 
coarse, gray in color, and 25 to 75 feet thick lies between the second 
and third veins of coal. The water-bearing capacity of these lenses 
is well illustrated in the abandoned shaft on the farm of D. A. Noble 
(NW. I sec. 24, T. 72 N., R. 18 W.). The shaft, 113 feet deep and 7 
by 12 feet across, was filled by water to a depth of 52 feet in 24 hours 
on cessation of pumping. It is a matter of regret that this supply 
was not more carefully investigated by the town of Albia before it 
resorted to surface waters for its public supply. 

At about 300 feet the hard, buff Hmestone of the ^'St. Louis" is 
reached, and this is immediately underlain by '* white water sand- 
rock" 20 to 30 feet in thickness. The latter is said to contain, as 
usual, a plentiful supply for ordinary Wells though it would probably 
be insufficient for pubhc supplies. One of the few wells reaching 
this horizon, that of H. K. Runkle, 2 miles north of Albia (NW. i 
sec 10, T. 72 N., R. 17 W.), is situated on a hiU and is 456 feet in 
depth. At 95 feet the water horizon at the base of drift was reached; 
another vein in the base of the coal measures was tapped at 350 
feet; and the "white water sandrock" was found at 440 feet. The 
water heads about 40 feet below the surface and is not materially 
lowered by windmill pumping. It is reported to be a good stock 
water. 

On the uplands back of Melrose, in the southwest, many farm stock 
wells are drilled to depths of 157 to 200 feet. In a 380-foot well on 
the farm of William Bernard the "St. Louis limestone" was reached 
at a depth of 340 feet. 

At Hocking shallow bored weUs a few feet in depth are used ; some 
of them flow. Deeper drift wells on the upland secure water over 
shale at the base of the drift at depths of 65 to 105 feet. Two miles 



806 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

southwest, on the farm of M. J. McLaughlin, a 250-foot well gives a 
good flow from coal measures sandstone at a depth of 180 feet. 

At Foster the drift wells range from 20 to 65 feet. On the upland to 
the northeast between Brompton and Avery many drift wells 30 to 100 
feet in depth have been sunk, and though much sand is encountered 
they are frequently dry. Artificial ponds are generally used for stock 
water. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs are not uncommon in Monroe County and are generally 
found along the lower slopes of the valleys of the larger creeks, the 
water coining from the subloessial sands, the sands and gravel under- 
lying the drift, or the outcropping edges of coal measures sandstone. 
They are little used except for stock water, for wliich they are of value 
to the farmers, who frequently wall them in and pipe the flow out to a 
small tank. 

The waters of many shallow bored wells on hillsides or slopes of 
bluffs are led out through pipe or tile a few feet below the surface 
into a tank placed on lower ground. This type of artificial spring or 
modified flowing well provides good cool pasture water at slight 
expense. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Albia. — The public supply of Albia (population, 4,969) is taken from 
an artificial reservoir formed by the damming of a small stream. 
The ponded water is pumped into a supply tank and distributed by 
gravity pressure through about 6 miles of mains to 45 fire hydrants. 
A steamer is maintained to supply added pressure as needed. The 
water is not extensively used for domestic purposes. 

Owing to the difficulty of procuring satisfactory ground water, 
cisterns supply many houses with rain water. Dug and bored wells, 
the only type used in the town, penetrate the drift 18 to 20 feet on 
the east side and 20 to 40 feet on the west side of the city square. 
Bedrock of sandstone or shale is reached at 40 to 70 feet 

A type section by Mock Bros., well borers, is as follows: 

Section at Albia. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, gray (oxidized loess) 

Joint clay, blue (unoxidized loess); including subloessial sands, water bearing . 

Water clay, yellow (commonly with sand layers) 

Clay, blue (Kansan) 



Feet. 
16 



Feet. 
16 
24 
30 
55 



MONEOE COUNTY. 



807 



Buxton. — Buxton resorts chiefly to very poor cistern waters. Two 
wells in the drift 28 to 66 feet deep yield a scant supply. In the 
dry season of 1901 the people were supplied almost wholly with water 
brought from Des Moines River in tank cars. An 8-acre rain-water 
reservoir supplies a poor quality of water for the mining companies, 
machine shops, and heating plant. At No. 14 shaft, a few miles to 
the south, the air shaft, 145 feet deep, and the main shaft, 138 feet 
deep, have no water except a slight amount from drift near the sur- 
face. At Hiteman shafts Nos. 3 and 4 are practically dry. 

Melrose. — The location of Melrose (population, 459) in the valley 
of Cedar Creek insures a supply from shallow drift wells 10 to 30 feet 
in depth. One of 65 feet does not reach bedrock. Springs are quite 
common, and a few of the wells overflow. The best of this type 
is perhaps a bored well owned by A. B. Murray, which strikes a 
strong flow in gravel at a depth of 17 feet and delivers a constant 
2-inch stream 3 feet above the surface. This is used by many of the 
families of the town for domestic supply. The Chicago, Burlington & 
Quincy Railroad procures a supply from the creek. A system for 
fire protection is proposed, and this can no doubt be procured at 
comparatively small cost from springs or shallow wells. 

No. 10 Junction. — The track well of the Chicago & North Western 
Railway (NW. i sec. 8, T. 73 N., R. 17 W.) has a depth of 1,345 feet 
and a diameter of 10 inches to 340 feet, 8 inches to 586 feet, 6 inches 
to bottom; casing to 195 feet. The curb is 895 feet above sea level. 
The tested capacity is 80 gallons a minute. The well was completed 
in 1901 by S. Swanson, of Minneapolis. 

Driller's log ofraihvay well at No. 10 Junction. 



Depth. 




Earth. . . . . 
Sandstone. 
Limestone 
Sandstone. 
Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Sandstone. 

Shale 

Sandstone. 



971 
1,011 
1,026 
1,301 
1,319 
1,330 
1,345 



The "St. Louis limestone" and Osage group seem to extend to a 
depth of 587 feet (308 above sea level) and the Kinderhook group 
thence to 748 feet (147 feet above sea level). The Devonian and 



808 



UNDBEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



Silurian beneatti can not be distinguished in the alternating shales 
and limestones of the log. The heavy shales from 1,026 to 1,301 feet 
may be the gypseous marls found in the Silurian of the region; and 
the sandstones at base, from which the water is probably derived, 
appear equivalent to the Silurian sandstones of southeastern Iowa. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Monroe County: 

Typical ivells of Monroe County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given In 
feet). 


T. 72 N., R. 17 W. 
(Teoy). 

Dan O'Hare 

H. K. Runkle 

T. B. Dotts 


SE.isec.18 

NW. isec. 10 

NW. J see. 16 

SW.isec.9 

NW.isec.2 

NE. isec. 22 

SE. J sec. 9 


Feet. 
ISO 

456 

290 

380 

360 
230 


Feet. 
95 


Sandstone 
(Des Moines). 
Sands tone 
("St. Louis") 


Feet. 
- 40 


Strong. 

Slightly mineral. Water 

bed at 440. 
No water. 


T. 71N.,R. 19 W. 
(Jackson). 

Wm. Bernard 

T. 72N.,R. 19 W. 
(Wayne). 

M. A. O'Bryan 

James Smith 

James Foley 

T. 73N.,R. 17 W. 
(Bluff Ceeek). 

James Gray 

T. 71N.,R. 17 AV. 
(Monroe). 

N. J. McLaughlin. . . 

T. 73N.,R. 16 W. 

(Pleasant). 

Grant Cowley 


80 

125 
125 

180 

188 


Sands tone 
("St. Louis"). 

Sandstone 
("St.Louis"). 

Sandstone 
(DesMoines). 
do 

Sands tone 
(DesMoines). 

Sands tone 
(DesMoines). 

Sands tone 
(DesMoines). 


- 60 
+ 5 

+ 2i 
+ 15 


Abandoned on account 
of lost drill, closing 
hole. 

Slightly mineral. Drift, 
^0; Des Moines, 225; 
limestone ("St. 
Louis " ) , 45: sandstone 
("St. Louis"), 10. 

Flowing well. 

Do. 


NE.isec.26 

SE.isec.6 

NE.isec. 11 


220 
250 
192 


Abandoned on account 
of scant yield. 

Fine flow, 1-inch stream. 
Strong mineral flow. 



KINGGOLD COUNTYo 

By O. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 



The streams of Ringgold County flow southward through deep 
valleys that are separated by dissected ridges and plateaus whose 
general altitude is slightly more than 1,200 feet above sea level. 



RINGGOLD COUNTY. 



809 



The bedrock lies essentially below the valley levels and is mantled 
with a thick accumulation of glacial and associated materials out of 
which the valleys have been carved. The glacial drift comprises 
very dark clay at the bottom (perhaps Nebraskan) and yellow grav- 
elly clay at the top (Kansan), with layers of "hardpan" or beds of 
sand at intermediate positions (perhaps Aftonian). Widely spread 
over the yellow gravelly clay is a loesslike deposit, in few places 25 
feet thick and averaging much less, which is yellow at the top but 
ashy blue and plastic at the bottom and which throughout is very 
nearly free of pebbles and grit. Upon the floors of the valleys a 
small amount of alluvium has been deposited. The bedrock consists 
of upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) strata whose character is 
indicated in the following section condensed from the driller's log of 
a drill hole on the farm of Al Dunsmoor, about 2 miles west of Tingley, 
on ground intermediate between the upland and the valley levels : 

Section near Tingley. 



Depth. 



Bowlder clay 

Sand 

Clay, blue 

Sand and gravel 

Drift 

Sand 

Clay 

Shale, blue 

Sand 

Shale, sandy 

Sand 

Shale, blue 

Potter's clay .,. 

Limestone (water bearing) 

Shale; with 2-foot bed of Umestone 

Limestone; with 2-foot bed of shale 

Shale; with 1-inch seam of coal 

Impure limestone 

Shale; with several thin beds of Umestone, sandstone, etc 

Coal 

Fire clay 

Shale (black, blue, gray, green, and red) 

Coal 

Fire clay 

Shale; with thin bed of limestone and sandstone 



Feet. 

12 

25 

45 

47 

60 

62 

69 

109 

154 

190 

195 

225 

234 

243 

262 

282 

294 

316 



492J 

579§ 

580 

584 

6241 



UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 



Tlie underground sources of water in Ringgold County can be 
grouped as (1) alluvium; (2) weathered, gravelly clay underlying 
the ashy plastic clay; (3) sand beds in the deeper parts of the drift 
or at its base; (4) thin sandstone and limestone strata interbedded 
with Pennsylvanian shales; (5) basal sandstone of the Pennsylva- 
nian; and (6) lower sandstones and limestones. 



810 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

In the valleys the alluvium may furnish moderate amounts of fairly 
good water. Below the undissected upland the weathered gravelly 
clay contains a certain amount of good but moderately hard water 
which it contributes slowly to dug or bored wells, but on the ridges 
and valley sides this material may be dry. The sand beds that occur 
in places in the deeper parts of the drift generally yield ample and 
reliable supplies, but unfortunately these beds are not found in all 
localities. They seem to be best developed in the area west of West 
Fork of Grand River, where they are tapped by a number of suc- 
cessful wells. Their water is usually good although rather hard, but 
some of it is mineralized in much the same way as the subjacent 
Carboniferous waters. Water-bearing seams of sandstone or lime- 
stone are almost invariably found when the drill penetrates the 
Pennsylvanian strata to anj considerable depth, but as a rule they are 
not an important source of supply, for they yield but little water, 
and that is full of sulphates and other minerals. Here and there, 
however, seams are encountered which provide rather large amounts 
of water of fairly good quality except that it is rich in sodium sul- 
phate and therefore has at least a mild cathartic effect when used for 
drinking. Very few wells in this county have entered the Pennsyl- 
vanian strata. So far as known, the basal sandstone of the Penn- 
sylvanian has nowhere in the county been reached by the drill ; some- 
thing, however, can be inferred as to its occurrence and character 
as a water-bearing formation from the deep well at Leon, 14 miles 
east of the Decatur County line, in which it was found between 635 
and 793 feet, and from the deep well at Bedford (Taylor County), 
about an equal distance to the west, in which it was found below 
1,180 feet. At Leon the yield is moderate, the head low, and the 
quality fairly good except for large amounts of sodium sulphate. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

At present there is no system of public waterworks in the county, 
a deficiency due no doubt in part to the difficulties of procuring an 
adequate supply. In view of the results obtained with deep wells 
in adjacent counties, drilling into the rock formations must be con- 
sidered of doubtful expediency and should at best be viewed as a 
last resort, but every village can afford to prospect thoroughly the 
glacial drift and other unconsolidated deposits above the rock before 
being content with surface water or seepage from shallow wells. If, 
however, no satisfactory bed of sand or gravel is found in the drift, 
it may be possible to develop a sufficient supply by boring a large 
number of wells into the surficial layer of drift. 

SUPPLIES FOR STOCK FARMS. 

On most farms plenty of water can be obtained for ordinary pur- 
poses, but on some, especially the larger stock farms, the lack of 



BINGGOLD COUNTY. 811 

it has been severely felt and much unsuccessful bormg and drilling 
has been done. On farms adjoining the principal valleys supplies 
can usually be obtained from streams or springs, or from shallow 
wells in the alluvium. In some upland sections satisfactory supplies 
are found in deeper parts of the drift, but in others seepage from the 
upper part of the drift seems to be the only available source of water, 
and the amount of this seepage is in many places exceedingly small. 
In the past too much reliance has been placed upon a single shallow 
well or on isolated wells of this kind. A better method is to bore a 
series of shallow wells of large diameter close enough together to be 
connected with pipes at the bottom and thus drawn upon simulta- 
neously by a single pump and windmill. (See p. 910.) 

On the farm of B. F. Talley (NW. J sec. 12, T. 69 N., R. 31 W.), 
about 2 miles southwest of Diagonal, a well was bored to a depth of 
147 feet, passing through 125 feet of drift and 10 or 12 feet of loose 
yellow sand, and ending in black "sand" which contains pieces of 
wood, twigs, etc. The water, which is corrosive and apparently 
impregnated with a small amount of gas, rose within 57 feet of the 
surface. Other wells of this character were reported in the west- 
ern part of the county. On the farm of G. W. Bentley, in the same 
section as the Talley well but on a creek bottom perhaps 65 feet 
lower, water flows from a hole 88 feet deep. Another flow was 
obtained on the farm of A. Harris, in the creek valley about 2 miles 
east of Benton. This well is only 30 feet deep, but is said to yield 
copiously. 

WELL DATA. 

A number of wells a few hundred feet deep, at least some of which 
enter bedrock, have been reported. Analyses (p. 174) of the water 
from the wells of L. Myers and Robert Hall, both south of Kellerton, 
show a large content of mineral matter, especially of sodium sul- 
phate. Approximately at the west margin of sec. 3, T. 68 N., R. 
29 W., 2^ miles east of Mount Ayr, in a valley just south of the rail- 
way, a hole was at one time sunk into the Pennsylvanian strata for 
the purpose of prospecting for coal, and a weak flow of water was 
obtained. 

At the village of Diagonal both railway companies maintain loco- 
motive supplies. The Chicago Great Western well is in the valley 
about 1,088 feet above sea level. It is 12 feet in diameter and 36 
feet deep and is walled with stone. Its water level and yield vary 
somewhat with the season. The records at the pumping station 
show that it furnishes an average of about 35,000 gallons a day, and 
that on certain days it is required to furnish as much as 60,000 gal- 
lons, which, however, approaches its maximum capacity, especially 
in dry seasons. 



812 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

. In Mount Ayr a well was at one time sunk for the municipality 
to a depth of about 300 feet, where a water-bearing bed of sand was 
discovered. Because of difficulty with the sand or for some other 
reason, this well was never finished. 

UNION COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Union County lies on the branch of the great divide that separates 
the southeasterly flowing waters of Grand River from the southwest- 
ward flowing waters of Platte and Nodaway rivers. The crest of the 
divide runs southward through Spaulding and Creston. At Creston 
theChicago, Burlington &Quincy Railroad attains an elevation of 1,312 
feet, a rise of 261 feet from Alton Junction. By a peculiar adjustment 
of the drainage lines the entire drainage passes into Missouri River — 
that of the eastern slope through Grand River and that of the nar- 
rower western slope through Platte and Nodaway rivers. 

The surface is a slightly rolling drift plain. Maturity is shown by 
the absence of ponds and undrained areas, by the completeness of 
the drainage, and by the presence of the numberless small intermit- 
tent tributary streams. On the east, especially about Afton Junction, 
the plain is more dissected and broken. 

GEOLOGY. 

The country rock beneath the surface of the county belongs to the 
Missouri group of the Pennsylvanian series, and consists chiefly of 
limestones, shales, and some beds of sandstone and seams of coal. 
Above these rocks, though separated from them by an unconformity 
indicating the lapse of a very long period of time, lie the loose, uncon- 
solidated deposits of clay, sand, gravel, and bowlders known as the 
drift. This averages from 100 to 250 feet in thickness and is chiefly 
of Kansan age. Beneath the Kansan till, and separated from it by 
a heavy bed of gravel known as the Aftonian, from its discovery in 
the railway cuts west of Afton Junction, is an earlier till known as 
the Nebraskan drift. That this older drift is present throughout 
the greater portion of the county at least is shown by the presence 
within the drift sheet of a very persistent gravel bed corresponding 
to the Aftonian, by the presence of old forest or soil deposits, and by 
peculiarities of the basal till, showing differences in composition and 
age. 

Above the drift everjrwhere except on the bottoms of the deeper 
valleys lies the loess, a light yellow plastic clay, generally free from 



UNION COUNTY. 813 

pebbles, but containing numerous white calcareous concretions. 
Widely associated with the lower layers of the loess is a sticky, black 
plastic clay called gumbo. 

In all stream valley bottoms a deposit of alluvium has been formed, 
chiefly from the wash of the loess, gumbo, and drift. The alluvium 
is thinner and of less importance in Union County than in other 
counties of southwestern Iowa that are farther from the divide. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOUECE. 

The chief shallow-water beds of the county are the alluvium, the 
loess, the Kansan till, the Aftonian gravel, the Nebraskan till, and 
the limestone of the Missouri group. All of these are frequently unsat- 
isfactory or insufficient except the Aftonian gravel, which is one of the 
best aquifers in Iowa. 

Sufficient quantities of sand interstratified with silt are found in 
the alluvium of some of the larger tributaries of the Grand, in the 
southeastern portion of the county, to aUow the use of drive-point 
weUs, which, however, are not common. 

The seepage at the base of the loess, especially where it overlies 
gumbo, supphes many shallow weUs for domestic use, but the quantity 
is meager and uncertain. 

The upper portion of the Kansan till usually contains much gravel 
and sand and these frequently supply sufficient water for many 
shallow weUs, so that this horizon, together with the sandy base of 
the loess, is known as the "first water." A few wells find sand 
pockets in the Kansan tiU ; the water from these is excellent in quahty 
but is very variable in quantity, frequently failing altogether in dry 
seasons. 

The Aftonian gravel, lying between the two till sheets, forms the 
best aquifer of this portion of the State, and its water is generally 
known on the uplands as the ''second water." It is usually pure, 
wholesome, and abundant. In the valleys, owing to the absence of 
loess, the Aftonian is in many places the first water bed reached. 
The depth to it ranges from 30 to 200 feet. Wherever the gravel out- 
crops it forms a horizon of strong springs. A good illustration is 
found on the farm of John Leininger, 2 J miles north of Afton, where 
a powerful permanent spring flows from the base of a hiU in. which 
the gravel outcrops. In some places water from the Aftonian is 
rendered disagreeable and impotable by the presence of decaying 
organic matter of old soil, peat, and forest beds. 

A ''third-water" horizon is found in beds of sand and gravel in the 
base of the Nebraskan drift, immediately above the bedrock. This 
usually lies at depths of 100 to 200 feet, but its occurrence is uncertain; 



814 UlSrDEKGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

probably in many places the Aftonian gravel rests immediately on, 
the bedrock. 

The country rock, composed as it is of thinly bedded limestones 
and calcareous shales, is not a good water carrier, its supply being 
small and its water hard and locally mineralized. The great thick- 
ness of the drift also makes it an expensive source of supply, and it is 
not resorted to when it is possible to obtain water from the upper 
beds. If the supply is insufficient after deep drilling, it is advisable, 
before abandoning the well, to try "shooting" with nitroglycerin 
and puncturing the casings opposite liigher beds, in order to combine 
the suppHes. 

Because of the scarcity of good ground water at ordinary depths on 
the higher uplands of the county about Creston and Spaulding, many 
of the larger stock farms resort to ponded storm waters. 

The following composite section, from descriptions given by well 
men, shows the relations of the several water beds : 

Composite ivell section about Creston. 

Thickness 
in feet. 

Soil, black 1-3 

Loess : Light yellow clay containing calcareous concretions 10-20 

Kansan till: 

Yellow gravelly clay, containing numerous sand and gravel 
beds; water bearing (first water) 2-6 

Blue bowlder clay, compact and hard 20-100 

Aftonian: Sand and gravel, yellow and coarse; heavily water 

bearing (second water) 2-5 

Nebraskan till: 

Yellow, hard and gravelly 10-20 

Blue and black, pebbles, and bowlders 20^0 

Sand and gravel, water bearing (third water) 2-4 

Shaly limestone. 

The upper portion of the Aftonian in many wells shows soil, peat, 
or forest beds, and the upper portion of the shaly limestone at the 
base of the section is often broken into a coarse rubble, mingled with 
residual gravel and soil and characteristic geest. The thickness of 
the drift at Creston is reported to be 260 feet. 

SPRINGS. 

Strong springs are numerous along the valley sides in the broken 
portion of the county. The Aftonian gravel, lying as it does between 
the till sheets, supplies one of the best spring horizons in Iowa. 
Little use is made of the springs, however, except as stock water, 
and even then they are rarely walled up and piped, but are simply 
permitted to flow, forming more or less of a bog in many cases. 



WARREN COUNTY. 815 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Afton. — The public supply of Afton (population, 1,014) consists of 
five wells on the town square, ranging from 25 to 40 feet in depth. All 
are likely to fail in summer, except the 40-foot well, which usually 
contams 20 feet of water and is permanent. 

A well at the creamery, in the northwestern portion of the town, 
is 365 feet in depth and reaches bedrock at 173 feet. It obtained abun- 
dant water in a gravel and sand layer in the drift a few feet above 
bedrock. The water doubtless was too hard for boiler use. Later 
the well was abandoned on account of clogging by mud and fine sand. 
The log follows : 

\^ Log of creamery well at Afton. 



Thickness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


58 


58 


115 


173 


4 


177 


1 


178 


3 


181 


184 


365 



Clay, yellow, and soil 

Clay, blue 

"Sandstone" (probably cemented sand and gravel). 

Sand and gravel, fine 

Mud, blue and black 

Shale and "soapstone" 

Limestone, hard. 



An important deep well is that of C.C. Boys (SE. | sec. 11,T. 72 N., 
R. 30 W.). This well is 671 feet deep and was originally drilled as a 
coal-prospect hole. No good section or log can be obtained, but it 
is known that bedrock was reached at 1 1 6 feet and the most important 
water bed was found in a 10-foot bed of sand and gravel 46 feet above 
this, probably in the Aftonian. This was cased out until the prospect 
hole was finished ; it was then opened up for a well and has yielded 
a large and permanent supply. 

Creston. — The public supply of Creston (population, 6,924) is 
drawn from an artificial lake about 2 miles long, about one-haK 
mile wide, and 30 feet deep. Similar though smaller ponds are 
used by many farmers about Creston to assure a stock supply in 
summer. 

Minor supplies. — Most villages are supplied from shallow wells, 
15 to 20 feet deep. About Afton Junction, Talmage, and Thayer the 
Aftonian gravel lies within comparatively few feet of the surface. 

WARREN COUNTY. 

By J. L. TiLTON. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

The upland of Warren County is a weU-dissected plain sloping 
from 1,088 feet above sea level in the southwestern portion to 900 
feet in the northeastern portion. It is drained chiefly by three 



816 UNDEEGKOUND WATEK BESOUKCES OF IOWA. 

streams, North, Middle, and South rivers, that flow toward the north- 
east, with tributaries extending back to all portions of the upland. 

GEOLOGY. 

The Des Moines group with its shale, sandstone, and coal underlying 
all sections of the county, extends from near the surface to a depth 
of 250 to 300 feet. (See PI XVI, p. 672.) In a few square miles 
only in the western half of Virginia Township the Missouri group 
with its limestone and shale overlies the Des Moines. Between 
these Carboniferous strata and the overlying Pleistocene Hes a thin 
deposit of subglacial sand and old soil, remnants of the old surface 
prior to the advent of the Nebraskan ice sheet. 

The Nebraskan drift is a tough, impervious, bluish-black tiU con- 
taining pebbles of greenstone, white quartzite, and light-colored 
granite. It is especially thick in the southern and western portions 
of the county, where the Kansan drift is thin. The sands and 
gravels (Aftonian) which overlie the Nebraskan drift, were largely 
derived from the erosion of this older till. 

The Kansan drift is bluish black where not weathered and yellow- 
ish where weathered, containing here and there fine sand and minute 
pebbles. Among its numerous pebbles and bowlders red quartzite 
and greenstone are common, together with dark decomposing 
granite. In some portions of the county the Kansan drift is but 
a few feet thick; in other places it measures at least 80 feet. 

The post-Kansan deposits consist in part of a yellowish and a 
grayish loess, between which in some places lies a clayey deposit 
(gumbo), which appears to be a loess modified by deposition in water. 

The different depths of drift make it evident that from the southern 
and eastern parts of Jackson Township a large buried valley extends 
southeastward across Squaw Township and northeastward across 
Jefferson Township, with branches extendiag eastward to near 
Indianola and northeastward to the southwest corner of Greenfield 
Township. Another buried valley underlies the central part of Linn 
Township, whence it extends east into Greenfield Township and also 
southwest and northwest. The area covered with thick drift sug- 
gests an outlet to the northwest, but deeper preglacial valleys suggest 
an outlet to the northeast through Greenfield Township. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

In former years wells on the uplands very commonly ended in a 
gumbo, or modified loess, which is found almost universally through- 
out the upland in the central portions of the county, 15 to 20 feet 
below the surface. During the drought of 1894, however, these wells 
were sunk beneath this deposit or its yellow equivalent to a sand 



WAEEEF COUNTY. 817 

which is generally found next beneath. Wells that are not over 30 
feet deep are so constructed that they receive both the surface ground 
water and water from the sand below. 

At a depth of about 30 feet throughout the uplands and of some- 
what less in the bottom lands lie deposits of sand and gravel which 
are the common source of water supply throughout the county. 
In the central part of the county this deposit is in part post-Kansan 
and in part gravel (with bowlders) left after erosion of the Kansan 
surface. In other portions of the county, especially the southern 
and western parts, where the Kansan and all above it are thin, the 
sand is Aftonian. Along the river valleys the thick deposit of sand 
penetra(ted by wells 12 to 18 feet deep is Aftonian. In the southern 
and western parts of the county wells 100 feet deep pass through 
the Nebraskan drift into preglacial sands and soils. In general these 
preglacial deposits lie at depths varying from the level of the streams 
to 60 feet below this level. In the upland bored wells are ordinarily 
used; in the river vaUeys driven wells are very satisfactory. 

The Simpson College well, which is 112 feet deep, ends in the bottom 
of deposits of old soil 25 feet deep. In testing this well it was first 
pumped for 49 hours at the rate of 840 gallons an hour, the pumping 
lowering the water 81 feet. This continued pumping merely drained 
away the surface water, for the water rose thereafter to within 30 feet 
of the surface. In the final test, after 17 hours of continuous pump- 
ing with a 4-inch pump worked by a 2J-horsepower gasoline engine, 
the water was reduced to a level 99 feet below the surface, the 
water toward the last lowering very slowly. When the pumping 
ceased the water rose 5 feet 9 inches in the first three minutes and 
9^ inches from the thirty- third to the thirty-sixth minute ; three days 
later it had risen within about 34 feet of the surface of the ground. 
The greatest quantity of the water came through the gravel at the 
base of the Aftonian. The rest came in slowly from above. 

In the eastern half of the county the Carboniferous strata lie so 
near the' surface that they are penetrated by many wells. Some of 
these extend into the Carboniferous for only a foot or two, just far 
enough to form a basin to hold water that comes in from the upper 
aquifers. In some the water enters from the shale. The wells that 
penetrate the shale more than a foot or two are dug by hand or drilled, 
the shale being so dense that it is bored by a well auger only with 
extreme difficulty. The general dryness of the shale makes such a 
formation one into which it is not advisable to penetrate; the sandy 
phases are bearers of good water, but the quantity is generally too 
small to supply a good stock well. Sulphur water, characteristic of 
all wells that penetrate the coal measures, corrodes metal receptacles 
and is unacceptable for kitchen and laundry use, and therefore pre- 
sents a serious diflttculty in all deep wells. Such water is not gener- 
36581°— wsp 293—12 52 



UNDEEGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



ally harmful, though it is laxative. To some people the taste is 
unpleasant. 

Several wells that are 100 to 200 feet deep extend into the coal 
measures. Only two are flo"wing wells, both of them on low ground 
in the northeastern part of the county near the small anticline which 
runs northwest and southeast just east of Ford. Throughout most 
of the county the strata dip very slightly to the west or are horizontal, 
and the surface is so high that deep flowing wells are not obtainable. 

Only two wells in the county reach below the Pennsylvanian ; one 
is said to penetrate 2 feet and the other 38 feet into the '^St. Louis." 
In all near-by counties deep wells have been sunk, but with results too 
unsatisfactory to be encouraging. 

WAYNE COUNTY. 
By O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The surface of Wayne County consists of a plain which has been 
carved by postglacial erosion into an intricate system of sharp 
valleys and ravines. Along the principal divides still exist broad 
strips of the undissected plain over which the railways have been 
constructed and upon which, as a consequence, the villages haTe 
been built. 

The bedrock belongs to the Pennsylvanian series of the Carbon- 
iferous and consists of shale and thm strata of sandstone and lime- 
stone. On the rock rests a thick accumulation of glacial material, at 
least the upper part of which belongs to the Kansan drift sheet. 
Widely spread over the drift is a veneer of loess gr grayish-blue clay 
resemblmg loess. Below are given several sections, as reported, of 
the drift and upper part of the Pennsylvanian. 

Sections at Corydon. 
[See. 19, T. 69 N., R. 21 W.] 



Shaft No. 1. 

"Drift" 

Shale, argillaceous 

Sandstone 

Shale, sandy 

Limestone 

Shaft No. 2. 

"Drift and secondary drift" 

Shale, argillaceous 

Sandstone 

Shale, sandy 

Shale, argillaceous 

Ijimestone with clay partings 

" Crushed limestone with rotten coal " 

Shaft No. 3. 
"Drift" 

"Irregular layer of rotten sandstone" 



Depth. 



Feet. 
267 
294 
300 
312 
318 



301 
313 
327 
342 
372 
392 
404 



297 



WAYNE COUNTY. 



819 



Section at JSwrneston. 
[Humphrey creamery well.' 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil and clay 

Clay, blue 

Quicksand 

Seam containing coal 
Shale and soapstone. 
Rock entered. 



Feet. 
50 
330 
20 

100 



Feet. 
50 
380 
400 

500 



UNDERGROUND WATER. 



SOURCE. 



In Wayne County the water is generally oDtamecl from wells dug 
or bored from 25 to 50 feet into the drift. In years of normal rain- 
fall, most of these wells receive enough seepage for household use 
and stock farms, but in diy years many of them fail. Ponds made 
by throwig dams across small ravines serve as an additional supply 
for live stock on many farms. 

The loosely aggregated and somewhat gravelly drift that furnishes 
the seepage for the shallow open wells gives place downward to a 
more compact and impervious bowlder clay, below which there is a 
possibility of obtaining water from (1) beds of sand or gravel at the 
base of the drift or between two sheets of bowlder clay; (2) strata 
of sandstone or limestone in the Pennsylvanian series; and (3) dif- 
ferent sandstones and limestones at still greater depths. Such pros- 
pecting of the deeper parts of the drift as has been done at different 
times has not been very successful. This is attributed by drillers 
to the absence of sand or gravel deposits, but it may be due more 
largely than is realized to the leakage caused by the many deep val- 
leys, whereby porous beds are drained or their head so much reduced 
that the water will not flow rapidly into the drill holes. Neither is 
the Pennsylvanian satisfactory as a source of water. In its several 
hundred feet of thickness certain water-bearing strata are nearly 
always encountered, but these are usually so thin and imperfectly 
porous and so completely incased by thick impervious beds of shale 
that their supply is small. Moreover, the water from these strata 
is objectionably rich in sulphates and commonly also in hardening 
constituents and iron. 

At the creamery of J. L. Humphrey, jr., at Humeston, a 4-inch 
well was drilled to a depth of 384 feet, and was finished with a 6-foot 
strainer in a bed of sand. It appears that the sand eventually 
entered the well and shut off the water. A second well, 5 inches in 
diameter at the top and 4 inches at the bottom, was later drilled to 
the depth of 501 feet, but it seems that no additional supply was 
found and the same bed of sand was utilized. The water is reported 



820 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



to be hard and ferruginous and to have a laxative effect, which is 
no doubt due to a large content of sulphates. The section as reported 
suggests that the sand bed lies at the base of the drift, but the data 
are too indefinite to allow any positive statement. The water seems to 
have the chemical character of that found in the Pennsylvanian strata. 

One of the deepest wells known in the county is that drilled at Cory- 
don, in 1903, for E. A. Rea. It goes to a depth of 834 feet, ends in rock, 
and is said to have passed through water-bearing beds at about 75 
feet, 300 feet, and 440 feet below the surface and a,lso near the bot- 
tom. It is cased with Of-inch and 5-inch pipe to a depth of 610 feet, 
and has 20 feet of 4i-inch casing at about 700 feet, and 50 feet of 
3-inch casmg at the bottom. With a pump drawing from a depth of 
692 feet (578 feet below the water level) the well was successfully 
tested, immediately after it was completed, at the rate of 20 gallons 
a minute for 7 J hours continuously. At the time it was visited, 
however, it was for some reason not in condition to yield water. 

In 1911 the town of Corydon put down a drill hole to 1,240 feet, at 
which depth the well was abandoned, as its capacity amounted to but 
20 gallons a minute. This well has recently been deepened and now 
supplies the town. The elevation of the curb is about 1,110 feet. 

The log of the hole, so far as kept, is as follows : 

Driller's log of well at Corydon. 




Unknown 

Shale, sandy 

Sandstone;, some water 

Flint '. 

Sandstone 

Limestone 

Soapstone 

Limestone 

Soapstone 

Limestone 

Soapstone 

Limestone 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 



The following samples of the drillings were submitted: 

Record of strata in well at Corydon. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Sandstone, fine, grains imperfectly rounded; and limestone, light gray, rapid efler- 

vescence 

Chert, white, and limestone, blue gray 

Limestone, drab, fine granular; moderately rapid effervescence 

Chert, blue gray, and limestone of same color, rapid effervescence 

Limestone, light gray, soft; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, brown, hard; with brown flint 

Limestone, blue-gray, soft; in flaky chips 

Limestone, gray, soft, cherty 

Shale, blackish, bituminous 

Limestone, cream -colored, macrocrystalline; much white chert 

Limestone, light blue-gray; with white chert 

Limestone, light yellow, macrocrystalline; rapid efiervescence 



Feet. 



Feet. 
748 
770 
807 
810 
835 
841 
854 
875 
898 
906 
925 
928 



WAYNE COUNTY. 821 

In this section, the base of the Pennsylvanian may be drawn at 731 
feet from the surface, 379 feet above sea level. The shales from 1,088 
to 1,175 feet are similar in position to shales at Centerville which 
are referred to the base of the Mississippian and, like them, include 
an intercalated limestone. The shales at Centerville, however, lie 
somewhat lower than those at Cory don. Whether the footing of the 
drni hole is in the Devonian or in the Mississippian, it is certain, that 
it was not carried far enough to reach the Silurian water bed tapped 
at Centerville, to say nothing of the Ordovician sandstone aquifers. 
If the shales referred to are the same as those of the basal Mississippian 
at Centei^Ole the Silurian sandstones would have been encountered 
within 250 feet of the bottom of the well. The general dip of the 
strata would indicate a probable depth from the surface to the St. 
Peter sandstone of about 2,050 feet. But the upwarp of the Ordo- 
vician strata in southeastern Iowa and northeastern Missouri may 
extend farther to the west than is now supposed and the St. Peter may 
lie 200 feet higher than the estimate. 

The 501-foot well at Humeston is reported to have cost $850 and 
the pump for it $150. The Corydon well is reported by Mr. Rea to 
have cost $3,000 and the pump $450. AU things taken into con- 
sideration, the prospects for water below the bowlder clay are not 
encouraging. The meager yield and poor quality of water that are 
to be expected, together with the uncertainties involved, would not 
seem to warrant the necessary expense except perhaps where urgent 
necessity exists. 

HEAD. 

The surficial drift layer is so imperfectly pervious that the water 
level conforms closely to the surface, the water in a shallow upland 
well commonly standing high above a near-by valley. But the head 
from the lower aquifers approximates more closely to the valley level. 
In the deep weU at Corydon the water rises to a level 114 feet below 
the surface or to a point about 990 feet above the sea; and in the deep 
creamery well at Humeston it rises to a point about 100 feet below the 
surface, perhaps not far from 1,000 feet above the sea. At Seymour 
(NW. i NW. I sec. 24, T. 68 N., R. 20 W.) a flowing weU 87 feet deep 
discharges water rich in sulphates at the rate of about a gallon a 
minute. In a deep valley west of Lineville and south of the State 
line a well that ends in the Pennsylvanian once overflowed. (See 
Decatur County). 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Corydon. — The deep weU at Corydon (population, 1,669) is pumped 
to a 75,000-gallon supply tank and a 50,000-gallon reserve cistern. 
Connections are now (1912) being made. The water is mineralized 
and is said to be beneficial. 



822 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Minor supplies. — Aside from the plant at Cory don, Wayne Comity 
has no system of waterworks, although it contains several villages of 
considerable size. The problem of procuring a satisfactory public 
supply is difficult. Shallow wells yield supplies that are too small and 
unreliable ; deep drillmg is expensive, involves considerable uncer- 
tainty and, at best, will furnish water that is objectionable because 
of its mineralization; and reservoirs in which the wash from rains is 
collected are likely in the course of time to receive poor care, so that 
the water will be unfit for drinking or household use. 

Though it is not generally possible to extract much water from a 
single shallow well, a much larger quantity could be obtained from a 
series of such wells. A large number of these could be bored at a 
moderate cost and they could all be connected at the bottom with 
horizontal pipes, so that a pump operatmg at one would draw from 
all. (See p. 910.) It seems probable that adequate supplies for most 
of the villages could in normal years be obtained in this way, but a 
shortage might occur in seasons of drought. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
NORTHWEST DISTRICT. 

INTRODUCTION. 

By W. H. Norton. 

The northwest district includes 19 counties — Buena Vista, Calhoun, 
CarroU, Cherokee, Clay, Ci^awford, Dickinson, Emmet, Ida, Lyon, 
Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sac, 
Sioux, and Woodbury. Over this area the heavy mantle of drift has 
in few places been cut through by stream erosion and rock outcrops 
are rare. Below the clays and sands of the drift lie the shales and soft 
sandstones of the Cretaceous, which rest with marked unconformity 
on older terranes. The Carboniferous strata, on whose beveled edges 
the Cretaceous formations in most places rest, are prevailingly shaly, 
and the shales of these two series of rocks can be distinguished with 
difficulty when they are ground to powder by the drill. Another 
unconformity probably separates the Carboniferous from the older 
formations of the Paleozoic. The earher Paleozoic strata strike 
northeast and southwest and dip southeast, the younger giving place 
westward to more ancient rocks. 

From Emmetsburg to Fort Dodge the St. Peter sandstone descends 
874 feet in 48 miles, or at the rate of a little more than 18 feet to the 
mile. (See PL XVI, p. 672.) From Sanborn to Cherokee and Holstein 
its dip is 16 feet to the mile. (See PI. XVII.) From Holstein to 
Dunlap, if the formation is rightly distinguished at Dunlap, its dip is 
somewhat less than 10 feet to the mile. 

In the extreme northwestern sections of Lyon County the Sioux 
quartzite outcrops. This is the most ancient rock exposed to view in 
Iowa and is referred to the Algonkian. Its surface sinks rather 
steeply toward the south and east from its outcrops in Lyon County. 

On the whole, conditions appear to be somewhat favorable for 
artesian wells over a large part of northwestern Iowa. The successful 
well at Jefferson, just southeast of this area, suggests that deep wells 
in the southeastern counties of this district might obtain satisfactory 
supplies. The deep weUs at Sanborn, Cherokee, and Holstein (PI. 
XVII) carry the favorable forecasts to the counties of the second 
tier east of Missouri River, where the Ordovician and Cambrian sand- 
stones may be found within drilling distance of the surface and wiU 
probably yield sufficient water for municipal supplies. A deep well 

823 



824 UNDEKGEOUKD WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

at Emmetsburg, in the northeastern part of the district, was not 
successful. For the western tier of counties the forecast is far less 
favorable (p. 825). 

The St. Peter and the subjacent formations enter northwestern Iowa 
from the east under their normal facies. At Holstein, where the 
drill hole was sunk about 550 feet below the summit of the St. Peter, 
the samples preserved from below that formation indicate about 200 
feet of the arenaceous dolomites of the Prairie du Chien group, under- 
lain by about 250 feet of the St. Lawrence formation and 35 feet of 
sandstone referable to the Dresbach, the latter extending to the bot- 
tom of the well. At Le Mars (Plymouth County) the deep well 
affords no evidence of the strata penetrated between the base of the 
Cretaceous at 810 feet above sea level and the pre-Cambrian gneiss 
at 215 feet above sea level, except two sandstones reported at about 
400 and 300 feet above sea level. (See PL VI, p. 258.) If the upper 
of these sandstones is the St. Peter, the combined thickness of the 
subjacent terranes to the base of the Cambrian is only about 200 feet. 
At Sanborn (O'Brien County) a sandstone is reported at 787 feet 
above sea level, and below this he nearly 450 feet of "shales, blue and 
green, mixed with sandstone" and "shales, green and white." This 
sandstone may be the St. Peter or the Jordan, the shaly nature of the 
subjacent bed rather favoring the latter reference. At Sioux City 
(Woodbury County) minute-grained, calciferous sandstones and 
marls, prevaihngly glauconiferous, extend from the fundamental 
schists upward for about 250 feet. These have the appearance of 
the St. Lawrence formation. At 155 feet above sea level occurs a 
white sandstone which, hke that at Sanborn, may be either the St. 
Peter or the Jordan. 

Of the formations above the St. Peter, the Decorah shale and the 
Platteville limestone cross the entire eastern area of northwestern 
Iowa in fuU force and continue at least as far west as Cherokee. They 
are succeeded upward by heavy dolomites, which no doubt include the 
Galena, and may also include the Maquoketa and the formations of 
Devonian and Silurian age. These dolomitic beds measure about 300 
feet at Cherokee and may exceed 500 feet at Holstein. At Sanborn 
they are not mentioned in the driller's log, but at Sioux City dolo- 
mites, largely cherty, occupy at least 300 and possibly 400 feet of the 
section above the Ordovician and Cambrian sandstones and glauconif- 
erous shales. Though these dolomites at Sioux City may belong to 
the Prairie du Chien group, their reference to the higher terranes is 
more in accordance with the supposed general stratigraphy of the area. 
At Jefferson all the samples of drillings for 650 feet above the shale 
of the Platteville and the Decorah shale are of dolomite ormagnesian 
limestone. These limestones carry artesian water in other districts 
of Iowa, but practically nothing is known of their capacities here. 



Feet 
1600- 

1500- 

1400- 

1300- 

1200- 

1100- 

1000- 

900' 

800- 

700- 

600- 

500- 

400- 

300- 

200- 

100- 

0- 

100- 

200- 

300-1 

400- 

500 

600-1 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

■^ — ■ 30 miles 

Sanborn 



mm 



Sea level 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE XVll 

— >-^ 18 miles > 



Holstein 



Cherokee 



,eo' 



-^^.X 

^^%; 






iVN^ 



'y/va 






Q 



'«/=> 






^v^c 



'^^n 



^-^^V 






wm 



GEOLOGIC SECTION BETWEEN SANBORN AND HOLSTEIN, IOWA 
By W. H. Norton 



NORTHWEST DISTRICT. 825 

In the counties bordering on Missouri River, so much difficulty is 
felt in making artesian forecasts that general statements must suffice. 
The chief water-bearing strata are hundreds of miles from their nearest 
outcrops in the State in the eastern counties bordering Mississippi 
River, and though they have been carefully traced from one deep well 
to another far to the west the deep wells of western Iowa are so few, 
and so httle is known of them and the line of stepping stones is so 
broken that httle more than general stratigraphic considerations 
remain for guidance and support. Fortunately artesian water may 
be found in the Cretaceous sandstones under the drift, so that the 
question of a deeper supply is not so pressing as it otherwise would be. 

In Lyon, Sioux, and Plymouth counties the Sioux quartzite and pre- 
Cambrian schists underlie the region at depths rapidly increasing 
southward and eastward. Unquestionably above these pre-Cambrian 
rocks lie the older Paleozoic rocks, but their lithologic nature is 
largely a matter of conjecture and it is possible that in these counties 
they contain few or even no beds so constituted as to carry artesian 
water in considerable quantities. At Sioux City, for example, the 
weU of the Sioux City Water Co. penetrated the Paleozoic rocks 
to a depth of at least 700 feet, but failed to find artesian water in 
paying quantity. The deep well at Hull found water below 700 and 
800 feet, and the supply was stated to be unlimited, but Mr. Meinzer 
was informed that the casing of the well had been cut at about 350 
feet from the surface and that most of the water of the weU came from 
this horizon in the country rock, a statement which finds some support 
in the head of the well as compared with those of other wells in the 
Cretaceous of the vicinity. The texture of the saccharoidal sand- 
stones found at Hull at 755 feet to 1,263 feet would allow them to 
yield copiously, but at Hull they are interbedded with impervious 
sills. Outside the area of these igneous intrusions, an area that is 
probably small, these sandstones, if not indurated, may yield artesian 
water. Thus wells drilled below the Dakota sandstone in these three 
counties may be considered experimental. The geologic conditions 
are not strongly adverse to such experiments, but the two or three 
deep wells already sunk do not encourage them. 

In Woodbury and Monona counties the Paleozoic rocks are no doubt 
thicker than they are in the northern counties bordering the Big Sioux 
and the possibility that they may include water beds is greater. The 
general geology of the deeper strata, so far as it can be inferred, is 
somewhat encouraging to deep-well digging in eastern Monona and 
Woodbury counties, but ah artesian wells must be largely experiments 
and can not be definitely recommended. The lower Paleozoic water 
beds, if found, should occur at Onawa above 600 feet below sea level 
or within 1,650 feet of the surface, and a well of this depth should be 
sufiicient to test possibOities at this station. 



826 UFDERGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

BUENA VISTA COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The surface of Buena Vista County consists essentially of a gently 
undulating drift plain containing numerous undrained depressions, 
the largest of which is occupied by Storm Lake. This plain ranges in 
altitude from less than 1,300 feet above sea level, in the southeast, to 
more than 1,500 feet in the vicinity of Alta. The only striking break 
in the topography is caused by Little Sioux River, which enters from 
the north and flows westward near the county line for some miles, 
occupying a gorgelike valley over 150 feet deep. 

Beneath the thick and continuous mantle of glacial drift lies a strati- 
fied series of shales, sandstones, and limestones, supposed to be Cre- 
taceous in age. (See PI. VI, p. 258.) 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The water supply of Buena Vista County is drawn chiefly from 
alluvial deposits, the surficial portions of the glacial drift, sand in the 
deeper portions of the glacial drift, and Cretaceous sandstone. The 
alluvial deposits are practically confined to the valley of the Little 
Sioux in which they supply shallow wells; the surficial portions of 
the drift are penetrated by several thousand shallow bored wells, 
most of which yield only small supplies and many of which fail in 
dry seasons; the sand deposits in the deeper portions of the drift 
are reached by many drilled wells; and the Cretaceous strata have 
apparently been entered in a few places. Beneath these formations 
are other water-bearing formations not yet reached by the drill in 
this county, but some knowledge as to what is to be expected from 
these sources can be gained from tlie deep wells in the surrounding 
towns of Mallard, Emmetsburg, Sanborn, Cherokee, and Holstein. 

The only source of water below the surficial deposits and within 
reach of ordinary drilling consists of beds of incoherent sand. In 
times of severe drought the shallow wells on many farms failed and 
wells were drilled to these beds of sand, but they proved so unsatis- 
factory that most of them have been abandoned and reliance again 
placed upon shallow wells. The water is under low head, is highly 
mineralized, and is separated from the fine-grained and incoherent 
sand with great difficulty. Screens of fine mesh have been used, but 
the sand packs around these and becomes firmly cemented by pre- 
cipitates from the water, and thus effectually closes the inlets, com- 
pelling the substitution of new screens or the abandonment of the 
wells. This incrustation has given so much trouble in so many wells 
that it has been generally concluded that the deeper sand strata are 
not practicable sources of water supply. These deeper sources are, 



BUENA VISTA COUNTY. 



827 



however, greatly needed, and much of the failure m the past has been 
due to miproper methods of drillmg and finishmg the wells. For the 
most part, 2-mch "tubular" wells have been sunk and the pump 
valves have been fitted into the casing itself. For several reasons 
(see pp. 192-193) wells of this type are ill adapted to the conditions 
found in this region. Six-inch wells should be drilled and fitted with 
independent pumps. Then if the water is lifted slowly— for example, 
at the rate at which a windmill operates — the suction will be slight 
and regular, and in many wells screens can be dispensed with. But 
even where screens are found necessary, they are likely to last longer, 
and they can be drawn up with less difficulty through the large casing. 



HEAD. 



In general the water does not rise so near the surface in the deepest 
drilled wells as in those that end at higher levels. Owing to the 
indefinite character of the well data it is impossible to state to what 
extent the wells having low head are to be correlated with the Cre- 
taceous sandstone and those haviag a higher head with the drift, 
but it seems evident that water from the Cretaceous rises to approxi- 
mately 1 ,200 feet above sea level and water from most of the moder- 
ately deep drift beds rises much higher. In the following table the 
wells of the first group are believed to have a head of about 1,200 
feet and those of the second group a higher head, but the head of the 
farm wells is uncertain because the surface altitude is not definitely 
known. 

Head of water in and near Buena Vista County. 



Location. 



Altitude 
of surface 

above 
sea level. 



Depth of 
well. 



Height to which 
the water rises. 



Above 
or below 
surface. 



Above 
sea level. 



Group 1. 



Fonda (Pocahontas County) 

Aurelia (Cherokee County) 

Peterson (Clay County) 

T. 90 N., R. 35 W. (Newell): 

Newell 

T. 93 N., R. 36 W. (Lee): 

S. isec.2 

NE. isec.5 

T. 92 N., R. 38 W. (Elk): 

SE. isec.34 

T. 91 N., R. 38 W. (Nokomis): 

SE. isec. 28 

SE. Jsec.35 

T. 90 N., R. 38 W. (Maple VaUey): 

SW.Jsec.l 

SW. isec. 25 

SE. isec. 29 



Group 2. 

Rembrandt creamery well , 

T. 93 N., R. 35 W. (Poland): 

Marathon village well , 

T. 91 N., R. 37 W. (Washington): 

SE. isec. 30 



Feet. 
1,234 
1,387 
1,238 

1,264 



1,335 
1,394 



Feet. 
331 
301 
90 

285 

417 
320 

338 

330 
360 

350 
360 
300 



161 
216 



Feet. 
+ 14 
-190 

- 30 

- 65 

-160 

- 60 

-285 

-270 
-300 

-290 
-280 
-240 



Feet. 
1,220 
1,197 
1,208 

1,199 



1,270 
1,320 



828 XJNDEEGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Alta. — The public water supply of Alta (population, 959) is 
pumped from two dug wells, 80 feet deep, one 8 feet and tlie other 
3 feet in diameter. It is distributed by gravity from a tank elevated 
upon a tower. About 9,000 gallons are said to be used daily and 
this is nearly the maximum yield of the wells. The inhabitants 
rely chiefly on shallow bored wells, many of which yield small and 
uncertain supplies. 

Marathon. — The following section of the village well at Marathon 
(population, 532) was furnished by the drUler: 

Section of village well at Marathon. 



TMck- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil and yellow clay; blue clay , 

Sand 

Clay, blue 



Feet. 
70 
10 
70 
11 



Feet. 

70 



150 
161 



The water is reported to rise within 74 feet of the surface, or 1,321 
feet above sea level, and the well has been pumped continuously for 
8 hours at the rate of 100 gallons a minute. The waterworks consist 
of an air-pressure system with 1| miles of mains, 6 fire hydrants, 
and 17 taps. Only a small portion of the people use the public 
supply and only about 2,000 gallons are consumed daily. 

Newell. — The public supply for Newell (population, 728) is pumped 
from a drilled well, 285 feet deep, into an elevated tank, from which 
it is distributed by gravity through approximately 1 mile of mains. 
There are 14 hydrants. The daily consumption of water is estimated 
at 12,000 gallons. 

Sioux Rapids. — The public supply of Sioux Rapids (population, 
868) is obtained from a well 10 feet in diameter and 27 feet deep, 
sunk into the gravel of the river bottom. The water is pumped to an 
elevated tank from which it passes to the mains. There are 15 fire 
hydrants. The average daily consumption is reported to be about 
30,000 gallons. 

Storm Lalce. — The public supply of Storm Lake (population, 2,428) 
is taken from the lake, from which it is pumped into a standpipe and 
is thence carried by gravity through about 5 mues of mains to 28 
fire hydrants. The water is used extensively in boilers and for 
various other purposes and is led through private pipe lines to several 
farms near the city. The culinary supplies are obtained chiefly 
from shallow private wells. 

According to Norton a deep well drilled at Storm Lake would first 
pass through the drift clays and sands, then through heavy beds of 



CALHOUN COUNTY. 829 

Cretaceous shales and sandstones, and possibly through still lower 
shales of the coal measures (Carboniferous), below which it would 
have a long run through limestones. After penetrating the shales 
of the Platteville limestone (which may need casing) the drill would 
enter the St. Peter sandstone at about 120 feet above sea level, or 
about 1,300 feet below the surface. To obtain the largest yield 
the well should be sunk to about 1,700 feet below the surface, at 
which depth it should tap the Jordan sandstone, if that formation 
preserves its identity so far to the west. On account of the high 
surface elevation, no flow can be expected, but the water should 
rise within pumping distance. 

CALHOUN COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Calhoun County presents a level surface over which many ponds are 
scattered. The only important stream that modifies this flat topog- 
raphy is North Raccoon Eiver, which cuts across the extreme south- 
west corner of the county, receiving from the north Camp and Lake 
creeks, much smaller streams. 

Wisconsin drift covers the entire region, resting on the Kansan 
drift, which presumably also extends throughout the county. Except 
in a narrow strip on the eastern edge of the county occupied by the 
Des Moines group (Carboniferous), the drift rests on Cretaceous 
rocks. 

The drift deposits lie horizontally on the rocks, which in turn either 
lie flat or dip slightly eastward. (See PL VI, p. 258.) 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

In Calhoun, as in the neighboring counties, there are two important 
water beds m the drift, one at the base of the Wisconsin drift and the 
other at the base of the Kansan drift. A large number of weUs 
obtain good supplies of hard water from the drift and are as a rule so 
satisfactory that comparatively few wells go into the rock formations 
below. 

The avaflable data show that the sand or gravel at the base of the 
Wisconsin drift has not been struck at a depth of less than 45 feet 
and that in all but a few localities it is more than 160 feet below the 
surface. Though most of the wells of the county derive water from 
this source, it does not everywhere yield water and in places the 
supply is not satisfactory. 



830 



UISTDEKGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The sand or gravel lying at the base of the Kansan drift almost 
invariably affords a good supply of water, seemingly unaffected by the 
seasons. Well records show that this aquifer has not been struck 
at a depth of less than 108 feet or more than 280 feet, the most com- 
mon depth being from 200 to 230 feet. Occasionally a good water 
supply is obtained from local sandy layers in one of the blue clays. 
Some deep wells have obtained water from shales, sandstones, and 
limestones of the Cretaceous and older rocks. 

Only two flowing wells have been noted in this county, one near 
Somers and the other near Lohrville. Both are situated near small 
streams or slough bottoms. The horizon from which the water comes 
is not known. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs of any consequence are very scarce in Calhoun County. 
A few seep from the drift along the sloughs. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Lake City. — The public water supply of Lake City (population, 
2,043) is taken from two wells 229 feet deep. The water is pumped 
to a standpipe and distributed under gravity pressure of 30 pounds 
to 172 taps. About 35,000 gallons is used daily by 600 people. The 
water is hard. The driller's log of these wells shows the following 
section: 

Driller's log of Lake City ivell. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil, black 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Sand (water) , 

Clay, blue 

' ' Hardpan " 

Clay, hard 

Clay, yellow; hard blue clay; fine sand (water) 



Feet. 

4 
20 
36 

6 
20 

6 
18 

ng 



Feet. 



4 

24 
60 
66 
86 
92 

no 

229 



The chief water beds of the Iowa artesian system lie deep below 
Lake City, the uppermost, the St. Peter sandstone, hardly less than 300 
or 350 feet below sea level, or from 1,550 to 1,600 feet below the sur- 
face. As the Paleozoic hmestones overlying the St. Peter yield more 
or less water a well 1,700 feet deep might obtain an adequate supply, 
but to get the largest supply a well 2,000 feet deep may be necessary 
and any contract for a deep well should provide for a depth of 2,200 
or 2,300 feet. 



CALHOUN COUNTY. 831 

In sinking such a well below the drift the drill will pierce Creta- 
ceous and Carboniferous shales. The quality of any waters found in 
accompanying sandstones should be tested, as they may be so heavily 
impregnated with various mineral substances as to make it desirable to 
case them out. In theMississippian limestone and the dolomites which 
extend thence downward to the shales of the Platteville limestone some 
water of fair quality should be had under good head; but the main 
supply is to be looked for in the St. Peter sandstone and the creviced 
dolomites and porous sandstones underlying it. 

Lohrville. — The town well of Lohrville (population, 674), 180 feet 
deep, furnishes a good supply of hard water. The water is pumped 
to a tank, from wliich it is distributed under gravity pressure of 35 
pounds through one-fourth mile of mains to 20 taps and 5 fire 
hydrants. About 3,100 gallons is supplied daily to 100 persons. No 
log is available. 

Manson. — The public supply of Manson (population, 1,236) is 
obtained from a well 1,250 feet deep, put down in 1905 by J. F. 
McCarthy, of Minneapolis. (See PI. VI, p. 258.) The well is cased 
with 10-inch pipe to 290 feet, 8-inch pipe to 834 feet, and 6-inch pipe 
to 1,250 feet. The curb is 1,245 feet above sea level and water stands 
25 feet below curb. The tested capacity, original and present, is 300 
gallons a minute. Water comes from 1,250 feet (according to another 
report from 1,050 feet) and from other depths unrecorded. The 
temperature of the water is 56° F. The water is pumped through 3 
miles of mains to 25 fire hydrants and 75 taps. Domestic pressure is 
50 pounds and fire pressure 80 pounds. About 400 persons are sup- 
plied daily. The daily consumption is 30,0C0 gallons. The water is 
said to be soft. 

Driller's log of Manson city well (PI. VI, p. 258). 



Soil and yellow clay 

Clay, blue 

Gravel and water 

Clay, blue 

Shale or slate; some hard; some soft; some red. 

Sandstone 

Shale, red 

Granite-Uke rock. 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


23 


23 


187 


210 


3 


213 


97 


310 


740 


1,050 


170 


1,220 


30 


1,250 



A citizen of the town asserts that no rock of any kind was struck 
until the drill reached a depth of 1,050 feet, when it entered porous 
sandrock, from which water flowed in immense volume. Another 
citizen who had much to do with the well attempts to support the 
theory that this sandstone is the St. Peter by stating that it was "as 
hard as flint and as white as snow, and ground up into fine dust or 



832 UNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

powder." The driller states that he believes ''that it was the true 
quartz rounded white sand rock." 

Literally construed this log would revolutionize the current concep- 
tion of the deep geology of the region. Although but 18 miles dis- 
tant from Fort Dodge, Manson is reported to find a heavy sandstone 
600 feet higher than the first sandstone at Fort Dodge — the St. Peter. 
The St. Peter undoubtedly rises from Fort Dodge toward Manson, 
but according to the average dip from Cherokee to Fort Dodge the 
St. Peter would not be encountered at Manson within 1,500 feet of 
the surface — 450 feet below the summit of the sandrock of the Manson 
well. 

If there are no local sharp deformations of the deep-ljdng strata in 
this region the aquifer at Manson is Silurian or Ordovician (Galena). 
Dolomites from these formations are not infrequently termed sand- 
rock, because of the sparkling crystalline sand to which they are 
crushed by the drill. The description of the Manson water bed as 
"a rock hard as fhnt" in no way fits the St. Peter, which is uniformly 
one of the softest of rocks, but seems to point to cherty layers that 
occur in both the Silurian and the Galena. 

As to the granite-like rock at the bottom of the well, it is improba- 
ble that any deformation exists in this area sufficient to bring the 
floor of crystalline rocks so near the surface. The sample of this gran- 
ite submitted for examination was a granitic pebble of glacial drift, 
about 3 inches in diameter. 

The Manson well, with its exceptionally large supply of water of 
unusual softness and high head and its exceedingly peculiar log, 
emphasizes the need and value of keepmg samples of the cuttings at 
frequent intervals as the well is drilled. There are few locahties 
where the lack of such information is more severely felt. 

If the weU should fail and repairs should prove ineffectual, a larger 
supply may be obtained by sinking the well deeper. Assuming an 
uninterrupted dip of the terranes from Cherokee to Fort Dodge, the 
St. Peter sandstone lies about 250 feet below the bottom of the drill 
hole. DrOhng not only to the St. Peter but also to the sandstones 
of the Prairie du Chien group and the Jordan sandstone should give 
an inexhaustible supply within 1,900 feet of the surface. 

Porneroy. — The public supply of Pomeroy (population, 815) is 
obtained from a well 149 feet deep, from which it is pumped by direct 
pressure (air) through 1^ miles of mains serving 40 taps and 20 fire 
hydrants. The domestic pressure is 40 pounds and fire pressure 60 
pounds. About 300 persons use the city supply. The daily con- 
sumption is 9,000 gallons. The water is rather hard. The strata 
penetrated by this weU are indicated by the following log: 



CALHOUN COUNTY. 

Driller's log of Pomeroy town well. 



833 




SoIl,black 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Sand (some water) 

Clay, blue 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Sand and gravel (water) 



Rockwell City. — Rockwell City (population, 1,528) owns two deep 
wells — one 1,475 and the other 950 feet deep. The water is pumped 
to a standpipe, from which it is distributed under gravity pressure 
of 40 pounds domestic and 75 pounds fire through 2.6 miles of 
mains to 70 taps and 19 fire hydrants. 

The 950-foot well, which until lately supplied the town and two 
railways, is 12 inches to 6| inches in diameter and is cased with 
10-inch pipe to 264 feet, 8f-inch pipe to 355 feet, and 6i-inch pipe 
to 490 feet. The water stands 200 feet or more below the curb and 
has been pumped at rate of 105 gallons a minute. The well was 
completed in 1904 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago. 

Driller's log for city deep well No. 1 at Rockwell City. 



Drift 

Shale and streaks of rock, caving 
Lime, hard, and shale, caving. . . 

Lime, hard 

Lime, shaly 

Lime, hard 

Shale, sandy, to bottom of well. . 



The deeper well was completed in 1910. The geologic section, 
so far as it can be made out from the samples saved, is as follows: 

Record of strata, city deep well No. 2, Rockwell City. 




Quaternary (161 feet thick; top, 1,223 feet above sea level): 

Soil 

Clay, yellow, sandy 

Till, blue 

Till, light yellow 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian (160 feet thick; top, 1,062 feet above sea level): 

Shale, dark drab 

Sandstone, white; grains very imperfectly rounded; calcareous cement; much 

pyrite 

Shale, blackish 

Shale, dark drab, pyritiferous 

Shale, light drab 

36581°— WSP 293—12 53 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


2 


2 


20 


22 


133 


155 


6 


161 


90 


251 


3 


254 


50 


304 


5 


309 


12 


321 



834 UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata, city deep well No. 2, Rockwell City — Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Carboniferous— Continued. 

Mississippian (499 feet thick; top, 902 feet above sea level): 

Dolomite, dark bufl, with finely disseminated white silica in granules; also 

dolomite, blue-gray, hard, compact, in larger chips 

Dolomite, dark, buff, coarse crystalline-granular 

Shale, light blue, calcareous but nonmagnesian, pyritiferous; also much bufl 

and drab dolomite, in chips 

Devonian and Silurian (160 feet thick; top, 403 feet above sea level): 

Limestone or dolomite; rather slow effervescence; light bufl, fine crystalline-granu- 
lar, in small chips 

Dolomite, light yellow-gray; in sand 

Dolomite, bufl; in small chips; crystalline granular 

Limestone, dark-blue gray; slow eflervescence; rather small argillaceous residue; 

some hard green shale and well-rounded grains of quart/,, at 

Ordovician (495 feet penetrated; top, 243 feet above sea level): 
Galena dolomite and Platteville limestone: 

Dolomite, brown, crystalline 

Dolomite, brown, fme-grained, compact 

Dolomite, light blue gray,saccharoidal, cherty 

Dolomite, light yellow, in fine crystalline sand 

Dolomite, buff, granular crystalline 

Dolomite, cream colored, iri fine sand 

Limestone, whitish, rapid effervescence 

Shale, greenish, fades of the Decorah shale 

St. Peter sandstone: 

Shale, sand, white, with much brown bituminous shale in drillings 




Feet. 
615 
600 

820 



893 
900 




50 


1,030 


10 


1,140 


50 


1,190 


75 


1,265 


30 


1,295 


43 


1,338 


75 


1,413 


59 


1,472 



Analyses of drillings from city deep well No. 2, Rockwell City.<^ 



CaCo3 

MgCos 

SiOj 

FcjOs and AI2O3 
H2O 



56. 583 

41. 189 

.857 

.877 

.109 



69. 608 

21.416 

6.987 

1.893 



57.742 
32. 187 
6.841 
3.140 



99. 615 



99. 910 



a Made in chemical laboratory of Cornell College, Iowa. 

1, Stratum at depth of 515 to 600 feet; 2, stratum at depth of 1,190 to 1,202 feet; 3, stratum at depth of 
1,265 to 1,295 feet. 

It had been estimated that the St. Peter sandstone would be found 
at 300 feet below sea level (1,525 feet below the surface). In May, 
1910, the formation was reached at 1,472 feet below the surface. 

Somers. — The Chicago Great Western Railway track well at Somers 
(population, 169) has a depth of 1,483 feet and diameters of 12 inches 
to 152 feet, 10 inches to 200 feet, 8 inches to 339 feet, and 6 inches to 
bottom; casing to 660 feet. The curb is 1,157 feet above sea level, 
and the head 60 feet below the curb. The capacity is 100 gallons a 
minute, the water coming from 1,000 to 1,200 feet (small amount) 
and from 1,470 feet (main flow). The well was completed in 1904 
by C. A. Stickney, of St. Paul. Two sets of samples of the drillings 
have been examined, one having been sent to the United States 
Geological Survey at Washington and one directly to the senior writer 
by a contractor. The two are confhcting and several of the labels 
are evidently incorrect. 



CALHOUN COUNTY. 



835 



Record of strata in railway well at Somers. 

Till (U. S. Geol. Survey sample): Limestone, yellow; slow 

effervescence; hard, dark drab, calcareous and siliceous in feet. 

shale, all in fine sand 60 

Limestone, gray; slow effervescence 70 

Till, blue (U. S. Geol. Survey) 76 

Till, blue (U. S. Geol. Survey): Limestone, light buff; slow 

effervescence; much white chert 106 

Shale, dark, carbonaceous (U. S. Geol. Survey); limestone, 

crystalline, light yellow gray, hard; slow effervescence.. 155 
Shale, blue (U. S. Geol. Survey) ; limestone, light buff, hard ; 

slow effervescence 210 

Shale, dark drab, carbonaceous (U. S. Geol. Survey); shale, 

blue, noncalcareous, pyritiferous, minutely arenaceous. . . 220 

Dolomite, buff, porous, crystalline, in sand at 508, 520, and. 566 

Limestone, gray, cherty; slow effervescence 680-689 

Dolomite, crystalline; gray; much white and gray chert and 

some rather fine rounded grains of quartz sand 1, 315 

Dolomite, buff; much white chert 1, 320 

Dolomite, drab and white; a few grains of quartz sand 1, 335 

Dolomite, buff; with white chert 1, 340 

Dolomite, light yellow gray (U. S. Geol. Survey) ; shale, dark 
drab, black when wet, apparently from coal measures and 

evidently misplaced 1, 345 

Dolomite, white, crystalline ; in fine sand 1, 350 

Dolomite, buff ., , 1, 355 

Dolomite, white and gray; 1,360 and 1, 365 

Dolomite, light gray; with white shale 1, 370 

Dolomite, light yellow 1, 375 

Dolomite, gray (U. S. Geol. Survey); limestone, light yel- 
low, rapid effervescence, compact, earthy luster; some 
lithographic with conchoidal fracture, probably mis- 
placed 1, 380 

Dolomite, light yellow, crystalline 1, 385 

Dolomite, Ught gray (U. S. Geol. Survey); drab till, evi- 
dently misplaced 1, 390 

Marl, light pinkish yellow; large residue of cryptocrystalline 

and crystalline quartz particles 1, 395 

Dolomite, buff; cherty, at 1,400, 1,410, and 1, 415 

Dolomite, light and dark gray 1, 420 

Marl; as at 1,395 feet 1,425 

Dolomite, white, gray, and buff; some chert; 6 samples 1, 430-1, 470 

It may be added that the driller who had charge from 660 feet to 
the completion of the well reports that for this distance the drill 
appeared to be working in one solid mass of hard "limerock." The 
dolomites from 1,315 to 1,470 feet evidently belong to the Galena. 
(See Fort Dodge section, np. 759-760.) 



836 



UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



WELL DATA. 



The wells listed in the following table may be considered typical 
for the county: 

Typical wells of Calhoun County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 

below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 






Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




Frank Casey . . . 


4 miles southwest of 
Mauson. 


162 




Sand 


20 


Bored well, 12 inch. Black 
soil, 3; yellow clay, 22; sand 
(some water), 6; blue clay, 
129; sand and water, 2; no 
rock. 


G. Haney 


2 miles north of Rock- 


12.5 




...do •- 


40 


Bored well, 22 inch. Black 




well City. 










soil, 3; yellow clay, 15; blue 
clay, 106; sand and much 
water, 1; no rock. 


Sam Ness 


3 miles northeast of 
Somers. 


300 


230 


Sandstone 


90 


Black soil, 4; yellow clay, 20; 
blue clay, 106; gravel (no 
water), 5; blue clay, 93; 
sand, 2; sandstone (water 
at bottom), 70. 


Henry Arnold. . 


2i miles east of Man- 
son. 


196 




Sand and 
gravel. 


60 


Black soil, 3; yellow clay, 17; 
blue clay, 60; sand (no 
water), 3; blue clay, 107; 
sand and gravel and water, 
6; no rock. 


Charles Dun- 


14 miles south of Man- 


223 




Gravel 


20 


Black soil, 3; yellow clay, 15; 


nonn. 


son. 










blue clay, 60; yellow clay, 
25; blue clay, 65; clay 
(harder), 50; "hardpan"— 
hard clay, 1; gravel (water), 
4; no rock. 


J D Hunt 


\ mile east of Manson. . 
4 mile south of JoUey . . 


198 






17 


Water in rock (?) at base. 


Moody& Davey 


145 


129 


Shale (?).. 


22 


R. S. Middle- 


2 miles south of Lohr- 


53 




Gravel 


15 


No rock. 


ton. 


ville. 












George Linvil- 
linger. 


5 miles east-northeast 


209 




. do 


100 


Black soil, 3; yellow clay, 10; 
blue clav, 62; sand and 


of Lake City. 






















gravel (Hry), 75; yellow 














clav, 4; sand and gravel 














(dry), 46; sand and gravel 
and water, 9; no rock. 














- -■ AVork- 


3' miles south-south- 
east of Lake City. 


126 




do. . 


60 


No rock. 


man. 









CARROLL COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Carroll County comprises two topographic provinces, separated by 
a line extending from the northwest to the southeast corner. The 
line of separation is, however, not sharp. The southwestern area is 
made up of low rounded hills and intervening valleys like those in 
Crawford County lying to the west, and it is crossed by the high 
land of the Iowa divide. It is cut by many small streams, of which 
Brushy Creek, on the east side, is the largest. The northeastern 
area is primarily a flat country, poorly drained except in the vicinity 
of the main waterways and showing only very broad, gentle undula- 
tions; North Raccoon River crosses its northeastern corner and 
Middle Raccoon River flows along its western border. Branching 
streams are few. 



CARROLL COUNTY. 837 

GEOLOGY. 

The loess covers half of the county, but thins eastward. In the 
southwestern half of the county it rests everywhere on Kansan drift. 
Wisconsin drift extends over all of the northeastern half and causes the 
level land of that region. The Kansan drift, under the loess or under 
the Wisconsin, is spread over the whole county. The drift is exceed- 
ingly thick in the western part along the Iowa divide and gradually 
becomes thinner toward the east. Rocks of Cretaceous age, lying 
flat or dipping very gently eastward, everywhere underlie the Kansan 
drift. (See PI. XI, p. 382.) 

\ UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

At least three well-defined water horizons are found in the drift 
deposits of Carroll County — one in sand or gravel just below the 
loess at depths ranging from 10 to 50 feet below the ground surface; 
one in sand and gravel beneath the Wisconsin drift at depths ranging 
from 70 to 150 feet; and the third in sand or gravel just below the 
blue clay of the Kansan at depths ranging from 150 feet to 400 feet. 
The beds at the last-named horizon are the most widespread, per- 
sistent, and satisfactory, almost everywhere yielding water in large 
supplies, unaffected by seasons. The greatest depths to water are 
found in the western part of the county along the Iowa divide, where 
the drift is deepest. In some wells water has been struck in sandy 
layers within the blue clays of either the Wisconsin or the Kansan 
drift. 

Little is known regarding the sources of water in the rock forma- 
tions underlying the drift, but a few wells have been drilled through 
the thin Cretaceous beds, and derive their water from the upper coal 
measures (Missouri group). 

In the loess-covered southwestern half of the county many dug wells 
obtain water from the sands and gravels below the loess and below 
the blue clay of the Kansan. In the northeastern half of the county, 
where Wisconsin drift overlies the Kansan, many drilled wells obtain 
water at the base of the Wisconsin and at the base of the Kansan. 

In the northeastern area, especially toward the east side of the 
county from Lanesboro southward to Coon Rapids, the drift deposits, 
like the gi'ound surface, slope gradually downward from the Iowa 
divide, and low ground along the stream courses affords conditions 
favorable for flowing weUs. A number of such wells are found along 
North Raccoon River or Middle Raccoon River and its tributaries 
and on low land near them, where the head of water is great enough 
to cause overflow. The gathering ground for this water is probably 



838 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

on the higher land farther west. The water in most of these wells is 
thought to come from gravel under the blue clay of the Wisconsin 
at depths ranging from 25 to 130 feet according to location. Along 
Willow Creek, in the extreme southeastern part of the county, flow- 
ing wells are easily obtained at depths ranging from 25 to 40 feet. 

SPRINGS. 

In the eastern part of the county along the principal stream bot- 
toms, such as North Raccoon River and Middle Raccoon River, are 
many small springs, most of them from the Wisconsin drift. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Carroll. — Carroll (population 3,546) is supphed from tliree wells 
113, 116, and 120 feet deep. The water is pumped to a standpipe, 
whence it is deUvered by gravity through 4^ miles of mains to 38 fire 
hydrants and 300 taps. Three thousand people use 150,000 gallons 
daily. The domestic pressure is 85 pounds and the fire pressure 100 
pounds. 

The drilling of a deep well at CarroU (elevation, 1,251 feet) is not 
discouraged, but it should be definitely understood that the quantity 
and quality of the water in the deeper rocks are not certain. Some 
water will be found in the drift, in the sandstone interbedded with 
the heavy shales of the Cretaceous and the Pennsylvanian, and in 
the underlying Mississippian limestones. Water should also occur in 
the dolomites (Galena), hundreds of feet thick, that intervene 
between the Mississippian and the Decorah shale. If the general 
attitude of the deep strata assumed for western Iowa prevails here, 
and there is no local deformation, the St. Peter sandstone lies about 
400 feet below sea level, or 1,650 feet beneath the surface. 

For a town the size of CarroU a well should be sunk through the 
St. Peter and the underlying creviced dolomites and porous sand- 
stones, which as a rule yield far more generously. When the drill 
reaches any considerable thickness of glauconiferous shales or marls, 
driUing should be stopped. The water may be expected to belong 
to the sodic sulphated class. If the upper waters from the Creta- 
ceous and Carboniferous are admitted to the well the water wiU 
probably be distinctly more highly mineralized. 

Minor supplies. — Small village supplies are summarized in the 
table following: 



CAEEOLL COUNTY. 

Minor supplies in Carroll County. 



839 











Pressure. 




a 




1 

ft 


6, 

S 


Town. 


Nature of 
supply. 


Pumping 

system. 


Distribution. 


6 

i 


i 


1 

03 


03 


3 

a 
o 
i2 


O o 

>> 

03 










Q 


s 


a 


h 


H 


Ph 


fi 










Pounds. 


Pounds. 


Miles. 








Galls. 


Coon Rapids. 


WeU 90 feet 
deep. 


Steam 
pum p, 
do uble 
acting. 


Gravity from 
tank. 


40 


(?) 


1 


15 


40 


350 


12,000 


Glidden 


2 weUs 122 
and 132 
feet deep. 


Ga s line 
e n g ine 
and deep 
well 


Direct (air) 
pressure.!! 


20-70 


70 


n 


12 


140 


700 


30,000- 
40,000 


Itlanning 


17 driven 
wells with 
sand 
points. 6 


Steam 
pump, 
d uble 
action. 


Gravity from 
tank. 


60-80 


80+ 


1.1 


18 


161 


1,200 


30,000 



a One tank in reserve for fire. 



b One well dug for fire only. 



WELL DATA. 

The foUowing table gives data of typical wells in Carroll County: 

Typical wells of Carroll County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


a 


o 

a; 



Source of supply. 


11 

0)0 

M 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


J. Shrower 

Town 


2 miles east of Ar- 
cadia. 
Glidden 


Feet. 
400 

122 
175 

426 

316 

435 

400 

400+ 

158 

70 

248 
238 
250 


Feet. 
360 

175 
(?) 


Sandstone 

Sand 


Feet. 

- 75 

- 76 

- 80 


Drift, 360; sandstone, 40. 
Soil and yellow clay, 40; 


Mrs. C. J. Brown. 
0. C. Dutton 


7 miles southeast 
of GUdden. 

5 miles south, 2 
miles east of 
GUdden. 

5J miles north, 2 
miles west of 
Glidden. 

1 mile northwest 
of Carroll. 

5 miles northeast 
of Arcadia. 

6 miles south of 
Arcadia. 

Carroll 


Gravel and sand. 


blue clay, 50; sand, 32; 
no rock. 

20 -foot bed water-bearing 
sand at bottom. Gaso- 
line engine pumps 90 
gallons a minute. No 
rock. 

Unsuccessful well. Black 


Chas. Stuteman . 


Gravel 


- 4 
-100 


soil, yellow clay, blue 
clay, gravel (no water), 
175; sandstone, 25; shale 
(hard and black) and 
sandstone layers, 218; 
coal, 8. 
Flows through pipe out of 


M. J. Hieres 

W. Anderson 

H. Ekiers 


Sand and gravel. 

Sandstone or ce- 
mented sand. 
Sandstone 


side well. No rock. 

8-foot sand bed at bottom. 
No rock. 

Sandstone or consolidated 


Chicago & North 

Western Ry. 
Mr.KeUy 

Y. Moore 


Sand 




sand. 
Steam pump for railway. 


3 miles south of 
Lanesboro. 

2 miles northeast 
of Lidderdale. 

1 mile west of Lid- 
derdale. 

Coon Rapids 


Gravel 




No rock. 
Flows at elevation of sev- 


Gravel and sand. 
Sand 


- 40 

- 40 
-190± 


eral feet. Yellow clay 
and pebbles, gravel, 20, 
blue clay, 35; sand, grav- 
el (water), 15; no rock. 
No rock. 


Mr. Ameal 


Do. 


G.W. Stout 


Sand or sand- 
stone. 


Do. 



840 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

CHEROKEE COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Cherokee County occupies a gently undulating upland plain, most 
of which is more than 1,300 feet above sea level and a part more than 
1,400 feet. Intrenched in this upland is the valley of Little Sioux 
River, whose flood plain throughout most of its course is less than 
1,200 feet above the sea. 

The upland surface is covered by a thick layer of glacial drift, 
whose upper portion is somewhat yellowish and gravelly, but whose 
deeper portions consist chiefly of a denser and darker bowlder clay. 
In the valleys water-laid deposits of gravel, sand, and clay are found 
at the surface. Below the glacial drift is a stratified series of soft 
blue shale and poorly cemented sandstone, supposed to be Cretaceous 
in age, and below this are older sedimentary formations. (See Pis. 
VI, p, 258; XVII.) The Cretaceous strata have apparently been 
entered by the driU in a number of weUs, and the underlying older 
formations have been deeply penetrated at the hospital for the 
insane at Cherokee, in a weU sunk from the upland level to a depth 
of 1,070 feet. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The water supplies are derived from the alluvial sand and gravel, 
glacial drift, Cretaceous sandstones, and pre-Cretaceous sandstone 
(deep well at the hospital for the insane). 

The alluvial sands and gravels are practically restricted to the 
valley of the Little Sioux, where they yield copious quantities of 
water, which is of excellent quality where the wells are protected 
from pollution. 

The clay and gravel that constitute the upper layers of glacial drift 
are tapped by several thousand shallow wells and furnish nearly all of 
the water used for culinary, stock, or other purposes on the extensive 
upland tracts. The abundance and permanence of the supply from 
this source vary with different localities according to the amount of 
gravelly material and the depth at which it is found and also accord- 
ing to the topographic relations that determine the ease with which 
the water may be drained from these porous beds. Where conditions 
are favorable the supply is ample at all seasons, but where they are 
adverse serious difficulty is experienced durmg dry years. The wells 
are generally sunk in low places, the conditions being so local that 
radical differences are found in different parts of the same farm. 
The water is hard, but is otherwise generally of good quality. 



CHEROKEE COUNTY. 



841 



A small number of drilled wells end in sand and gravel at or near 
the base of the drift, and most of these wells are giving satisfactory 
service. In some localities, however, water-bearing deposits have 
not been found in the deeper portions of the drift. 

Only a few wells extend to the Cretaceous. Some of these are 
successful, but in others there is difficulty in separating the water 
from the fine incoherent sand. The water from this source rises to 
about 1,200 feet above sea level. Thus on the uplands it remains 200 
feet, more or less, below the surface, but in the Little Sioux Valley 
in some places it overflows. It should not be supposed that because 
flows are obtained in the vaUey they can also be obtained by deep 
drilling on higher ground. 

HEAD. 

The following table gives approximate data as to the head of the 
water in some of the deepest wells in the county: 

Table showing head ofiuater in Cherokee County. 



Description. 



Altitude 

of surface 

above sea 

level. 



Depth. 



Height to which 
the water rises. 



Above or 
below 
surface. 



Above 

sea 

level. 



Aurelia village well 

Group of farm weUs near Aurelia 

Thi-ee Cherokee city wells 

Two hospital wells at Cherokee 

Group of wells between Cherokee and Quimby 



Feet. 
1,387 
1,390± 
1,180 
1,350± 
1,190-1,200 



Feet. 

301 

300-375 

165-200 

343 

100 



Feet. 
-190 
-190± 
+0 
-150 
+0tO-10 



Feet. 
1,197 
1,200± 
1,180 
1,200± 
1,190 



CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Aurelia. — The well which furnishes the public supply of Aurelia 
(population, 625) is 301 feet deep and ends in sand from which water 
rises within 190 feet of the surface, or very nearly 1,200 feet above 
the sea. It has been tested at 50 gallons a minute. The water is 
lifted fi'om the well into a cistern from which it is pumped into two 
air-tight tanks and thence distributed by air pressure through more 
than a mile of mains to 14 fire hydrants and 23 taps. A small portion 
of the people use the water, and it is reported that about 6,000 gallons 
are consumed daily. 

Cherokee. — About half of the people of Cherokee (population, 4,884) 
are supplied from the city waterworks and the other half from private 
wells, most of which are shallow. The public supply is obtained from 
three flowing wells 165 to 200 feet deep, situated in the valley and 
apparently ending in sandy Cretaceous strata. The artesian head is 
about 1,180 feet above sea level. The water is allowed to discharge 



842 



UNDEEGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



into an underground reservoir from which it is pumped into a stand- 
pipe and distributed through the mains by gravity. There are 40 
fire hydrants and approximately 400 taps and it is estimated that 
115,000 gallons of water are consumed daily. 

At some date preceding 1890 a deep well was drilled at Cherokee 
m the center of the town. The following record is given by Todd:^ 

Old city well at Cherokee. 



Pleistocene and unknown 

Limestone, light blue 

Shale, blue, orsoapstone. 




Well No. 1 of the State Hospital for the Insane has a depth of 
1,070 feet. The curb is 1,338 feet above sea level and the head 150 
feet below curb. The tested capacity is 60 gallons a minute. Water 
was found at 240, 435, 470, and 725 feet (rising within 180 feet of the 
curb), and from 1,012 feet to the bottom (rising within 150 feet of the 
curb). Dateof completion, 1902. 

Driller's log of State Hospital well No. 1, at Cherokee. 



Loam, black 

Clay, light yellow 

Clay, dark yellow 

Clay, blue-gray; gravel : 

Clay, light blue; gravel 

Clay, dark blue 

Clay, blue-gray; gravel 

Clay, dark blue 

Quicksand 

Gravel 

Quicksand 

Clay, gray-blue 

Clay, pink and blue 

Clay, blue-gray 

Clay, dark blue 

Sandrock '. 

Slate 

Slate, pink 

Gravel 

Slate, gray 

Slate, pink and red 

Limestone, gray 

Slate, gray 

Limestone 

Slate, light 

Limestone 

Sandrock 

Slate 

Sandrock 

Limestone, crevice of 10 feet at 735 feet 

Slate 

Sandrock 

Shale, soft, criunbling. 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


4 


4 


36 


40 


20 


60 


20 


80 


40 


120 


10 


130 


30 


160 


80 


240 


15 


255 


5 


260 


10 


270 


10 


280 


10 


290 


50 


340 


15 


355 


20 


375 


10 


385 


15 


400 


5 


405 


5 


410 


20 


430 


20 


450 


20 


470 


10 


480 


10 


490 


15 


505 


6 


510 


15 


525 


10 


535 


430 


965 


50 


1,015 


55 


1,070 



' Todd, J. E., Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1892, p. 14. 



CHEROKEE COUNTY. 



843 



Record of strata in State Hospital well No. 1, at Cherokee (PI. VI, p. 258; PI. XVII, 

p. 824). 




Quaternary (160 feet thick; top, 1,338 feet above sea level): 

Soil 

Clay, pale yellow, calcareous; with sand and small pebbles; a till, 2 samples 

Clay; as above, with flakes of drab siltlike clay, the dark color disappearing before 
blowpipe 

Till, yellow; sightly darker than at 10 feet; calcareous 

Till; as at 30 feet 

Till, greenish drab, calcareous 

Till, blue 

Till, drab 

Clay, fine, yellow drab, dense; nodules of lime; limestone pebbles numerous; 
drillings eontaia pebbles of northern drift, and soft, lignitic coal; 3 samples , 

Clay, drab, dense; reddens before blowpipe; destitute of pebbles; calcareous, gritty. . 

Clay; as at 90 feet 

Cretaceous (275 feet thick; top, 1,178 feet above sea level): 

Shale, dark drab, gritty; few if any pebbles present; very sightly calcareous; in 
tough cemented masses; 8 samples 

Sandstone, fine, green-gray 

Sandstone, coarse, yellow 

Sandstone, fine, yellow 

Sandstone, light gray, fine, argillaceous , 

Shale, light gray, noncalcareous, gritty 

Shale, drab; in molded masses with no cuttings of fissile shale; gritty, practically 
noncalcareous; less argillaceous than Maquoketa and Pennsylvanian shales; 10 
samples 

Sandstone, light gray, fuie; grains but slightly rounded; mostly of clear quartz; 4 
samples 

Sandstone; as above, somewhat argillaceous 

Shale, white, highly arenaceous; grains minute; noncalcareous 

Shale, ocher-yellow; as above 

Shale; as at 380 feet 

Sandstone, yellow, coarse, argillaceous 

Shale ; as at 380 feet 

Sandstone, fine, brown 

Shale, pink, noncalcareous 1 

Shale, yellow gray 

Carboniferous (Mississippian) (220 feet thick; top, 903 feet above sea level): 

Chert, white 

Limestone, dark and light drab; granular-crystalline, rather soft; rapid efferves- 
cence; in flaky chips 

Limestone, gray, argillaceous; minute fragments in the midst of powder; large 
quartzose residue with some chert 

Shale, blue, calcareous 

Limestone, dark drab, hard, crystalline; moderately slow effervescence 

Limestone, earthy; light yellow-gray; rapid effervescence; In large flakes 

Sandstone; grains irregular in form, varying widely in size, mostly of clear quartz, 
but some of reddish cryptocrystaUine silica; considerable shale 

Limestone, light gray, nonmagnesian, fine-grained; much sand and shale; 3 sam- 
ples 

Sandstone, grains subangular 

Limestone, Tight yellow and drab; nonmagnesian 

Sandstone, gray; grains irregular, mostly of clear quartz, but some green and red. 

Shale and limestone; large fragments of green shale; small chips of limestone with 
quartz sand 

Sandstone, gray; as at 610 feet 

Chert, white, and some light-gray nonmagnesian limestone 

Limestone, lightgray; brisk effervescence; soft; with considerable chert; 3samples 

Limestone, light gray; moderately effervescent 

Limestone, dark drab , argillaceous, soft; in large flakes; brisk effervescence; cherty 

Limestone, dark brovm, cherty 

Limestone, dark brown; moderate effervescence; some chert 

Limestone, gray, cherty; moderate effervescence 

Limestone and chert; drillings largely quartz sand, probably from above 

Limestone, drab; effervescence slow; cherty 

Limestone, blue gray, highly argillaceous 

Limestone, brisk effervescence; granular drillings consist largely of fine quartz sand 
Ordovician: 

Galena and Platteville limestones (360 feet thick; top , 683 feet above sea level) : 

Limestone, magnesian; in fine powder; 4 samples 

Dolomite, blue-gray; some chert in places; 64 samples 

Dolomite and shale 

Shale, blue; 9 samples 

St. Peter sandstone (55 feet thick; top, 323 feet above sea level) : 

Sandstone, white; 6 samples 

Sandstone; no samples 

Prairie du Chien group: 

Shale (Shakopee), soft; no samples. 



Feet. 



20 


375 


5 


380 


10 


390 


5 


395 


5 


400 


5 


405 


10 


415 


10 


425 


5 


430 


5 


435 



Feet. 



10 
30 

40 
50 
60 
70 
80 
90 

120 
130 
160 



240 
255 
260 
270 
280 
290 



440 



10 


460 


10 


470 


5 


475 


5 


480 


5 


485 


15 


500 


5 


505 


6 


510 


5 


515 


10 


525 


10 


535 


5 


540 


15 


555 


10 


565 


10 


575 


10 


585 


10 


595 


5 


600 


10 


610 


15 


625 


6 


630 


25 


655 


20 


675 


2S.5 


960 


5 


965 


50 


1,015 


20 


1,035 


35 


1,070 



844 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Analysis oj drilling at 165 feet} 

CaCOs 50. 29 

MgCOs '41.47 

SiOo 4.92 

FeaOa 89 

AI2O3 67 

H2O 2.68 

100. 92 

Well No. 2, at the State Hospital for the Insane, located 80 feet 
from well No. 1, has a depth of 343 feet and a diameter of 12 inches; 
12-inch casing to 335.5 feet. Water enters between 330 feet and 
the bottom. The maximum daily yield is reported to be 125,000 
gallons. The well was drilled a few months after the completion of 
well No. 1. Its water is said to be much the better, but it contains 
sediment which varies considerably in quality from time to time. 
For weeks together the water will remain so clear that it can be used 
in the pipes and flush tanks of the institution without trouble and for 
all domestic purposes; it may then suddenly become so filled with 
silt as to wear the pump leathers and deposit sediment in the flush 
tanks, and a week or two of pumping may be required to clear it. 

Marcus. — The public supply of Marcus (population, 896) is derived 
from two dug wells, each 10 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep; they 
seem to furnish an adequate and dependable supply. The waterworks 
include IJ miles of mains, with which are connected 16 fire hydrants 
and 67 taps. It is estimated that the water is used by approximately 
one-third of the population, 

CLAY COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Clay County is bordered on the east by a belt of high land charac- 
terized by irregular morainic topography, with numerous lakes, ponds, 
swamps, and sloughs. Farther west the surface is more gently undu- 
lating and somewhat better drained. 

Little Sioux River flows irregularly southward through the central 
part of the county; after crossing the southern boundary it turns 
northwestward, reenters the county, and cuts across the southwest 
corner. Its valley is wide and shallow in the north, but becomes 
deeper and narrower downstream. 

The highest parts of the county are along the east and west mar- 
gins, where the general altitude is between 1,400 and 1,500 feet above 
sea level; the lowest point is where the Little Sioux crosses the west 
boundary, below the village of Peterson, at an altitude of scarcely 
more than 1,200 feet. 

1 Made in chemical laboratory of Cornell College, Mount Vemon, Iowa. 



CLAY COUNTY. 845 

GEOLOGY. 

The surface deposits of Clay County comprise outwash materials 
and bowlder clay. The outwash materials consist of stratified gravel 
and other sediments. They occur along Little Sioux River and are 
well developed in the vicinity of Spencer. The bowlder clay, which 
has an average thickness of several hundred feet, is yellow and grav- 
elly near the surface but denser and darker at greater depths. Inter- 
bedded with it are a few lenses of sand and gravel. Beneath the 
bowlder clay there is a stratified series of soft shales, limestones, and 
sandstones of probable Cretaceous age. 

The following is the driller's log of the deep well of D. C. Wliite: 

Section of deep ivell of D . C. White at Webb. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow, etc 

Clay, blue 

Sand 

Clay, blue 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, dark blue 

Clay, light blue, and sand. 

Quicksand and gravel 

Limestone and sandstone, 
Soapstone. 



UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The horizons from which water is taken may be grouped as outwash 
sands and gravels, surficial portions of the glacial drift, sand and 
gravel deposits in the deeper portions of the drift, and Cretaceous 
sand strata. 

In the valley of Little Sioux River, and also in a rather extensive 
low-lying area associated with Little Sioux and Ocheyedan rivers east of 
Spencer, the outwash deposits furnish an abundant and permanent 
water supply to very shallow driven wells. Elsewhere most of 
the supply is obtained from shallow wells bored or dug into the upper 
part of the unstratified glacial drift, from which they receive seepage. 

The drilled wells, which constitute a very small percentage of the 
total number, are supplied from deeper horizons that probably belong 
to the drift, although the sections of only a few wells were obtained. 
In depth they range from less than 100 feet to at least 550 feet. In 
the Little Sioux Valley, especially in the lower portion, the water in 
these wells rises nearly to the surface, but on the uplands it remains 
at considerable depths. Thus in the village well at Peterson, situated 




846 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

in the valley, the water comes within 30 feet of the surface, whereas 
in the deep well of D. C. White at Webb it stands 180 feet below the 
surface, though m both wells it rises to approximately the same level, 
about 1,200 feet above the sea. 

The deepest water-bearing formations have not been reached by the 
drill, but successful deep wells have been sunk at Emmetsburg and 
Mallard, about 12 miles east of the east boundary. (See pp. 873- 
874.) In Clay County the head of the water from these deep forma- 
tions would probably not be higher than in the deepest wells already 
drilled. At Spencer the surface elevation is 1,315 feet above sea level 
and the deep water would probably not rise higher than 1,200 feet. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Peterson. — The village well at Peterson (population, 480) is 90 feet 
deep, the last 20 feet being in sand and gravel. It is pumped at 20 gal- 
lons a minute and is giving satisfactory service. The water is lifted into 
a surface reservoir on the top of the valley cliff and thence distributed 
by gravity. There is a small system of mains with 5 fire hydrants 
and 20 taps. The average daily consumption probably does not 
exceed 1,500 gallons. 

Spencer. — The public supply of Spencer (population, 3,005) is 
obtained from three 16-foot wells, one 40 feet, one 16 feet, and one 8 
feet in diameter, dug in outwash sand and gravel. The wells will fill 
within 5 feet of the top and furnish 1,000 gallons of water a minute. 
The water is pumped to an elevated tank and distributed through 4^ 
miles of mains to 21 fire hydrants and about 200 taps. Approxi- 
mately 1,000 people are supplied, and 100,000 gallons is consumed 
daily. 

CRAWFORD COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller. 

TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Crawford County lies just west of the Iowa divide and its prin- 
cipal drainage slope is toward the southwest. The surface is made 
up of low rounded hills, the roUing contours being somewhat more 
pronounced in the western portion than in the eastern. The region 
is thoroughly dissected by many branching streams, the largest of 
which, Bo3^er River, flows across the county from northeast to south- 
west. Soldier River and its branches flow across the northwestern 
part. 

Both the loess and the Kansan drift are well represented, the 
combined thickness on the Iowa divide being 450 to 550 feet, much 
above the average for the State. Both the loess and the Kansan 
are spread over the entire county. Over much of the county the 



CKAWFOED COUNTY. 847 

Kansan drift rests on rocks of Cretaceous age, chiefly sandstones. 
In places, however, heavy limestones, probably of Missouri age, 
immediately underlie the glacial deposits. Except for variations in 
the thickness, the drift deposits are horizontal. The Cretaceous rocks 
probably dip slightly to the west ; the older rocks lie nearly flat or dip 
slightly to the east. (See PI. XI, p. 382.) 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOUECE. 

The water supply of Crawford County is largely obtained from 
shallow dug weUs and the supply in general is not altogether satis- 
factory, because many of the wells are affected by the seasons and 
fail altogether in times of extreme drought. 

There are two important water horizons in the drift deposits. One 
is found in sand or gravel just below the loess and is reached by weUs 
that range in depth from a few feet to 75 feet, depending on the thick- 
ness of the loess; this is the so-called "first water" level. The second 
horizon is found in sand or gravel just below the blue clay of the 
Kansan drift. Though much more satisfactory than the first com- 
paratively few wells extend to it, as it lies 140 to 500 feet below the 
surface, the greater depth being in the eastern portion of the county. 
Wherever tapped, however, it yields a never-failing supply. A few 
wells obtain a good water supply from local layers of sand or gravel 
within the blue clay, but as a rule these layers are either dry or yield 
little water, and in some of them the water is so heavily charged with 
decomposing organic matter as to give off a disagreeable odor. 

A few wells have passed through drift deposits into the underly- 
ing Cretaceous sandstones or limestones of the Missouri group. 
Most of the deeper rock wells are in the eastern part of the county. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs are not common in this county. Small springs or seepages 
from the drift are found along the chief stream courses. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Denison. — Denison (population, 3,133) draws its supply from 
two wells 25 feet deep, which it pumps by steam, delivering the 
water by gravity from a standpipe with a pressure of 45 to 90 pounds. 
There are 6^ miles of mains, 42 fire hydrants, and 600 taps. Three 
thousand people use the water, consuming 98,000 gallons daily. 
The supply is apt to run short in dry weather. 



848 



UNDEKGEOUFD WATEK KESOUKCES OF IOWA. 



According to Norton, any deep well forecast for Denison must be 
based on the supposed general succession of formations deeply buried 
below the surface and pierced by no wells witliin scores of miles. 
Whether the St. Peter sandstone extends this far west is uncertain 
though probable. The drill may be expected to pass first through 
heavy Pleistocene deposits of stony clays and sand and gravel beds 
and through heavy Cretaceous and Pennsylvanian shales with some 
sandstones; below these beds it will find Mississippian limestones, 
probably in part cherty. These limestones may be expected to 
rest on dolomites of uncertain age, accompanied by much argillaceous 
limestone and considerable shale. It is quite possible that the 
shale of the PlattevUle will be found to rest directly on the arenaceous 
dolomites of the Prairie du Chien group at about 200 feet below sea 
level; or the latter may be absent and the Ordovician sandstones 
may not be found higher than about 1,350 feet from the surface. 
From a level about 1,350 feet below the surface the drill will very 
probably pass through several hundred feet of sandy dolomites and 
sandstones which carry water; and a well 1,500 or 2,000 feet in depth 
is not Hkely to fail of moderate success. Water will not flow from 
these deep formations but should rise within pumping distance. 

Minor supplies. — The following table summarizes minor village 
supplies : 

Minor supplies. 





Nature of sup- 

piy- 


Pumping sys- 
tem. 


Distribution. 


Pressure. 


1 
3 


i2 


03 


.2 

% 
ft 

3 

i 

o 


ft 

a ■ 

o a 

'3 




City or 
town. 


S 

o 

O 


.§ 
f^ 


Remarks. 




Well 40 feet 
deep. 

10 driven wells 
and 1 dug well 
(22 feet deep). 

Dug well 

2 wells 64 and 68 

feet deep. 
Dug well 30 feet 

deep. 

8 driven wells 
and 2 dug 
wells 30 feet 
deep. 


Gasoline engine. 

Steam pump, 
duplex. 

Gasoline engine. 

Steam pump, 

compound. 
Gasoline engine. 

Gasoline engine 
and windmill. 


Gravity from 
reservoir 
on high hill. 

Gravity from 
tank. 

Direct air 
pressure. 

Gravity from 

tank. 
Direct air 

pressure. 

Gravity from 
tank. 


Lbs. 
100 

50-60 


Lbs. 
100 

90 


2 

2 
1 

1.7 


(?) 


(?) 




Galls. 


Good sup- 
ply- 
Good sup- 
ply- 
Plant re- 


Charter 
Oak. 

Dow City.. 

Manilla 

Schleswig.. 

Vail 


800 




25-40 
70 

65 


100 


26 
8 

22 


65 
40 

30 


300 
150 

200 


9,000 
18,000 

8,000- 
10,000 


cently in- 
stalled. 
Good sup- 
ply. 
Shortage 
in dry 
weather. 
Good sup- 
ply- 



DICKINSON COUNTY. 849 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Crawford County : 

Typical wells of Crawford County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 

below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 


G. Sehelon 

H. Planggie 


6 miles south of 
Charter Oak. 

3 miles west of 
Charter Oak. 

5 miles west of 
Dow City. 

li miles north- 
west of Dun- 
lap. 

Dow City 

6 miles north of 
West Side. 

Denison . 


Feet. 
104 

104 

325 

264 


Feet. 


Feet. 
Gravel 

...do 


Feet. 

- 46 

- 72 
-265 

-224 


Dug well. No rock. 
No rock. 


Charles Reynolds. 
Mr. Dunham 




Sand 

Sand and 
gravel. 


Abandoned on account of quick- 
sand. Yellow loam (water 
toward bottom), 45; bluish- 
black clay (bad odor),. 50; blue 
clay, 216; "hard pan," 4; sand 
(water), 10; no rock. 

No rock. 


W.Butterworth.. 
McCaffrey 
Bros. 

Henry Munt 

Jonathan Miller. . 


82 
662 

180 
492 


"'356' 
460 


Sand 

Sandstone. 

Sand 


- 76 
-365 


Do. 

Yellow loam and blue clay, 35; 
sand and blue clay, 45: sand- 
stone, limestone,' sandstone 
(water), 312. 

Unused on account of lack of 


7 miles north- 
east of Deni- 
son (E. A SW. 
i sec. 16, Mil- 
ford Town- 
ship). 

3^ miles east of 
Denison. 

4a miles south- 
east of Vail. 

6 miles north- 
west of Deni- 






water. No rock. 
Loess, 20; till, bowldery, 55; 
blue clay, bowldery, 385; 
limestone, blue-gray, 30. - 








D.C. Franklin... 
J. Barnhoff 

George Span 


404 

572 

85 


380 
552 


Sandstone. 
...do 

Sand 


30+ 
-360 

- 35 


Sandstone at 380 feet. 

Loess, 20; clay, blue and yel- 
low, pebbly, 80; clay, blue, 
100; "potter's clay," 350; 
sandstone, gray, 22i. 

Water has bad odor. Auger 
was lifted by water. No rock. 


Town of Manilla. . 




68 
515 

393 




Gravel and 

sand. 
...do 


- 12 
-260 

-323 


Pumped by steam. No rock. 
Yellow clay, 75; sand (water), 2; 


Clayton Baker. . . 


4 miles north of 
Manilla. 

1 mile east of 
Schleswig. 


Henry Naeve 




Sand, 


blue clay and pebbles, 408; 
"hardpan," 20; sand and 
gravel (water), 10. One of the 
deepest drift wells in Iowa. 
No rock. 
No rock. 



DICKINSON COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 

TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Dickinson County is wholly drift-covered. Its topography ranges 
from gently undulating in some locahties to irregularly morainic in 
others. The surface is imperfectly drained, and the county contains 
several large lakes, such as Spirit, Okoboji, and Silver lakes, besides 
innumerable smaller lakes, ponds, and swamps. According to rail- 
way surveys the altitude is 1,469 feet above sea level at Lake Park, 
1,413 feet at Spu-it Lake, 1,441 feet at Milford, and 1,417 feet at 
Terrill. 

36581°— wsp 293—12 54 



850 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The glacial drift is so thick in this region that the drill has very 
seldom reached the soft blue shale and white sand of the Cretaceous, 
upon which the drift is supposed to rest in all parts of the county. 
In the following approximate section of the deep well drilled for the 
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway at Lake Park the drift 
probably extends to the depth of 250 feet : 

Section of deep railway well at Lake Park. 



Thick- I r,^-r^+i, it 
ness. I ^SP*"!- 1 



Soil, yellow clay, blue clay, black and yellow clay. 
Shale, clay, sand, etc 



Feet. Feet. 
250 250 

£54 804 



UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The outwash deposits have small distribution but exist to some 
depth in the valley of the Little Sioux, where they are filled with 
excellent water that is recovered chiefly by means of driven wells. 
On account of the lack of drainage the upper part of the drift is 
usually saturated nearly or quite to the surface, and hence most of 
the wells are very shallow. At some distance below the surface the 
bowlder clay is compact and impervious, but at certain horizons it 
includes sand and gravel that are charged with water under pressure. 
The wells that extend to these artesian aquifers have a much more 
copious and reUable supply than the shallow seepage wells. 

In the deepest wells, especially in those which penetrate the strati- 
fied formations below the drift, the artesian pressure is not sufficient 
to raise the water near the surface, and the pumping lift is therefore 
much greater than in the shallow seepage wells or in the wells that 
stop in deposits of sand and gravel at depths of 100 to 200 feet. At 
no point in the county are there prospects of obtaining flows by deep 
drilling, the water from deep sources probably everywhere remaining 
far below the surface. Conditions in wells in surrounding counties 
make it improbable that water will rise higher than 1,200 feet above 
sea level, which would be between 200 and 300 feet below the surface 
in most localities. 

In the deep well at Lake Park, the section of which is given above, 
the water is reported to stand about 300 feet below the top of the 
well, or about 1,170 feet above sea level. This well is unsatisfactory 
because the head is low, the water is highly mineralized, and fine 
sand enters the well and impairs the pump. The water is not used 
in locomotives. 



EMMET COU]N'TY. 851 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Lake Park. — The waterworks in Lake Park (population, 552) 
consist of an air-pressure system with about half a mile of mains, 9 
fire hydrants, and 8 taps. The two wells upon which the system 
depends are both unsatisfactory. One is 6 feet in diameter and 50 
'feet deep and has a yield which varies greatly with the season but is 
always smaU. The other is a 6-inch drilled well that ends at 98 
feet in fuie sand which tends to clog the screen and thus shut out the 
water. At the time the plant was visited the maximum combined 
yield of the two wells was very small. 

Spirit Lake. — The city well at Spirit Lake (population, 1,162) ends 
at about 100 feet in a bed of fine sand from which the water rises 
within 50 feet of the surface. This well furnishes the entire public 
supply, but when pumped at 300 gallons a minute it soon shows 
signs of exhaustion. The water is lifted into a surface reservoir 
from which it is forced by direct pressure through 1| miles of mains. 
There are 15 fire hydrants. A considerable portion of the people 
are supplied from this source. 

Spirit Lake is 1,413 feet above sea level. According to Norton, 
after passing through the thickened drift of the moraine on which 
the town is situated, the drill will encounter shales and then enter 
sandstones of the Cretaceous, from which a large supply of water 
may be drawn. Should it be thought advisable to sink the well 
deeper dolomitic Umestones will next be encountered, and at a depth 
of 600 to 700 feet the St. Peter sandstone may be expected. A 
6-inch well 700 or 800 feet deep will test the capacity of this sand- 
stone, and if the yield is inadequate it can then be determined 
whether a sufficient increase can be obtained by reaming the hole 
to 8 or 10 inches, whether the well should be sunk deeper in 
exploration, or whether a small group of 6-inch wells, of 700 or 800 
feet depth, would be preferable. The water of the St. Peter should 
be of excellent quality, belonging to the calcic-magnesic alkaline 
class but containing no large amount of mineral matter. 

EMMET COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Most of Emmet County consists of a gently undulating and poorly 
drained drift plain interspersed with numerous lakes and ponds. 
West Fork of Des Moines River flows through the western part, 
where it has developed a rather wide flood plain. Westward from 
this river the altitude increases rapidly and the topography becomes 
irregular and morainic. 



852 



UNDEEGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The surface formation consists of glacial drift, except in the valley 
of the Des Moines, which is partly filled with outwash and alluvial 
deposits. Beneath the drift is a tliick series of shale, sand, and 
sandstone which is not known to outcrop in the county and whose 
age therefore remains a matter of conjecture. It is probably Cre- 
taceous but ma}^ in part be older, and it rests upon a Hmestone 
formation which is believed to belong to the Mississippian series. 

The general character of the Cretaceous (?) shale and sandstone 
is indicated by the driller's logs of the well on the property of Mrs. 
Allen, in Estherville, and of the village well at Ringsted. 

Section of -well of Mrs. Allen, Estherville. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Gravel 

Clay, blue, and sand 

Shale, blue 

Hard quartz rock 

Sandstone, white (entered) 



Feet. 

15 

195 

77 
i 



Feet. 

15 

210 

287 

287i 



Section of village well at Ringsted. 



Depth. 



Clay, blue 

Shale, sandy 

Sand, blue, and gravel 

Sand, yellow 

Clay and shale 

Sand and shale 

Shale, white 

Shale, dark, sandy 

Shale, sandy 

Limestone (entered). . 



In the Estherville well the formations recorded below a depth of 
210 feet are probably Cretaceous; in the Ringsted well the Cretaceous 
apparently begins at a depth of 147 feet. The limestone in the Ring- 
sted well is undoubtedly Paleozoic and is probably Mississippian. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 




SOURCE. 

The water supply of this county is derived from outwash and allu- 
vial sands and gravels, glacial drift, sand and sandstone strata (Cre- 
taceous?), and limestone (Mississippian?). 

The outwash and alluvial sands and gravels, which are practically 
restricted to the valley of Des Moines River, are very porous and are 
so situated that they are filled with water nearly to the surface. 



EMMET COUNTY. 853 

Hence they constitute a very accessible source of supply and are 
tapped by numerous driven wells. The conditions, however, are 
such that contamination may easily occur, especially in a large settle- 
ment such as Estherville. The water is somewhat less mineralized 
than that from other aquifers. 

Outside of the valley of the Des Moines the water supply is drawn 
chiefly from the glacial drift, though some of the deepest wells extend 
into the underlying stratified formations. The drilled wells diirer 
greatly in depth and also in the height to which the water rises. In 
the vicinity of Estherville they range in depth from less than 100 feet 
to at least 446 feet, 160 feet perhaps being an average; in the vicinity 
of Gruver they range from 75 feet or less to 275 feet or more, most of 
the wells near Ryan and Swan lakes being less than 100 feet deep and 
those near the village of Gruver averaging deeper; in the vicinity of 
Armstrong they range from about 75 to 250 feet, 135 feet perhaps 
being an average. In many of the 2-inch tubular wells much trouble 
is caused by the incrusting of the sand screens, but this difficulty can 
be largely overcome by drilling weUs of greater diameter and using 
independent pumps. (Se© pp. 192-193.) 

In the Allen well at Estherville the water rises within 120 feet of 
the surface, or approximately 1,180 feet above sea level, and the well 
has been pumped at about 30 gallons a minute. In the deep well at 
Ringsted the water rises within 76 feet of the surface and is not 
greatly lowered when pumped at 40 gallons a minute. It is reason- 
ably certain that below the limestone penetrated in the Ringsted weU 
are older sandstones which would yield large amounts of water that 
would rise to a level 1,100 to 1,200 feet above the sea, but would prob- 
ably not come nearer the surface than the water in the deepest wells 
that have thus far been drilled. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Armstrong. — The village well at Armstrong (population, 586) is 
160 feet deep and ends in a bed of fine sand. The water stands 68 
feet below the surface, or 1,172 feet above the sea, and pumping at 50 
gallons a minute is reported not to lower it greatly. It is lifted from 
the weU into an elevated tank from which it is forced by gravity 
through 1 mile of mains to 24 fire hydrants and about 40 taps. It is 
estimated that about 200 people are supplied and 7,000 gallons of 
water is consumed daily. The rest of the population depend on 
shallow private weUs. 

Estherville. — The people of EstherviUe (population, 2,404) depend 
for their domestic supplies on private wells, most of which are shallow. 
The public supply is taken from the river and is not considered safe 
for domestic use, though it is employed in large quantities for other 



854 UNDEEGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

purposes. There is a rather extensive system of mains with 24 fire 
hydrants. The pressure is applied directly by the pumps. 

According to Norton a deep well at Estherville (elevation, 1,287 
feet) would reach the base of the Cretaceous at 300 to 400 feet from 
the surface and would then enter Paleozoic dolomites. From these 
it would pass into the heavy blue and green shales of the Decorah and 
Platteville formations. The St. Peter sandstone should be reached 
about 800 feet above sea level, or about 500 feet below the surface, 
but it may lie 100 or 200 feet deeper. In exploration the well may 
be drilled a few hundred feet deeper than this estimate demands 
but should be stopped when the drill strikes heavy glauconiferous 
shales indicating the St. Lawrence horizon, the Algonkian (?) red 
shales, or crystalline rocks such as granite, quartzite, or schists. 

Ringsted. — The waterworks in Ringsted (population, 313) consist 
of an air-pressure system. Water is obtained from the deep well 
already described (p. 852). Most of the people still use private wells. 

IDA COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Ida County, lying well west of the fiat country of the Wisconsin 
drift, is characteristically hilly, the western portion being a little 
more rugged than the eastern. The region is thoroughly dissected 
by many branching streams. The principal one, Maple River, enters 
from the northeast and leaves at the southwest. Little Sioux River 
cuts across the extreme northwest corner and Soldier River rises in 
the southern part. 

The Kansan drift extends over the whole county and is completely 
covered by the loess. The total thickness of these two formations is 
unusually great, being in places almost 500 feet. The drift rests 
directly on rocks of Cretaceous age. 

Except for local variations in thickness the drift deposits lie nearly 
horizontal. Of the underlying rock formations the Cretaceous beds 
are thought to dip noticeably to the west; the still older rocks are 
nearly horizontal or show a slight easterly dip. (See PI. XVII, p. 824.) 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The most clearly defined water horizon is at the base of the Kansan. 
The source of the water in many wells, however, is within the loess. 
Very little can be said about the water of the older rock formations, 
as but one well is known to extend into them. 



IDA COUNTY. 855 

So far as existing wells are concerned, the most important source 
of water in the county is either within the loess itself or in sands or 
gravels at its base. By far the greater number of farm wells in Ida 
County are dug and are only from 15 to 30 feet deep. A few bored 
wells reach a depth of 50 to 100 feet. The dug wells are especially 
likely to be unsatisfactory in very dry seasons, because their water 
often either greatly diminishes or fails altogether. 

Although but few wells in the county reach it, the most persistent 
and satisfactory aquifer at a moderate depth consists of the sands or 
gravels at the base of the Kansan. The available well records indi- 
cate that this aquifer lies 300 to 480 feet or more below the surface 
and seldom fails to yield a large supply of good water. Locally good 
supplies of water are obtained from sand beds in the blue clay. 
The well at Holstein (2,004 feet deep) is the only one known to enter 
the older formations to any extent. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs are of little consequence in Ida County, though small 
seepages occur here and ther'e along the low valley lands. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Battle Creek. — The town water supply of Battle Creek (population, 
527) is taken from 10 drilled and driven wells, ending in gravel at 
depths ranging from 42 to 48 feet. The wells yield a good supply of 
medium hard water which is distributed by gravity (domestic pres- 
sure 35 pounds, fire pressure 80 pounds) through somewhat more 
than a mile of mains to 30 taps and 13 fire hydrants. About 150 
people use the city water. The daily consumption is estimated at 
6,000 gallons. 

Holstein.— T\ie city well (PI. XVII) at Holstein (population, 936)' 
is 2,004 feet deep and is 8 inches to 4 inches or less in diameter; it is 
cased with 8-inch pipe to a depth of 387 feet, 5-inch pipe to 722 feet, 
and 4-inch pipe to 1 ,465 feet. The original head was 270 feet below the 
curb; in 1908 the head was 300 feet below the curb. When drilling 
reached a depth of 1,500 feet a 26-hour test pumped 75 gallons a 
minute without lowering the water; on completion the well yielded 
60 gallons a minute; in 1908, 75 gallons a minute. Water came from 
390 feet in quicksand, from 1,200 feet, and from "below 1,500" feet; 
at 390 feet it stood 200 feet below the curb, at 900 feet 365 feet below 
the curb, at 1,590 feet 325 feet below the curb, and on completion 
270 feet below the curb. The well was put down by J. P. Miller & 
Co., of Chicago, in 1897. 



856 



UNDEEGEOUND. WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



The water is pumped to a steel tank and is forced under gravity 
pressure of 40 pounds (domestic) or 100 pounds (fire) through 2^ 
miles of mains to 53 taps and 19 fire hydrants. The city water is 
used by about 300 people. The daily consumption is estimated at 
9,000 to 12,000 gallons. The water is hard. 

Record of strata in Ilolstein city ivell, based on driller's log (PI. XVII, p. 824). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Clay 

Quicksand 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian (?) — 

Shale 

Mississippian (?) and Devonian (?) — 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

No samples; limestone 

Ordovieian: 

Galena dolomite to Platteville limestone- 
Dolomite, gray; much chert and some rounded moderately coarse grains of quartz 
sand 

No samples; limestone (?) 

Limestone, magnesian, or dolomite; brown, with about 2 feet of red shale at 1,300 
feet; shale noiicaleareous, highly arenaceous, with coarsi. imperfectly rounded 
grains of limpid quartz 

No sample 

Shale, dark greenish gray, slaty, nonealcareous; caving badly after drill had pene- 
trated the underlying sandstone 

St. Peter sandstone- 
Sandstone; described as white, clean, very soft, and caving; called by driller St. 

Peter 

Prairie du Chien group — 

Limestone (?), marly, arenaceous; described by driller as a "sandy rock which 
wears the drill;" sand grains brought in slush bucket; other drillings very 
light and float up on water; rock drills about 1 foot an hour and does not cave. 

Shale, red; "at about 1 ,520 red marl was coming in and could not tell much about 
the formation from there down to 1,890 feet, as it was caving very badly all the 
way, and caved more or less from there down to 2,000 feet" 

Sandstone; fine grained, blue-gray, dolomitic cement 

Sandstone and dolomite; quartz sand, considerable red shale and some green 
shale from above, and a Uttle gray siliceous dolomite 

Chert, dark reddish brown, ferruginous; in small chips, slightly arenaceous, with 
minute particles of crystalline quartz; as similar chert and reddish argillaceous 
powder are found in nearly all the drillings below, this may have fallen in from 
1,520 

Sandstone and chert; sandstone, fine grained, in detached grains of clear quartz; 
many imperfectly rounded and minute white cuttings, showing quartz parti- 
cles in dolomitic cement; chert dark, brown, ferruginous, dolomitic 

Marl; in buff, slightly concreted masses; dolomitic, arenaceous, and argillaceous; 
quartz grains moderately fine, many imperfectly rounded; red chert, as above, 
with a few chips of yellow siliceous dolomite 

Shale, blue, plastic, calcareous 

Marl; chiefly quartz sand, with dolomite, yellow-gray, and white, soft, glau- 
coniferous; some red chert 

Marl, gray, dolomitic 

Shale, blue, plastic, calcareous 

Dolomite, gray, highly siliceous; microscopic particles of crystalline quartz, glau- 
coniferous; considerable fine quartz sand 

Marl or calciferous argillaceous sandstone 

Dolomite, hard, dark gray, saccharoidal; possibly from above 

Marl, arenaceous 

Shale, blue, calcareous, slightly glauconiferous, minutely quartzose 

Shale, green, hard, fissile, slightly calcareous 

Dolomite and shale; dolomite, saccharoidal, mottled greenish gray and pink, 
interlaminated with hard green calcareous shale; quartzose and glauconiferous, 
in large chips 

Marl, arenaceous, with fine rounded grains; chips composed largely of quartzose 

particles 

Cambrian (?): 

Dresbach (?) sandstone- 
Sandstone, yellow, saccharoidal, soft; rounded grains of about 0.5 millimeter 



Feet. 

390 

50 



20 



100 
100 



300 
37 



35 



IDA COUiTTY. 



857 



Ida Grove. — Two wells, each 24 feet deep, furnish Ida GroTe (popu- 
lation, 1,874) with a fairly good supply of hard water. The water is 
pumped by steam and is distributed by direct pressure (70 pounds 
domestic and 125 pounds fire) through If miles of mains to 200 taps 
and 20 fire hydrants. About 700 people use the city water. The 
daily consumption is estimated at 45,000 gallons. 

The success of the deep well at Holstein, 10 miles north of Ida 
Grove, is distinctly encouraging. The succession of rocks is prob- 
ably the same at both places, but any given formation or water bed 
may be expected to lie about 100 feet deeper at Ida Grove than at 
Holstein. Thus at Ida Grove (elevation above sea level, 1,225 feet) 
the St. Peter sandstone will be found at about 100 feet below sea 
level, or 1,325 feet below the surface. The drill may fail to strike 
the water vein reached at Holstein at 259 feet above sea level in 
Galena dolomite, but it may find other water-bearing crevices in this 
formation. Sufficient water may probably be found about 300 feet 
below sea level (somewhat more than 1,500 feet below the surface), 
but if not, drillmg may be continued to about 1,900 feet to tap the 
lowest sandstone found at Holstein. The fact that Ida Grove stands 
more than 200 feet lower than Holstein not only brings the deep for- 
mations somewhat nearer to the surface, but also gives a higher head 
to the artesian water, which should come within 50 or 100 feet of the 
curb. In quality the water may be expected to be rather high in 
sulphates, but to be well within the limits of potability. The waters 
found above 700 feet should be carefully tested for quality, and pos- 
sibly should be cased out on account of excessive mineralization. 

WELL DATA. 



Information concerning typical wells in Ida County is presented in 
the following table : 

Typical wells of Ida County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks. 


Mislow Bros 

M. Martin. 


oh miles east of Ida 

Grove. 
4 miles southwest of 

Ida Grove. 
2 miles southeast of 

Ida Grove. 

4 miles north of Ida 
Grove. 


Feet. 
210 

115 

215 

300 


Gravel and 

sand. 
do 

do 

.....do 


Feet. 
160 

40 

115 


No rock. 

Water bed at 81 feet. No rock. 


A. Harper. 


Black loam, 4; yellow clay, 40; 
sand and clay and some 
water, 70; gravel and water, 
3; yellowish clay and sand, 
85; gravel and water, 13; no 
rock. 

No rock. 


W. K. Van Wayne. 



858 UJSTDEKGKOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

LYON COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Lyon County is much better drained than the counties farther 
east. The gently undulating upland, whose general altitude is more 
than 1,400 feet above sea level, is somewhat dissected by water- 
courses that lead to Big Sioux River, which forms the west boundary 
of the county and occupies a well-defined valley about 200 feet deep. 

The following geologic section is revealed in outcrops and wells: 

Glacial outwash and Recent alluvium (in the valleys). 

Loess (on the uplands). 

Glacial drift. 

Cretaceous shales and impure limestones. 

Cretaceous sandstone (Dakota). 

Sioux quartzite. 

The Cretaceous formations outcrop in Big Sioux Valley south of 
Lyon County, and are penetrated in many drill holes in this county. 
The Sioux quartzite outcrops in small areas in the extreme north- 
western part of the State and probably underlies the entire county, 
though its surface is so irregular that within a short distance from an 
outcrop it may lie several hundred feet below the surface and hence 
it is not generally encountered even in the deepest wells. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

On the uplands the shallow wells end in glacial drift, the depth to 
the Dakota sandstone is relatively great, and the water from all deep 
formations remains far below the surface when tapped by wells; in 
the valleys the shallow wells end in alluvial and outwash sand and 
gravel, the depth to the Dakota sandstone is not great, and the water 
from deep sources rises nearly to the surface. The valleys include 
only a small portion of the total area and grade into the uplands along 
the minor streams. 

All the geologic formations except the loess and the Cretaceous 
shale will yield some water, but those most heavily drawn on at 
present are the glacial drift and outwash gravel. The latter is found 
in the principal valleys, where it furnishes large quantities of good 
water to shallow wells and constitutes the source from which all 
public supplies are obtained; the glacial drift everywhere underlies 
the upland, where it yields most of the private supplies on farms and 
in villages remote from streams. The loosely consolidated beds of 
drift near the surface are commonly saturated and yield a certain 



LYON COUNTY. 859 

amount of water to shallow bored and dug wells; and seams of sand 
and gravel embedded in the impervious blue bowlder clay at greater 
depths contain water under considerable pressure, which is recovered 
by means of bored and drilled wells. The deep drift water is notably 
harder and more ferruginous than the water in the vallej^ gravels. 
The Dakota sandstone contains a large store of mineralized water 
and supplies a few of the deepest wells. It is very imperfectly 
cemented and gives some trouble because of the tendency of its fine 
sand to rise with the water, especially when rapid pumping is 
attempted. The Sioux quartzite yields small supplies to wells in 
South Dakota and Mnnesota, the water occurring in joints and also 
in the less cemented portions of the rock, but on account of the 
expense and difficulty of drilling through this formation, it is properly 
avoided in Iowa as much as possible. In some parts of the county 
water-bearing beds may exist between the Dakota sandstone and the 
Sioux quartzite, but, so far as known, no such beds have yet been 
reached by the drill. 

In all sections of the county most of the wells are bored and com- 
monly range between 15 and 50 feet in depth, but there are also many 
drilled wells between 70 and 500 feet deep, wells 150 to 160 feet deep 
being common east of Rock Rapids and wells of 190 to 300 feet 
west of that city. The difficulty with fine sand can to some extent 
be overcome by drilling wells of larger diameter and using inde- 
pendent pumps that will allow the water to flow into the wells under 
uniform pressure. (See pp. 192-193.) 

The water from the Dakota sandstone is lifted by artesian pressure 
to approximately 1,225 feet above sea level, which brings it nearly to 
the surface in the Sioux Valley but leaves it about 100 feet below the 
surface at Rock Rapids and more than 200 feet below on much of the 
uplands. According to railway surveys, the altitude of Beloit, in the 
Sioux Valley, is 1,242 feet above sea level; of Rock Rapids, in the val- 
ley of Rock River, 1,345 feet; of George, in the valley of Little Rock 
River, 1,377 feet; and of Granite, Larchwood, and In wood, all upland 
towns, 1,407 feet, 1,426 feet, and 1,473 feet, respectively. Drilling 
below the Dakota sandstone is not advised in this county, because it 
is improbable that much would be gained in quantity or quality of 
water or in artesian pressure. The Sioux quartzite would probably 
be encountered before the drill reached a depth of many hundred 
feet. 

Near the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway station at Lester 
there is a 10-inch well, 70 feet deep, from which the water rises above 
the surface and flows several gallons a minute. 



860 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Alvord. — ^The village well at Alvord (population, 283) is 8 feet in 
diameter and is sunk to a depth of 30 feet into the gravel of the creek 
valley, obtaining great quantities of good water. 

The waterworks system consists of an air pressure tank with about 
half a mile of mains, 8 fire hydrants, and 8 taps. Only a few homes 
have service connections and the consumption is small. 

Boon. — The village well at Doon (population, 581) is 10 feet in 
diameter and 28 feet deep and ends in gravel, from which a large 
amount of relatively soft water can be drawn. 

The distribution system comprises an elevated tank, about a mile 
of mains, 12 fire hydrants, and 42 taps. Perhaps 200 people are 
supplied, and approximately 7,000 gallons is consumed daily. 

Rock Rapids. — The public supply of Rock Rapids (population, 
2,005) is derived from a well 18 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep 
ending in the valley gravels. 

The waterworks consist of a standpipe with about 3 miles of mains, 
28 fire hydrants, and 250 taps. It is reported that a majority of the 
people are supplied and that about 30,000 gallons of water is con- 
sumed daily. 

MONONA COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Topographically, Monona County is clearly divisible into two por- 
tions. The western tliird is occupied by the Missouri River bottom, 
where the land is low, very level, and much of it swampy. Little 
Sioux River and its West Fork flow along the eastern border of this 
lowland. The eastern two- thirds of the county is characteristically 
very hilly and rugged. Important river channels are cut by Soldier, 
Maple, and Little Sioux rivers. The hilly and the lowland regions 
are sharply separated. 

GEOLOGY. 

Of the upper or surface formations three types are to be found. The 
lowland region is covered by alluvial or river deposits, consisting of 
sands, gravels, and clays. The hilly region is completely covered by 
the loess except locally where the principal streams have cut through 
it. Below the loess, in the hilly portion, comes the Kansan drift. 
The Kansan drift and the loess have been practically all removed by 
erosion over the lowland area. 



MONONA COUNTY. 861 

Of the old rock formations, both the Cretaceous system (shales and 
sandstones) and the Pennsylvanian series (shales, sandstones, and 
limestones of the Missouri group) are represented. The Missouri 
group immediately underlies the alluvial deposits in the southern 
half of the river-bottom area; and the Cretaceous spreads over the 
remainder of the county. 

Along the river bottom the alluvium rests directly upon the older 
rock formations. So far as known all the strata of the county are in 
a general way horizontal. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
\ SOURCE. 

The sand and gravel layers of the river bottom afford an abundance 
of water. In the hilly country water is found in sand or gravel below 
the loess and in sand or gravel below the blue clay of the Kansan drift. 
Important water beds are doubtless present in the older rock forma- 
tions, although little is known about them, as but two wells in the 
county are known to have extended into these formations. 

By far most of the water of the county is obtained from shallow 
dug or driven wells, but the supply is often not as constant or satis- 
factory as it is in central Iowa, and in particularly dry seasons is 
considerably affected. The water, as a rule, is of good quality but 
hard. 

Practically all of the water in the river-bottom district is derived 
from sand or gravel beds in the alluvial deposits. There is no single 
clearly defined water-bearing stratum of widespread extent, the 
alluvial deposits being very local. Nearly all the wells in this district 
are driven and range in depth from 15 to 80 feet, the average depth 
being about 30 feet. The head usually responds more or less to the 
rise and fall of water in Missouri River. In the region around 
Onawa the water in the deeper wells (60 to 80 feet) is heavily charged 
with oxide of iron. This water seems to come from under a hard 
yellow clay or "hardpan" whereas the water above the "hardpan" 
is softer and free from iron oxide. 

In the hilly loess-covered region many of the dug wells extend into 
water-bearing sand or gravel below the loess, the depth to this so-called 
"first-water" level being between a few feet and 100 feet. Generally 
the water supply is not large and fluctuates according to seasons, 
even failing in some very dry seasons. 

A larger and more constant supply of water is to be found in the 
sands or gravels beneath the blue clay of the Kansan drift. Well 
records show that this aquifer has been struck at depths ranging 
from 35 feet along the stream bottoms to a maximum of 300 feet or 



862 UNDERGROUIirD WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

more on high ground in the eastern part of the county, but compara- 
tively few wells reach it. Some wells appear to derive water from 
sand layers witliin the blue clay. 

A few drilled wells enter the deeper rock formations. Satisfactory 
records, however, are lacking to show the source of water in these 
wells. 

PROVINCES. 

Monona County may be divided into two underground-water 
provinces — the river bottom, on which the water is found in the 
alluvial deposits and also in the deep-lying rock formations, and 
the eastern hilly region, where the water occurs in sand or gravel 
beneath both the Kansan drift and the loess and also probably in 
the deep rock formations. ■■ 

At least two flowing wells are known to derive theu' water from 
the older rocks below the alluvial deposits. One of these wells, 863 
feet deep, is at Onawa, and flows a large stream under considerable 
head. The other, more than 400 feet deep, is near Blencoe. A very 
general record of the Onawa well shows the source of water to be in 
limestone. No record of the Blencoe well could be obtained. The 
head of water is sufficient to permit an overflow on the lowland only. 

Some flowing wells are known in the drift along the Maple Eiver 
bottom near Castana. The river has here cut through the loess, and 
a well extending 30 to 40 feet downward into the blue Kansan clay 
strikes a bed of gravel with water under sufficient head to cause an 
overflow in the river bottom. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs of small size are numerous along stream courses where the 
bottom of the loess is exposed. The water emerges from the sand or 
gravel below the loess, as along Maple River in the vicinity of Castana. 
Thus these springs furnish examples of natural flow from the so-called 
"first-water level." 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Onawa. — The Onawa city supply is drawn from a flowing well is 
forced by direct pressure by two steam duplex pumps through two- 
fifths of a mile of mains to 18 fire hydrants and 42 taps. Domestic 
pressure is 40 pounds and fire pressure 100 pounds. The supply is 
sufficient, but constant pumping is necessary. The water is hard. 
It is used by 200 people. 

The well has a depth of 863 feet and a diameter of 12 to 8 inches; 
casing to 563 feet. It is located on the river bottom. The head is 



MONONA COUNTY. 



863 



15 feet above curb, and the flow 75 gallons a minute. Water beds 
were struck at 863 and 300 feet. Driller, J. H. Siiaw, of Sioux City; 
date of completion, 1905. 

Driller's log of city well at Onawa. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Dark loam and clay. 

Gravel, coarse 

Clay, blue, or shale.. 

Sandstone, soft 

Shale, blue 

Sandstone, hard 

Shale 



Clay or shale, soft; thin layer 

Shale 

Limestone (small flow of water) 

Shale 

Limestone with flow increasing to bottom of well. 



Feet. 



50 



16 
100 



Feet. 
50 
130 
144 
148 
164 

180 

280 
300 
350 



Minor supplies. — Minor supplies are summarized in the table below : 

Minor supplies in Monona County. 



Town. 



Castana . . 
Mapleton 

Ute 



Nature of supply. 



Well 66 feet deep 

12 driven wells 20 
feet deep. 

Wells (driven) 60 ± 
feet deep. 



Pumping 
system. 



Gasol i n e 
engine. 

Steam du- 
p 1 e X 
pump. 

Gasol i n e 
engine. 



Distribu- 
tion. 



Direct air 

pressuie. 

Gravity or 

direct. 

Gravity. . . 



Pressure, 


a 




























a 


S 










•S 






T) 


'& 




J3 




s 

o 


£ 


bo 


£ 





fe 


J 


Ix, 


Pownds. 


Pounds. 


Miles. 




40 


40 


0.7 


12 


70 


100 


2 


16 


38 


38 


li 


14 



90 



Town. 


Persons 
supplied. 


Daily 
consump- 
tion. 


Remarks. 


Castana 


350 
400 
450 


Gallons. 
8,000 
15,000 


Ordinarily sufficient but hard. 


Mapleton 


Fair supply, but hard. Deep well contemplated. 
Good supply, but hard. New mains being laid. 


Ute 









864 UNDEKGKOUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Monona County. 

Typical tvells of Monona County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
above 

or 
below 
curb. 


Remarks. 


Robert Seton 


5 miles south- 
east of On- 
awa. 

Onawa 

Castana 

do 


Feet. 
64 

863 

115 
45 

150 

52 

265 
58 

85 


Feet. 
130 


Sand 


Feet. 

- 8 

+ 15 

- 60 
+ 

- 40 

- 34 

-100 

- 44 




Town. ... 


Limestone 

Gravel and 
sand, 
do . 


Flowing well, 75 gallons a 
minute; pumped by 
steam for city purposes. 

No rock. 


Dr. Creik 


Narcross Mill 


Flowing drift well. No 

rock. 
20 feet of dry shale below 

water bed. 


Mrs. Janess 


1 mile east of 

Ticonic. 
4i miles south 

of Mapleton. 
Ute 


130 


Drift sand 

Gravel 

do . 


Mr. Cloud 


R. Perkirs 


Do. 


F. Shanahan 


3 miles south 

of Ute. 
Onawa 




do 


4-foot open bricked well. 
No rock. 

Steam-pumped for locomo- 
tives. No rock. 


Chicago & North 




do 


Western Ry. 









O'BRIEN COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The surface of O'Brien County consists, essentially, of a gently 
undulating plain which in most of the county is more than 1,400 
feet above sea level and in the north-central part reaches an altitude 
of more than 1,500 feet. Little Sioux River, which crosses the south- 
east corner of the county, has cut a deep trench into this plain and 
flows at a level of only a little more than 1,200 feet above the sea. 
The smaller streams have not yet dissected the plain to any great 
extent but occupy broad, shallow, and rather indefinite valleys 
through which they habitually meander lazily. 

GEOLOGY. 

The entire county is underlain by an accumulation of glacial drift, 
which was found to be 200 feet thick at Sanborn and which appar- 
ently is of considerable thickness at all points beneath the uplands. 
The upper portion of the drift consists of a loose, gravelly, more or 
less yellowish clay, but the greater part is a compact blue bowlder 
clay, containing in some localities embedded sheets and lenses of sand 
and gravel. In the principal valleys porous, gravelly water-laid 
deposits lie at the surface. 



BRIEN COUNTY. 



865 



Below the drift are strata of soft blue shale, soft white sandstone, 
impure limestone, etc., the shale being niuch the most abundant. At 
least the upper of these strata are supposed to belong to the Creta- 
ceous system. (See PI. XVII.) 

The following sections show to some extent the character of the 
drift and of the underlying stratified formations. Both are reported 
by the drillers and are in part approximations. 

Section of Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well at Sanborn. 



Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Shale, blue 

Shale, blue and green, with strata of limestone 

Sandstone, soft, white, with some shale 

Shale, gray, and streaks of rock 

Sandstone, white 

Shale, blue and green, mixed with sandstone. . 
Shale, green and white 



Depth. 




Section of village well at Sutherland. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellow.. 

Clay, blue 

Sand, and clay 

Sand 

Gravel, flue... 




■UNDERGROUND WATER. 



SOURCE. 

At present nearly the entire water supply of the county comes from 
the upper part of the drift and the gravel deposits in the valleys. 
The upper part of the drift is sufficiently porous to furnish a slow 
seepage to dug or bored wells but can not always be relied on in dry 
seasons. At greater depths the drift consists chiefly of impervious 
blue bowlder clay, from which no water can be procured. Many 
deposits of water-bearing sand or gravel embedded in this blue clay 
form a reliable and satisfactory source of supply, but unfortunately 
such deposits are not everywhere found. In some wells, therefore, 
the drilling has been carried through the entire thickness of the drift 
and a certain amount of the soft bluish shale, and the wells have been 
finished in sandy strata which are apparently Cretaceous in age. 
These deep wells, as also some of the deepest drift wells, have not 
36581°— wsp 293—12 55 



866 UlSTDBEGKOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

proved satisfactory because the water is liighly mineralized and gen- 
erally remains so far below the surface that the lift is great and because 
the fine incoherent sand in which they end is usually troublesome. 
Hence many of them have been abandoned and supplies from very 
shallow sources have again been resorted to, with the result that in 
seasons of drought there is on many farms a shortage in water for 
stock. Some farmers have dug large open wells in low-lying and 
poorly-drained localities where the supply from the surficial deposits 
is not readily affected by drought, and a number have extended pipe 
lines from these wells to the barnyards where the water is wanted. 
In many places such an arrangement is more satisfactory than a deep 
sand well would be. For suggestions in regard to finishing sand 
wells see pages 190-195. 

CITY AND. VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Hartley. — The village well at Hartley (population, 1,106) is 130 
feet deep and has been tested at 30 gallons a minute. The water is 
pumped into an elevated tank, from which it is distributed through 
the mains by gravity, only about 2,500 gallons being used daily. 
The total length of mains is about half a mUe, and there are eight 
fire hydrants and 17 taps. 

Paullina. — In PauUina (population, 796) the public supply is 
drawn from a shallow dug well which will supply 300 gallons a minute. 
The water is lifted into an elevated tank and thence distributed by 
gravity through If miles of mains to 18 hydrants and 93 taps. A 
large portion of the people are supplied, and it is estimated that 
approximately 6,000 gallons is consumed daily. 

Primgliar. — The public supply at Primghar (population, 733) was 
formerly obtained from a drilled well 420 feet deep, in which the 
water stood about 250 feet below the surface. This well proved so 
unsatisfactory that it has been abandoned for a dug well 15 feet in 
diameter and 15 feet deep, which ends in gravel with the water 
normally standing only 6 feet below the surface. The water is stored 
in a cyhndrical air-tight tank from which it is forced through the 
mains by compressed air. The system is not extensive and supplies 
only a small portion of the population. 

In the vicinity of Primghar a number of weUs go to depths of about 
100 to 140 feet, the water rising within 50 feet of the surface. They 
all end in sand or gravel, and most of them are giving satisfactory 
service. As examples of this group of wells may be mentioned those 
of G. B. Slocum (SE. i sec. 25, T. 96 N., K. 41 W.), George Ward 
(NE. i sec. 24, T. 95 N., E. 41 W.), L. Strangland (NW. i sec. 19, T. 
95 N., R. 40 W.), F. Scac (NW. I sec. 6, T. 95 N, E. 40 W.), and the 
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway (at Calumet). 



o'beien county. 867 

Among deeper wells in the same vicinity may be mentioned the old 
village well at Primghar, which is 420 feet deep; a well on the county 
poor farm (N. ^ sec. 5, T. 95 N., R. 40 W.), which is 408 feet deep; a 
well in the SE. i sec. 1, T. 95 N., R. 41 W., which is 414 feet deep; a 
well in the NE. i sec. 1, T. 95 N., R. 40 W., which is 370 feet deep; 
and a well in the SE. i sec. 33, T. 96 N., R. 40 W., which is 380 feet 
deep. These wells end in fine-grained incoherent sand which causes 
trouble, and the water in them remains about 225 to 275 feet below 
the surface. Some of them have proved so unsatisfactory that they 
have been abandoned. In the abandoned Primghar village weU the 
water is said to stand 250 feet below the surface (about 1,250 feet 
above sea level). 

Sanhorn.— -The public supply of Sanborn (population, 1,174) is 
obtamed from two dug weUs, one of which is 56 feet and the other 62 
feet deep. They end in gravel and yield about 60 gallons a minute. 
There are an elevated tank, about 2 miles of mains, and about 200 
taps. The average daily consumption is estimated at 16,000 gallons. 

The railway well at Sanborn (see p. 865 for section) goes to a depth 
of 1,256 feet, piercing the entire thickness of the Cretaceous and 
probably extending far into the subjacent Paleozoic formations. 
(See PL XVII, p. 824.) Its diameter is 8 inches to 436 feet, 6 inches 
to 721 feet, 4^ inches to the bottom; casing to 815 feet. The curb is 
1,552 feet above sea level and the head 350 feet below curb. Water 
comes from 494, 503, 633, and 857 feet; capacity, 100 gallons a min- 
ute. Driller, S. Swanson, Minneapolis. Date of completion, 1896. 
The water in this well contains large amounts of mineral matter. 

In some drilled wells about 150 feet deep in the vicinity of Sanborn 
the water rises within less than 100 feet of the surface. In a few 
between 300 and 400 feet deep the water remains farther below the 
surface. 

Sheldon. — The public supply for Sheldon (population, 2,941) is 
drawn from shallow deposits of gravel, sand, and clay which are 
tapped by two wells 18 feet in diameter and 26 feet deep, two other 
weUs 12 feet in diameter and 14 feet deep, and about 1,100 feet of tile 
laid 14 feet below the surface. There are an elevated tank, 6^ mUes of 
mains, 35 fire hydrants, and 238 taps. Approximately 1,000 people 
are supplied and 70,000 gallons of water is consumed daily, but 
most of the inhabitants still depend on shallow private wells. 

In the vicinity of Sheldon several weUs have been sunk to beds of 
fine sand at depths of 300 to 350 feet, and in these the water rises 
within 200 feet of the surface, or perhaps 1,225 feet above sea. In 
one well, which was sunk to a depth of 470 feet, the water is reported 
to remain 350 feet below the surface. 

Sutherland. — The public supply at Sutherland (population, 664) is 
derived from a weU 212 feet deep (see p. 865 for section). The water 



868 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

rises within 50 feet of the surface, and the well has been pumped at 
100 gallons a minute. The waterworks consist of an air-pressure 
system. Nearly aU the inhabitants have private wells, and the 
consumption of the public supply probably does not exceed an 
average of 2,000 gallons a day. 

OSCEOLA COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The northeastern part of Osceola County is occupied oy a pro- 
nounced moramal belt of Wisconsin drift. In this area the drainage 
is very imperfect, lakes, ponds, and swamps being interspersed in 
the most chaotic manner among irregular gravelly hills, mounds, 
and ridges. Here, also, is found the highest land in Iowa, the cul- 
minating point probably beuig Ocheyedan Mound, a massive accu- 
mulation of glacial material which stands in prominent relief onthei 
plain southeast of the village of Ocheyedan and reaches an altitude 
of approximately 1,670 feet above sea level.^ Bordering this morainic 
belt on the southwest and sloping gently away from it is a plain 
underlain by a sheet of gravelly glacial-outwash material which 
apparently thins out as the distance from the moraine increases and 
eventually, in the southwestern part of the county, gives way to the 
attenuated deposit of yellow claylike loess which is generally spread 
over the older drift sheets throughout the State. 

Below the surface deposits lies a thick bed of glacial drift which 
consists in the main of a matrix of compact blue clay in which 
bowlders and pebbles are promiscuously embedded. At depths of 
several hundred feet occurs soft blue shale with some interbedded 
strata of fine-gramed sand or sandstone which are believed to be 
Cretaceous in age. In no place in the county has this shale and 
sandstone series been found at or near the surface, and in only a few 
of the deepest wells has it been penetrated by the drill. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

The glacial outwash material is largely so gravelly and porous 
that it is well adapted for absorbing and yielding water, and in the belt 
in which it occurs it supplies many shallow wells. Where the deposit 
is thin, however, or is so situated that it is readily drained, its supply 
is liable to fail in seasons of prolonged drought. In the morainic 
belt the material near the surface is also somewhat porous, being 
more or less gravelly and not closely packed together, and, owing 

1 Macbride, T. H., Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Surrey, toI. 10, 1900, p. 195. 



OSCEOLA COUNTY. 869 

to the general absence of deep drainage channels, these semiporous 
deposits are saturated nearly to the surface, and hence supply water 
to wells that are dug or bored a short distance into them. In the 
deeper portions of the drift are found beds of sand and gravel which 
are generally filled with water under sufficient artesian pressure to 
flow into the wells rapidly, the yield being only slightly affected by 
variations in rainfall. 

The Cretaceous sand strata supply a few of the deepest wells, but 
up to the present time they have proved of little value as water 
horizons. As nearly as it is possible to interpret the well data in 
terms of geologic formations, it seems that the most satisfactory 
drilled wells are those which end before penetrating the Cretaceous 
rocks. Little is known about the water-bearing formations below 
the Cretaceous, but the evidence at hand indicates that nothing 
would be gamed, either in the quality of the water or in the artesian 
head, by drilling to these formations. On account of the high sur- 
face altitude the water from any of the lower horizons would remain 
several hundred feet below the surface. 

The wells of the county can be grouped, rather arbitrarily, into four 
classes, as follows: (1) Wells that are dug, bored, or driven into the 
outwash gravels or upper loosely aggregated accumulations of glacial 
drift to a depth sHghtly below the normal ground-water level, and 
that depend on the seepage from these materials. This class includes 
perhaps four-fifths of the wells of the county. (2) Wells that are 
bored to depths of about 50 to 150 feet and reach beds of water- 
bearing sand or gravel or at least extend far enough below the ground- 
water level not to fail in dry seasons. (3) Wells that are drilled to 
depths between 75 and 225 feet, extending to deposits of sand or 
gravel from which the water rises under artesian pressure. These 
wells are tightly cased and depend entirely on the water-bearing 
beds in which they end; they are relatively few in number but have 
several advantages over the other types which recommend them for 
general use. (4) Wells drilled to greater depths and also tightly 
cased to the bottom. They are for the most part less satisfactory 
than the shallower drilled wells because they end more commonly in 
fine sand (probably Cretaceous) that interferes with the pump, limits 
the yield, and frequently fills the well, and their water is generally 
harder and more ferruginous and remains at greater depths below the 
surface. The diSiculty with the sand can in a measure be overcome 
by drilling wells of larger diameter and using independent pumps. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

- Askton. — ^The village well at Ashton (population, 518) is 6 inches 
in diameter and 65 feet deep and is cased to the bottom. It ends in 
a bed of sand from which the water rises to the surface, and it is 



870 UJSTDEEGKOUlSrD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

reported to have been tested at 800 gallons a minute. The water is 
pumped into an air-tight tank from which it is forced through the 
mains by compressed air. Nearly all the inhabitants have shallow 
private wells and make small use of the public supply. 

Sibley. — The waterworks at Sibley (population, 1,330) are supplied 
from a well 16 feet in diameter and 26 feet deep; they comprise an 
elevated tank, about 3 miles of mains, and about 25 fire hydrants. 
The average daily consumption is estimated at 11,000 gallons. The 
well furnishes sufficient water for present demands but is liable to 
fail in dry seasons. 

Sibley is 1,502 feet above sea level. According to Norton, its high 
elevation and its nearness to the old land of pre-Cambrian crystalline 
rocks seen in the outcrop of Sioux quartzite a few miles west render 
the success of an attempt to obtain artesian water from the Ordovician 
and Cambrian water beds problematic. Beneath the exceptionally 
heavy drift of this region — reported at Ollendorff as 515 feet tliick — the 
driU will find thick beds of the Cretaceous, comprising the shales and 
marls of the Colorado group and the underlying Dakota sandstone — 
the last furnishing an abundant supply of water. Whether the St. 
Peter sandstone extends tliis far to the west and north is unknown. 
According to the general lay of the formations, it should be found, 
if at all, within 600 or 800 feet from the surface, the depth depend- 
ing not so much on the dip of the strata as on the depth to which 
the upturned edges of the gently inclined strata were worn down 
during the erosion periods before the Cretaceous submergence and on 
the thickness of the Cretaceous beds and drift deposited upon them. 

PALO ALTO COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

West Fork of Des Moines River flows diagonally through the cen- 
tral part of Palo Alto County, occupying a wide but shallow alluvium- 
filled valley, on either side of which extends a monotonous and poorly 
drained drift plain. Westward from the valley this plain rises con- 
siderably, so that along the west margin of the county it is decidedly 
higher than elsewhere. 

GEOLOGY. 

The glacial drift rests upon a series of soft shales and poorly ce- 
mented standstones believed to be Cretaceous in age, beneath which 
lie limestones and other indurated Paleozoic formations. Both the 
glacial drift and the Cretaceous rocks seem to tliin out somewhat 
toward the southeast corner of the county, thus allowing the Paleo- 
zoic limestones to come relatively near the surface. (See PI. XVI, 



PALO ALTO COUNTY. 



871 



p. 672.) The following well records throw light upon the geologic 
section of tliis region. 

Section of abandoned city well at Emmetshurg. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil, yellow clay, gravel 

Clay, blue 

Sand, gravel, and yellow clay 

Clay, blue 

Gravel and sand 

Clay, blue 

Hafdpan 

"Quicksand" 



Feet. 
25 
20 

5 
65 

2 
8S 



Feet. 
25 
45 
50 
115 
117 
205 



Section of Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well at Emmetshurg. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Drift, etc 

Incoherent sandstone 

Shale, red 

Dolomite 

Shale, sandstone, limestone, etc 



Feet. 

225 

109 

22 

32 

484 



Feet. 
225 
334 
356 
388 
872 



Section of village well at Ayrshire. 



Thick- 


Total 


ness. 


depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


160 


160 


2 


162 


58 


220 


80 


300 


73 


373 



Soil, yellow clay, sand and blue clay. 

Sand - 

Clay, blue, with sand 

Shale 

Sand; with seams of shale 

Shale, red (entered) 



Section of village ivell at West Bend. 



C\a.y, yellow and blue 

Sarid, fine white, and blue clay 

"Flint" 

Sand (entered) 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 
81 
22 



Total 
depth. 



Feet. 
81 
103 
103J 
1104 



Section of the abandoned village well at West Bend. 



Thick- 


Total 


ness. 


depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


94 


94 


112 


206 


20 


226 


43 


269 


23 


292 


89 


381 



Drift (similar to above section) . 

Sand 

"Red marl" 

Chert, etc 

Sandstone, etc 

Limestone 

Shale, blue (entered) 



872 UNDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The "quicksand" in the first Emmetsburg well, the incoherent 
sandstone in the second, the 73-foot bed of sand in the Ayrshire well, 
and the 112-foot bed of sand immediately below the drift at West 
Bend apparently represent the Cretaceous — probably the basal Cre- 
taceous deposit. In each of the three localities this formation rests 
upon a bed of red shale which may be the red shale formation found 
in the vicinity of Fort Dodge. According to the sections, the thick- 
ness of the glacial drift is a little over 200 feet at Emmetsburg, about 
220 feet at Ayrsliire, and approximately 100 feet at West Bend. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The water supply of Palo Alto County is drawn from outwash and 
alluvial deposits, glacial drift, Cretaceous sand or sandstone, Missis- 
sippian (?) limestone, and older formations. 

The outwash and alluvial deposits, which are virtually confined to 
the valley of Des Moines River, furnish water freely to shallow wells, 
and this water is generally not as hard as that from other sources. 
Outside of the valley most of the supply is obtained from the upper 
part of the drift or from beds of sand that lie at greater depths 
between deposits of bowlder clay, but many drilled wells end in the 
Cretaceous sand. In the southeastern part of the county a few end 
in the underlying limestone, and two — the railway well at Emmets- 
burg and the village well at Mallard— draw from still deeper sources. 

The drilled wells have the greatest average depth on the high 
ground along the west margin of the county. Thus in the southern 
part of Lost Island Township and the northern part of Highland 
Township they are commonly about 300 feet deep; in the western 
part of Silver Lake Township many are about 250 feet deep; and in 
Booth Township depths up to 377 feet were reported. In Vernon 
Township depths of 250 to 300 feet are also common, but in general 
throughout the central and eastern parts of the county the depths 
are less. In the vicinity of Cylinder 100 feet is perhaps an average, 
and near the river many drilled wells end at considerably less than 
100 feet. 

Much difficulty has been experienced in finishing wells in the Cre- 
taceous sand strata. This difficulty and its remedies are discussed 
on pages 190-195. 

HEAD. 

The depth at which the water stands in the wells varies with the 
altitude of the surface, being generally greatest in the deep wells in the 
western tier of townships, in many of which it stands from 100 to 175 
feet below the top of the well, and least in the valleys and other 



PALO ALTO COUNTY. 873 

low-lying areas farther east, where it may rise nearly to the top or 
in a few locaUties may flow. In the railway well at Emmetsburg the 
water rises within 33 feet of the surface, or 1,197 feet above the sea, 
and in the abandoned city well it rose within 40 feet of the surface, 
or 1,197 feet above the sea. At Cylinder it rises within 12 feet of 
the surface. Between Ruthven and Emmetsburg several flowing 
wells that end in the glacial drift evidently derive their head from 
the high area immediately west. Another group of flowing wells, 
apparently supplied from Cretaceous sand, is found in the valley of 
Prairie Creek in the vicinity of West Bend. To judge from the 1,050- 
foot well at Mallard and other deep-well data, no additional head 
would be gained by drilling to formations below the Cretaceous. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Ayrshire. — The village well at Ayrshire (population, 337) is 373 
feet deep, ends in Cretaceous sand, and has been tested at 120 gaUons 
a minute. (See p. 871 for section.) The waterworks, which consist 
of an air-pressure system, are not yet extensively used. 

Emmetsburg. — In Emmetsburg (population, 2,325) it is estimated 
that about 1,600 people are supplied from the city waterworks. The 
pubhc supply is taken from a dug weU, 13| feet in diameter and 25 
feSt deep, and the system consists of a standpipe, more than 8 miles 
of mains, 37 fire hydrants, and 320 taps. The average daily con- 
sumption is approximately 40,000 gallons. 

The Cliicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway well (PL XVI, p. 672) 
has a depth of 874 feet and a diameter of 6 inches. The ciu'b is 1,230 
feet above sea level and the head 33 feet below the curb. The water 
comes from the St. Peter sandstone, the water of the Dakota sand- 
stone having been cased out. Driller, W. E. Swan. 

Driller'' s log ofraihvay well at Enmietshurg . 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



SoU 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Sand, dark 

Sand, gray 

Marl, red 

Limestone, broken 

Limestone, sandy , 

Shale, black 

Limestone 

Shale, gray 

Limestone, magnesian. 

Shale, gray , 

Shale, blue 

Sandstone, white 

Granite 



Feet. 
5 
1.6 

204 
30 
79 
22 
10 
22 
4 
30 
15 

224 
65 
30 

110 



Feet. 
5 
21 
225 
255 
334 
356 
366 
388 
392 
422 
437 
661 
726 
756 
866 
874 



874 



TJNDEEGEOUlsrD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



Record of strata of railway well at Emmetsburg (PI. X VI, p. 672). 



Quaternary (225 feet th-iek; top, 1,230 feet above sea level): 

Soil 

Clay, bright yellow, calcareous; with drift pebbles 

Clay, blue, pebbly; more strongly calcareous than above 

Cretaceous: 

Dakota sandstone (109 feet thick; top, 1,005 feet above sea level): 

Sandstone, moderately coarse, gray; mostly of clear quartz but contains many 

grains of pink and dark-gsay quartz, jasper and flint 

Sandstone, very coarse; similar in composition to the above; sample contains 

fragments of fine white kaolinic clay 

Carboniferous (Permian?): 

Clay, fine, bright red; slightly sandy, noncalcareous 

Undifferentiated strata: 

Dolomite, hard, gray and bufE, fossiliferous; fragment of impression of one valve of 

a square-shouldered brachiopod; rough; subcrystalline 

Shale, blue 

Dolomite, light buff; the larger part of the sample consists of sand as at 225 feet 

Shale, light blue, soft, calcareous 

Ordovician: 

Galena limestone (224 feet thick; top, 793 feet above sea level) — 

Limestone, magnesian, gray 

Dolomite, light buff, soft 

Limestone, magnesian, hard, gray 

Platteville limestone (95 feet thick; top, 569 feet above sea level) — 

Shale, blue, soft, highly calcareous 

Shale, as above but darker and less calcareous 

St. Peter sandstone (110 feet thick; top, 474 feet above sea level) — 

Sandstone; grains of clear quartz, smooth, well rounded, mostly 0.55 to 0.7 

millimeter in diameter 

Prairie du Chien group — 
Shakopee dolomite: 

Dolomite, light gray, subcrystalline 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 
5 
16 
204 



50 
90 
104 

65 
30 



110 



Depth. 



Feet. 
5 
21 

225 



255 
334 
356 



392 
422 
437 



487 
577 
661 

726 
756 



866 

874 



Graettinger. — Most of the people of Graettinger (population, 556) 
get their water from shallow wells that end in alluvial deposits, but 
perhaps one-fifth are supplied from the public waterworks, which 
include an elevated tank and a short system of mains. An abundance 
of water for the public supply is obtained from a dug well sunk 28 feet 
into alluvial deposits. 

Mallard. — The waterworks at Mallard (population, 331) are sup- 
plied from a well 1,050 feet deep. (See PI. XVI, p. 672.) They consist 
of an elevated tank, one-fourth mile of mains, 4 fire hydrants, and 6 
taps. The average daily consumption is estimated at 3,000 gallons. 

The well has a diameter of 8 to 4| inches, casing to 1,000 feet. 
The curb is 1,228 feet above sea level and the head 66 feet below 
curb ; capacity, 76 gallons a minute. Water was struck at 260 feet 
in fine sand and agam at 1,000 feet in white sandstone. Driller, 
Swanson, of Minneapolis. Year completed, 1903. 

Record of strata in Mallard city tvell (PI. XVI, p. 612). 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


380 


380 


119 


499 


11 


510 


90 


600 


. 45 


645 


100 


745 


30 


775 


25 


800 


80 


880 


30 


910 


20 


930 


60 


990 


20 


1,010 


40 


1,050 



Drift 

Unknown 

Limestone, argillaceous 

Sandstone 

Shale, blue, calcareous 

Dolomite and limestone 

Limestone with seams of shale 

Dolomite 

Limestone 

Shale, light colored, calcareous 

Limestone 

Shale, blue, calcareous ( Platteville) .... 

Shale, hard, calcareous 

Sandstone, white, noncalcareous (St. Peter) 



PALO ALTO COUNTY. 



875 



Ruthven. — The waterworks at Ruthven (population, 655) are 
supplied from a dug well, 20 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep. The 
water is pumped into an air-tight tank, from which it is forced by- 
air pressure through about haK a mile of mains to 7 fire hydrants. 
The water is very Httle used except for fire extinction. There are 
many shallow private wells from which the domestic supplies are 
obtained. 

West Beiid. — The pubhc supply at West Bend (population, 679) 
comes from a 110-foot flowing well. (See p. 871 for section.) The 
water will rise 3 feet above the surface, or 1,156 feet above the sea. 
It overflows at the surface at the rate of several gallons a minute, 
but is drawn down to 30 feet below the surface when pumped at 
100 gallons per minute. It is lifted into an elevated tank and dis- 
tributed by gravity through about a mile of mains to 10 fire hydrants 
and 20 taps. About 100 people are supphed and approximately 
2,500 gallons are used daily. 

An old city well at West Bend has a depth of 381 feet and a diam- 
eter of 6 inches to 284 feet and 4|- inches to bottom. The curb is 
1,197 feet above sea level and the head 31 feet below the curb. The 
water is from 290 to 381 feet; capacity, 20 gallons a minute. The 
well was completed in 1895 by C. P. Thomas, of West Bend, and 
was abandoned some years later on account of the insufficiency 
of its supply. 

Record of strata in city well No. 1 at West Bend. 

[Based on driller's log.] 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Quaternary: 

Soil 

Clay, yellow 

Clay, blue 

Sand and gravel 

Clay, blue; and hardpan, blue 

Cretaceous: 

Sand, yellow 

Marl, red 

Carboniferous (Mississippian): 

Chert, white, slightly pyritiferous; some fine green clay 

Sandstone, in fragments of limpid quartz, with considerable chert, and some blue- 
gray limestone 

Dolomite, white, somewhat arenaceous 

Limestone, blue-gray 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, blue crystalline 

Dolomite, crystalline, light blue gray, blue gray, and yellowish; 3 samples 

Dolomite, blue and light gray, hard, compact, finely crystalline, argillaceous; 2 
samples 

Limestone, from hght yellowish to dark blue gray; often mottled; in thia flakes; 
soft, earthy luster 

Limestone, brown and buff, soft and argillaceous at 350 feet; crystalline and 
cherty below; 3 samples 

Limestone, magnesian, gray, hard, compact; some shale; 3 samples 

Shale, blue. 



Feet. 



112 
20 



Feet. 



5 
21 

62 
71 
94 

206 
226 

269 

292 
298 
302 
306 
331 

339 

350 

362 
381 



876 UNDERGEOUKD WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

PLYMOUTH COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The upland surface of Plymouth County consists of a gently undu- 
lating prairie which descends gradually toward the southwest and is 
trenched by a number of valleys that trend southwestward, their 
du^ection no doubt being determined by the original upland slope. 
Big Sioux River, which occupies a rather wide valley, forms the west 
boundary of the county. 

The surface deposits consist of alluvial and outwash deposits, loess, 
and glacial drift. In the Sioux Valley, in Sioux and Plymouth coun- 
ties, a series of Cretaceous rocks, consisting in downward succession 
of shale and impure Umestone (Benton) and sandstone (Dakota), is 
exposed. Between the glacial drift and the underlying Cretaceous 
lie sands of doubtful age.^ (See PI. VI, p. 258.) 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE, 

Water in Plymouth County is derived from alluvial and outwash 
sand and gravel, glacial drift, sand of uncertain age, and Cretaceous 
limestone and sandstone. 

The alluvial and outwash sand and gravel are confined to the prin- 
cipal valleys, where they constitute a valuable source of supply. The 
glacial drift, which has a much wider distribution, is rehed on chiefly 
in the upland districts and furnishes most of the water used in the 
county. A number of drilled wells end in sand which lies at or near 
the base of the drift and may, at least in some places, be identical 
with the sand deposit of uncertain age in the Sioux Valley between 
the Cretaceous deposits and the drift. 

The Cretaceous limestone crops out near Akron, where it gives rise 
to strong springs. It also suppUes a number of drilled wells in the 
western part of the county. Though drillers do not recognize it 
farther east, it seems probable that if they would watch for it after 
the drill had penetrated shale, they would find it more widely dis- 
tributed than it is at present known to be, and might fmd it a valuable 
source of water. No screens would be required in wells ending in 
this formation, and its depth is not great. 

The Dakota sandstone outcrops in the Sioux Valley in the south- 
western part of the county, where it supphes many drilled wells. 
The head of the water lowers toward the outcrops, as is shown by 
the fact that at HuU, Sheldon, and Primghar the water rises to about 

iBain, H. F., Kept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 8, 1898, pp. 326, 327. 



PLYMOUTH COUNTY. 877 

1,225 feet above sea level; at Hawarden to 1,150 feet; at Le Mars to 
1,142 feet; and at Hinton only to 1,120 feet. In some sections of 
the county the water remains so far below the surface that it will 
perhaps never be extensively utihzed, but in other parts it rises 
nearer to the surface and would be a valuable and rehable source 
of supply if it were not for the sand which tends to rise in the wells. 
Another disadvantage is the hard and ferruginous character of the 
water. 

In the northeastern part of the county nearly all farm weUs are 
bored or dug, are very shallow, and are commonly situated on low 
gTound. Farther east and south most of the wells are drilled and 
many end in the Dakota sandstone at depths of 100 to 200 feet. In 
the Sioux Valley driven wells about 25 feet deep are widely used. 

SPRINGS. 

Many rather large springs emerge along Big Sioux River, the water 
in most of them coming from the limestone that outcrops in the valley. 
One spring of local note about a mile south of Akron yields several 
hundred gallons a minute; another occurs 4 J miles north of Akron, 
along the river. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Akron. — ^The public supply of Akron (population, 1,130) comes 
from 8 driven wells, each 24 feet deep. The water is pumped into 
a reservoir on the top of the valley chff and is thence distributed by 
gravity pressure through about 1^ miles of mains to 9 fire hydrants 
and 62 taps. The average daily consumption is approximately 
15,000 gallons. 

Kingsley. — ^The pubhc supply of Kingsley (population, 977) is 
furnished by 3 dug wells, each of them 16 feet in diameter and 20 feet 
deep. The water is pumped into an elevated tank and thence dis- 
tributed by gravity through 1|- miles of mains to 24 fire hydrants and 
63 taps. It is reported that about one-third of the population are 
suppUed and that approximately 6,000 gallons of water are consumed 
daily. 

Le Mars. — ^The waterworks in Le Mars (population, 4,157) are 
owned and operated by a private corporation. The water is obtained 
from 22 driven wells and is pumped directly into a system of mains 
about 12 miles long, wliich is tapped by 94 fire hydrants and about 
850 service connections. It is estimated that approximately 750,000 
gallons are consumed daily. 

A well at Le Mars (PI. VI, p. 258), owner unknown, has a depth 
of 1,560 feet, starting at an elevation of 1,275 feet above sea level. 



878 UNDEKGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in deep well at Le Mars {PI. VI, p. 258).o- 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



"Soil" 

"Clay, yellow" 

"Clay, blue" 

" Sand and gravel " ; hardened above 

"Soapstone and slate" 

"Sandstone, clays, and some lignites; in alternating strata" 

"Sandstone; with some shale" 

Sandstone, micaceous; of broken grains; noncalcareous 

Sandstone; as above, many grains pink, reddish, and yellow 

Gneiss (?); constituents orthoclase, quartz, and muscovite; reddish in mass. 

Gneiss (?j; chiefly feldspar and mica 

Schist, micaceous; brown in mass 



Feet. 
7 

13 
44 
27 
89 
138 
147 



Feet. 

7 

20 

64 

91 

180 

318 

465 

860 

960 

1,060 

1,325 

1,560 



a Strata below 560 feet were determined by the writer; all other statements are taken from Todd, J. E., 
Proc. Iowa Acad. Sci., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1892, p. 14. 

The base of the Cretaceous may be placed at a depth of 465 feet, or 
810 feet above sea level. The floor of crystalline rocks was unques- 
tionably reached at 1,060 feet, or 215 feet above sea level. The sand- 
stone at 960 feet may be compared in the number of pink, reddish, 
and yellow grains to the sandstones at Hull, which are found asso- 
ciated with intrusive sheets of quartz porphyry and may be pre- 
Cambrian in age. 

A drill hole owned by C. R. Woodward (sec. 15, T. 92 N., R. 45 W.) 
east of Le Mars has a dejDth of 381 feet. 

Record of strata in Woodivard drill hole near Le Mars. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Drift - 

Clay, bluish black, with bituminous matter and gypsum 

Bituminous matter and gypsum 

Soapstone and clay, organic matter colored by iron oxide, and carbonate of lime and 
magnesia 

Sandstone, very hard, ferruginous, slightly calcareous 

Calcareous sandstone, hon oxide; first seam of lignite, linchj also sulphate of magnesia 

Stone, arenaceous, chalky, calcareous; marly partings contain nearly pure calcium car- 
bonate 

Marl, calcareous 

Calcareous fragments 

Slate, rotten, bituminous, calcareous 

Slate, slightly calcareous 

Shale, calcareous 

Slate, rotten, bituminous; and shale 

Soapstone and slate 

Shale, calcareous 

Shale, calcareous and siliceous 

Shale 

Shale, very hard 

Limestone, in bands; hard, bituminous 

Slate, bituminous, and shale, with streaks of coal and limestone 

Shale; hard slate and shale; wind vems blow sand out of top of well 

Slate and shale; with limestone bands and openings 

Conglomerate, hard , 

Sandstone, hard, ferruginous, calcareous, with slate streaks 

Sandstone, reddish brown, ferruginous 

Rotten siliceous rocks, slate and blackjack 

Slate and fire clay, with streaks of hard coal 

Sandstone, micaceous, with streaks of fine clay 

Fire clay and slate 

Sandstone, hard, micaceous 

Slate, bituminous 

Upper coal 



Feet. 
25 
25 
10 

19 
3i 

2i 



1 

1 

6 
11 

1 
12 

6 

1 

5 

8 

1 
12 

4 
13 

4 

2 

6 

8 

6 

4 

6 

4 

5 

2 

21 



Feet. 
25 
50 
60 

79 
83 
85i 

93 
94 
95 
101 
112 
113 
125 
131 
132 
137 
145 
146 
158 
162 
175 
179 
181 
187 
195 
201 
205 
211 
215 
220 
222 
224i 



POCAHONTAS COUNTY. 
Record of strata in Woodward drill hole near Le Mars — Continued. 



879 



Depth. 



Fire clay (6 inches) and sandstone (12 inches). 

Sandstone, dark; organic matter 

Shale, bituminous 

Coal 



Fire clay, fine coal 

Soapstone and slate; limestone and coal streaks , 

Shale, arenaceous; coal in streaks 

Black oxide of iron (magnetic), hard, solid 

Same; ■with soapstone 

Gypsum and soapstone 

Soapstone, hard, ferruginous, with gypsum 

Coal and slate 

Slate and fire clay; pyrite 

Soapstone 

Chert 



Soapstone. 

Slate, bituminous; with pyrite 

Slate, bituminous, siliceous; with pyrite 

Slate, fine grained ; with pyrite ". 

Sandstone, brown, ferruginous; streaks of coal and slate . 

Sandstone, brown, ferruginous; with heavy spar 

Shales, quartz crystals 

Shale, ferruginous, calcareous 

Quartz rock and spar 

Sandstone, ferruginous; Avith fluorspar 

Shales, siliceous, with streaks of carbonaceous matter 

Coal (solid vein) 



Feet. 
226 
2.31 
234i 
236 
237 
242 
242f 
248i- 
?52i 
2588 
263J 
2631 
268 
283 
2831 
300 
306 
315 
323 
334 



340 
350 
364 
370 
376 
381 



All these strata are referred by Bain to the Cretaceous, although he 
would entertain the theory of a Pennsylvanian outlier in which the 
drill was still working at the bottom of the drill hole. 

Remsen. — The waterworks in Remsen (population, 1,076) draw 
from two dug wells a supply which, though not great, is sufficient for 
the present requirement of approximately 13,000 gallons a day. 
There is an elevated tank, about a mile of mains, 15 fire hydrants, 
and 22 service connections. 



POCAHONTAS COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGBAPHY. 

The surface of Pocahontas County is a monotonous, slightly undu- 
lating, poorly drained drift plain which has been modified to a minor 
extent by stream erosion. It rises gradually toward the west. 

GEOLOGY. 

The glacial drift appears to have a thickness of approximately 200 
feet in the western part of the county, but it becomes thinner toward 
the east «,nd especially toward the northeast, where in certain locali- 
ties it is very attenuated, the underlying rock coming to the surface 
in at least one place. 

Cretaceous deposits, consisting chiefly of beds of loose sand, lie 
below the drift in perhaps all parts of the county except in a small 



880 UlSTDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

irregular area in the northeast, where the drift rests upon limestone 
of Mississippian age. (See PI. XVI.) The Cretaceous deposits are 
not known to outcrop anywhere in the county, though they are con- 
stantly encountered in drilling, but Mississippian limestone is exposed 
in the quarry near the railway northwest of Gilmore and perhaps 
elsewhere. It is not improbable that remnants of the Pemisylvanian 
also exist in the county. 

The small area in which the limestone is near the surface and the 
Cretaceous deposits are absent occupies the northern and eastern 
parts of Clinton Township (T. 92 N., R. 31 W.) and some adjoining 
territory. Its margin passes through the village of Gilmore, north- 
westward to a point west of Rolf e, and thence turns northeast. Along 
this margin the limestone surface descends with relative abruptness, 
passing beneath the Cretaceous accumulations to depths that are 
never reached in ordinary wells. In Gilmore this limestone surface 
was found to drop 80 feet between two wells 150 feet apart, and other 
similar evidence suggests that in some localities there may be a buried 
limestone escarpment. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

The glacial drift, the porous Cretaceous sand strata, and the fissured 
Mississippian limestone are aU three drawTi upon for water. The first 
supplies numerous shallow wells, in many of which the yield is small 
and easily affected by drought; the second contains an abundance of 
good water, but yields it with difficulty because of the sand (for reme- 
dies, see pp. 192-195) ; the third has a large supply of water and is very 
satisfactory throughout the small area over which it lies sufficiently 
near the surface to be reached in ordinary drilling operations. 

Near Fonda the drilled wells have an average depth of perhaps 200 
feet, though some extend to more than 300 feet; near Laurens they 
range from less than 100 feet to approximately 375 feet and average 
perhaps 250 feet; near Pocahontas they average about 200 feet, but 
some are much deeper; near Palmer their average depth is between 
100 and 200 feet; and near Rolfe they range from about 60 to 300 
feet and average about 140 feet. 

Two of the deepest weUs in the county are the Chicago, Rock Island 
& Pacific Railway well at Laurens, which is reported to enter sand at 
190 feet and to end in sandstone at 490 feet, and the old Blanden well, 
in regard to which no information was obtained. 

HEAD. 

The water remains farthest below the surface in weUs on the rela- 
tively high area in the northwest and comes nearest to the surface in 
those on the lower ground in the southeast, where indeed in the valley 



POCAHONTAS COUNTY. 



881 



of Lizard Creek several flows have been struck. Relative to sea level, 
however, the water rises highest in the northwest area and remains 
lowest in the northeast, where it is drained from the limestone mto the 
Des Moines Valley. These conditions are shown in the following 
table, which is based on wells that end in the lower part of the drift 
or in the subjacent sandstone or limestone: 

Head of the water in Pocahontas County. 





Altitude of 

surface 

above sea 

level. 


HeigM to whicli the 
■water rises. 


Location. 


Below sur- 
face. 


Above sea 
level. 




Feet. 
1,312 
1,234 
1,232 
1,225 
1,244 


Feet. 

- 65 

- 14 

- 25 

- 20 

- 30 
+ 

- 40 
-100 


Feet. 
1,247 


Fonda 


1,220 


Havelock 


1,207 


Pocahontas 


1,205 
1,214 


PfllTTlRr. 


Lizard Creek 




Rolfe ... . 


1,160 
1,207 


1,120 


flilmnre , . , 


1,107 







DRAINAGE WELLS. 

In the area of limestone wells a number of small swamps on the 
drift surface are being drained downward through wells into the under- 
lying limestone. This method of drainage is of course possible only 
in areas where the head of water from the limestone is considerably 
lower than the ground-water table of the drift, but because of the 
leakage from the limestone in the valley of Des Moines River this is 
here the usual condition. Drainage wells have not proved entirely 
successful because of their rapid deterioration, which is probably due 
to the sediment that is carried into them with the water. Wells dis- 
charging into the sand strata have been less successful than those 
which empty into limestone, because the pores between the grains of 
sand are much smaller than the crevices in the limestone, and hence 
they conduct the water away less freely and are more easily choked 
with sediment. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Fonda. — The village well at Fonda (population, 978) ends in sand- 
stone at the depth of 331 feet. It has been tested at the rate of about 
400 gallons a minute. The water rises within 14 feet of the surface, 
or approximately 1,220 feet above sea level. It is pumped mto an 
elevated tank from which it is distributed by gravity through about 
3 miles of mains to which are attached 16 fire hydrants and 95 taps. 
It is estimated that about 600 people are supplied, and that 50,000 
gallons of water are consumed daily. 

36581°— wsp 293—12 56 ^ 



882 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Section of village well at Fonda. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Soil and yellow clay; clay, blue 

Sand and gravel 

Clay, hard, blue, with gravel , 

Sandstone , 

Shale, blue and red; limestone, sandstone, etc.; sandstone (entered) 



Feet. 
197 
23 
53 

7 
51 



Feet. 
197 
220 
273 
280 
331 



Beneath the strata reached by this well sandstones and shales of 
the Pennsylvanian may be expected, and shales which will merge into 
the great dolomitic series extending with little interruption to the 
shales of the Platte ville immediately overlying the St. Peter sand- 
stone. Norton's estimate places the St. Peter somewhat more than 
1,300 feet below the surface. No flow can be expected, but by casing 
out the upper waters a less heavily mineralized supply than the present 
could, according to Norton, be obtained. 

Gilmore. — The village of Gilmore (population, 689) has a public 
well but no waterworks. The well is 244 feet deep and enters lime- 
stone at the depth of 200 feet. 

Laurens. — The village well at Laurens (population, 817) is 229 feet 
deep; the beds for the first 190 feet are reported to consist mainly of 
clay and for the last 39 feet of sand. The water rises within 65 feet 
of the surface, or 1,247 feet above sea level, and has been pumped at 
the rate of 35 gallons a minute. It is raised into an elevated tank, 
whence it is distributed by gravity through about a mile of mains to 
6 fire hydrants and about 40 taps. It is estimated that 200 people are 
supplied, and that 12,000 gallons of water is consumed daily. 

Pocahontas. — Perhaps one-third of the people of Pocahontas (popu- 
lation, 987) use water from the public supply, and the rest depend 
on private wells, many of which are shallow. The village well ends 
in sandstone at the depth of 248 feet, and has been pumped at the 
rate of 150 gallons a minute, The water rises within 20 feet of the 
surface, or about 1,205 feet above sea level. The waterworks con- 
sist of an air-pressure system with nearly 2 miles of mains, to which 
are attached 18 fire hydrants and about 40 taps. The average daily 
consumption is reported to be approximately 20,000 gallons. 

Section of village well at Pocahontas. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay 

Sand 

Soft sandstone (entered) 



Feet. 
120 
108 
20 



Feet. 
120 
228 
248 



SAC COUNTY. 883 

Rolfe. — The village well at Rolfe (population, 954) is 108 feet deep, 
all but the first 8 feet of which is in limestone. The water stands 
40 feet below the surface, or 1,120 feet above the sea, and has been 
pumped at 40 gallons a minute. It is lifted into an elevated tank 
from which it is distributed by gravity through a system of mains, 
about 7,000 gallons being used daily. 

SAC COUN-TY. 

By W. J. Miller. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Sac County may be divided into eastern and western topographic 
provinces. The eastern province is covered by Wisconsin drift and 
has the generally level surface characteristic of that deposit. North 
Raccoon River flows through it in a southerly and southeasterly direc- 
tion, cutting its valley to a considerable depth below the general level. 
The western province is loess covered and is distinctly more hilly than 
the eastern. Boyer River flows across it from north to south. The 
western boundary of the Wisconsin drift practically constitutes the 
drainage divide in this part of the State and it is a region of unusually 
high land. 

Of the drift formations, the Kansan extends over the entire county, 
being overlain by the Wisconsin in the east and by the loess in the 
west. Rocks of Cretaceous age may be found beneath the drift in 
all parts of the county. 

The drift deposits are in general horizontal, and the older rock 
formations lie either flat or dip slightly to the east. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

There are two important water horizons in the drift, one at the 
base of the Wisconsin and the other at the base of the Kansan. 
A large number of wells sunk to these horizons furnish a good supply 
of water of excellent quality except for its hardness. The Cretaceous 
and older rocks afford a third source of water. 

Over the whole county the most certain and satisfactory aquifer 
in the surface deposits is the sand or gravel at the base of the Kansan 
drift. The drift is unusually deep over the region and this aquifer is 
known to be at a maximum depth of at least 480 feet, and has nowhere 
been struck at a depth of less than 130 feet. As a rule it lies deeper 
in the western part of the county because of the greater thickness of 
the drift there. In some wells, as in the abandoned wells at Odebolt 
and Schaller, water from this deposit is so highly mineralized and so 
full of organic matter as to be unfit for use. 



884 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

In the eastern or Wisconsin drift-covered region an important 
water bed is the sand or gravel at the base of the Wisconsin. This 
aquifer ranges in depth from 50 to 100 feet, but in many places is 
missing. A few wells obtain a fair supply of water from local sand 
or gravel pockets within the blue clays of the Kansan or the Wisconsin 
drift. 

In the western or loess-covered region water is obtained in some 
places from a sandy layer within or at the bottom of the loess. Many 
shallow wells derive water from this source, but the supply is often 
seriously affected by varying seasons. 

As compared with the counties of central Iowa, Sac County con- 
tains but few ''rock" wells. Such wells receive their water mostly 
from Cretaceous sandstone. 

PROVINCES. 

Sac County may be divided into two underground-water provinces — 
the eastern or Wisconsin drift-covered area and the western or loess- 
covered area. The chief difference between the two is that in the 
former there are two clearly defined water horizons, one at the base 
of the Wisconsin and the other at the base of the Kansan; whereas 
in the latter there is but one, at the base of the Kansan. 

A few flowing wells are to be found in the eastern province. These 
weUs, south of Sac City, are on low ground along a tributary of North 
Raccoon River, where the head is great enough for overflow. Good 
well records are not available, but it is thought that the water comes 
from the important aquifer at the base of the blue Kansan clay. 

SPRINGS. 

Some springs of considerable size are found along North Raccoon 
River, the most noteworthy ones being those leased by Sac City for a 
water supply. Other springs occur along the river, such as that on the 
Wilham Harrold farm across the river from Sac City and a so-called 
"sulphur" spring on the M. Judd farm, 2 miles south of Sac City. 
All these spring waters are heavily charged with carbonate of lime 
and are locally called ''petrified" springs because their waters incrust 
objects thrown into them. Some smaller springs or seepages are 
found along other stream courses. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Sac Cikj. — The water supply of Sac City (population, 2,201) is 
drawn from springs. The water is led into a tank whence it is 
pumped by steam to a standpipe. The direct and gravity pressure 
is 80 pounds. There are 3 miles of mains, 27 fire hydrants, and 327 
private hydrants. About 1,800 people use the water, which is 
plentiful but hard. 



SAC COUNTY. 885 

Tile springs, four in number, are located along a small branch of 
North Raccoon River about a mile north of the city. They emerge 
from the slope of the small branch stream of North Raccoon River, 
the water apparently coming from a gravel layer in the yellow Wis- 
consin clay. The flow is about 1,000 barrels a day, the supply being 
only slightly diminished in very dry weather. The temperature of the 
water ranges from 52° to 56°. The water incrusts boilers consider- 
ably. Each of the four springs has been carefully cleaned out, built 
up with cement tiling, and is kept covered and locked. A pipe leads 
from each spring into a 4-inch main which in turn extends about 
three-fourths of a mile southward to a reservoir at the pumping 
plant. From the reservoir the water is pumped into a standpipe. 

The well of the Chicago & North Western Railway has a depth of 
379 feet. It was completed before 1900 by William Burge, of 

Lisbon, Iowa. 

Driller's log of well at Sac City. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Till, yellow 

Sand o" d coarse gravel, mixed 

Clay, blue; mixed with cobblestones 

Sand, gray and fine (water bearing) 

Clay, blue; mixed with coarse gravel 

Sand, gray; fine, ending coarse (water bearing) 

Gumbo, hard, black; will not mix with water; will burn 

Clay, dark blue and varying to a light color, but the last 5 feet mixed with coarse gravel 

and very hard 

Coal, burns well 

Hard substance; coal churned with it, so could not tell what it was 

Clay, hard, blue, and gravel mixed 

Sand, blue, fine at top, coarse at bottom; full of water; water rose 230 feet in pipe and 

the sand forced up 100 feet 

Sandstone, compact, hard 

Coal 

Sandstone, light 

Slate 



Feet. 
15 
12 
85 
5 
77 



133 
1 
3 
5 



IJ 
144 



Feet. 
15 
27 
112, 
117 
194 
202 
205 

338 
339 

342 
347 

353 
361 
362J 

377 
379 



Sac City is 1,196 feet above sea level. Its artesian forecast by 
Norton is rather favorable on the whole, although a well tapping the 
chief water beds of the Iowa artesian system must necessarily be a 
deep one. The drift with its clays and sands may be expected to be 
thick, and below it occur various strata of Cretaceous and Carbon- 
iferous age, chiefly shales. Limestones and dolomites of the Missis- 
sippian and lower terranes extend with some interruptions of shaly 
beds for more than 700 feet to the shale of the Platteville. This green 
shale, which in many places is fossiliferous, caps the St. Peter sand- 
stone, which should be here found at 100 to 200 feet below sea level, 
or 1,300 to 1,400 feet below the surface. For a town as large as Sac 
City the drill hole should be carried a few hundred feet deeper, or to 
1,600 or 1,800 feet, in order to tap the large supplies usually to be 
found in the dolomites and sandstones underlying the St. Peter. The 
contract should be drawn for several hundred feet more than the 



886 



tTNDEKGEOUND WATEE RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



most liberal estimate of needed depth, but drilling should be stopped 
on reaching the glauconiferous shales of the St. Lawrence formation. 
Casing may be needed in the shales of the Carboniferous, the Cre- 
taceous, and the Platteville, and also in the Maquoketa shale, should 
this formation extend so far to the west; but below the Pennsylvanian 
the drill hole will be mostly in solid limestone to the Platteville, which 
immediately overlies the St. Peter. 

Minor supplies. — Minor water supplies in Sac County are sum- 
marized below: 

Minor sujp'plies in Sac County. 





Nature of 
supply. 


Pumping 

system. 


Distri- 
bution. 


Pressure. 


a 

6 


■a 

13 


T3 

5 


1 


P. 
D 

Pi 


P. 

i« 

§•2 

i- 
ft 




Town. 


6 

t 

ft 




Remarks. 


Early 

Odebolt 

Sehaller 

Wall Lake. 


Well 15J feet 
deep. 

2 wells 25 
feet deep. 

Well 12 feet 
deep. 

Well 25 feet 
deep. 


Gasoline en- 
gine and 
windmill. 

steam en- 
gine. 

Steam pump 

Gasoline en- 
gine. Tri- 
plex pump. 


Gravity. 

...do 

...do 

...do 


Lbs. 
35 

48 

40 

37 


Lbs. 

+ 35 

100 

+ 40 


Miles. 
1 

±2 
24 


11 

12 
12 


40 
100 

30 
140 


200 
300 
175 
750 


Thou- 
sand 
gals. 
+ 4.0 

18.0 

9 to 15 

51.0 


Good sup- 
ply of me- 
dium hard 
water. 

Good sup- 
ply of 
hard wa- 
ter. 

Fair supply 
of medium 
hard wa- 
ter. 

Good sup- 
ply of me- 
dium hard 
water. 



WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Sac County: 

Typical wells of Sac County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
and 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 


A. J. Masteller 

F H Woods 


Southwest of Sac 
City. 

IJ miles west of 

Sac City. 
Odebolt 


Feet. 
180 

203 
356 


Feet. 


Sand 

Sand and 

gravel. 
Sand 


- 90 


Yellow clay, 25; blue clay, 
25; black mud with very 
bad odor, 22; dry sand, 
blowing out air, 58; blue 
clay, 44; sand and water, 
6. 


Town 




Soil and muck, 10; sand 








and gravel, 1; blue clay, 
80; yellow clay, with 
bowlders at bottom, 50; 
blue clay, with streaks 
hardpan and gravel, also 
struck "sea mud," 192; 
sand and water, 23, 



SIOUX COUNTY. 
Typical wells of Sac County — Continued. 



887 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 
and 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head. 


Remarks 
(logs given in feet). 






Feet. 


Feet. 








Mrs. C. M. Hopkins 


5J miles east of 
Wall Lake. 


(>2 




Gravel.... 


- 30 




Town 


Odebolt 


25 
80 

84 




...do 


- 5 

- 15 

- 25 


Open well, steam pump. 
Bored, 2 feet tiling. 


Chas. Hecthner 


7 miles southeast 

of Sac City. 
Similes east of Sac 

City. 
5J miles southwest 




...do 


Walter Sneering. . . 
Dan Rowe 




...do 


Do. 


57 




Sand and 


+ 


Bored well, 2 feet tilmg. 




of Sac City. 






gravel. 




Flows IJ-inch stream. 


Geo. Speck 


2J miles north of 


350 




...do 


-240 




CO. Porter 


Early. 
miles southwest 
of Sehaller. 


432 




...do 


-266 


Black soil, 4; yellow clay 
(some gravel), 75; sand, 




















2; blue clay and some 














gravel, 272; dry sand, 18; 














ocher clay and blue clay. 
19; hardpan, 12; sand 


























and gravel (water), 30. 


J.C. Bodine 


5 miles southeast 
of Sehaller. 


402 




Sand 


- 68 




F. Fravert 


3J miles north of 
Odebolt. 


129 




Gravel 


- 40 




Mrs. E . Murrey . . . 


Sehaller 


351 


345 


Shale (?).. 


-242 


Black soil, 4; yellow clay, 
70; dark (blue) clay, 50; 
yellow clay and blue clay, 


























216; hardpan, 5; shale 














(water), 6. 


C.N. Search 


2 miles south of 
Nemaha. 


400 


390 


Sandstone 


-140 


Pumped by windmill and 
gas engine. Yellow clay 
(some gravel), 30; blue 
clay, 70; sand and some 


























water, 15; yellow clay, 45; 
blue clay, 230; sandrock 


























and water, 10. 


Frank Smith 


4 miles north of 
Early. 


480 


468 


(?) 


-240 


Water bed unknown, con- 
tains pyrites. 

Yellow clay, 40; blue clay, 
60; yellow clay and sandy 
layers, 60; blue clay, 75; 


W. D. Holdridge.. 


9 miles southeast 


260 


240 


Sand 


-140 




of Early. 


































sand and water, 6; shale. 














18; coal, IJ. 


"Wall Lake 


City 


16 




...do 


-6and- 


Maximum yield 147 gal- 












16 


lons per minute; de- 
creased account sand. 


Chicago & North 


Auburn. 


124 


116 


Sandstone 






Western Ry. 









SIOUX COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY, 

The gently undulating upland surface of Sioux County is trenched 
by the valleys of several southwestward-trending streams leading to 
Big Sioux River, whose deep and wide valley forms the west border of 
the county. The uplands are underlain by glacial drift with a thin 
veneer of loess, and the principal valleys contain deposits of glacial 
outwash and recently formed alluvium. Beneath the drift and the 
valley deposits lie Cretaceous shales, sandstones, and impure lime- 
stones, some of which are exposed in the Big Sioux Valley farther 
south. 



888 UNDEKGEOUND WATER RESOUBCES OP IOWA. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE, 

The water supply is obtained from glacial outwash and recent 
alluvium, glacial drift, Cretaceous strata above the Dakota sand- 
stone, Dakota sandstone, and lower formations. 

The glacial outwash consists in large part of beds of coarse clean 
sand and gravel wliich, because of their great porosity, their favorable 
situation for receiving drainage and seepage from the uplands, and 
the impervious formations beneath them, contain a large and per- 
manent store of water, of high vame by reason of its abundance, its 
excellence, and the ease with which it can be obtained. Although 
this outwash occurs over only a small part of the county, the water 
is largely available for municipal supphes, because most of the cities 
and villages are located near streams. Though normally of good 
quahty especial precautions are necessary to prevent its pollution, 
because, in most cases, the city is built on the valley slope which 
drams into the valley flat where the well is located. 

The glacial drift furnishes most of the water used in the county 
and is reUed on almost exclusively in the upland districts. Many 
bored wells end in the surficial portion of the drift, from winch they 
derive supplies that are small m amount and that frequently fail 
completely in diy seasons. Deeper bored or drilled wells, however, 
reach seams of sand and gravel in the lower portions of the drift and 
thus tap water that is under considerable artesian pressure. Unfor- 
tunately in some parts of the county these deeper water-bearing 
beds are not found in the drift. 

The deepest drilled wells penetrate the Cretaceous formations and 
are supphed from the Dakota sandstone, or perhaps in some places 
from liigher sandstones or limestones. The Dakota contains large 
and permanent supphes but the water is hard and ferruginous and 
the sand causes trouble by entermg the wells, especially if the latter 
are of the small "tubular" type or are pumped rapidly. In the 
northeastern part of the county the water rises to about 1,225 feet 
above sea level. In the creamery well at Hull it rises to 1,228 feet 
and in the deep weUs at Primghar (O'Brien County) to about 1,225 
feet. Farther southwest the head is lower, evidently because of 
outcrops of the formation in this direction and consequent leakage. 
At Hawarden the water rises apparently to only 1,150 feet above 
the sea, and at Le Mars to only 1,14L feet; farther southwest it 
remains still lower. In the northeastern part of the county the 
level to which water from this formation rises is about 200 feet 
below the upland surface. In the valley of Big Sioux Kiver the 
artesian head is only slightly below the flood-plain surface, but 
there is no evidence that flows can anywhere be obtained. 



SIOUX COUNTY. 889 

The only well known to penetrate formations below the Dakota is 
the deep well at Hull, which obtained unfavorable results. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Alton. — The waterworks at Alton (population, 1,046) are supphed 
from large open wells sunk 20 feet into the saturated materials in 
the valley of Floyd River. Until recently the supply has not been 
adequate but a large new well has been dug which will probably 
yield more than sufficient to meet present demands. The system 
consists of a standpipe, 2 miles of mains, 20 fire hydrants, and ap- 
proximately 100 taps. A large proportion of the inhabitants use 
the public supply. 

Granville. — ^The village well at Granville (population, 400) is 4 
feet in diameter and 40 feet deep. The waterworks consist of an 
elevated tank with a short system of mains and 3 fire hydrants. 
The water is used almost exclusively for fire protection, the domestic 
supply being drawn from numerous private wells. 

Hawarden. — The public supply of Hawarden (population, 2,107) 
is derived from sixteen 2-inch driven wells 23 feet deep, which 
penetrate a layer of alluvial gravel. The water is pumped directly 
from these wells into about 2 miles of mains, with which are con- 
nected 16 fire hydrants and 159 taps. Approximately 800 people 
are supplied, the average daily consumption being about 50,000 
gallons. 

Hull. — ^The waterworks at Hull (population, 658) consist of a tank 
elevated upon a tower and one-fourth nfile of mains with 4 fire 
hydrants. Little use is made of the water. The city well is 1,263 
feet deep, and the diameter is 10 to 6 inches. The well is cased 
to 800 feet, and the water is reported to come in part from about 
that depth and in part from 340 feet, where the casing is said to have 
been opened. The curb is 1,433 feet above sea level, and the water 
stands at 230 feet below the surface, or about 1,205 feet above the 
sea, which is nearly the level to which the water from the Dakota 
sandstone rises in this vicinity. The supply is "abundant," the 
capacity being 29 gallons a minute. Temperature 58° F. The well 
was completed in 1892 by Rodgers & Ordway, of St. Paul, and was 
repaired in 1907 by inserting 306 feet of new casing. 

Little is known of the sequence of strata except that the drift 
extends to at least 190 feet and that at 755 feet there begins a suc- 
cession of alternating beds of sandstone and quartz porphyry whose 
record is given by Beyer.^ 

» Arm. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 1, 1893, p. 168. 



890 UNDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Description of strata below 755 feet in city loell at Hull. 

Depth in feet. 

Quartz porphyry, compact olive-green 755-800 

Sand rock, fine-grained 800-802 

Quartz porphyry 802 

Sandstone, coarse-grained 825 

Quartz porphyry 832-840 

Sandstone, fine-grained 840-860 

Conglomerate 866 

Sandstone, fine-grained 880-900 

Quartz porphyry; the drillings contain also angular frag- 
ments of quartz 900-930 

Sandstone, fine-grained 930 

Pebbles, waterwom; fine sand adhering 930-935 

Quartz porphyry, decomposing 935-940 

Quartz porphyry, perfectly fresh 944 

Quartz porphyry, decomposing 949 

Quartz porphyry 975-990 

Sandstone 990 

Quartz porphyry 1, 194-1, 220 

Sandstone, fine-grained 1, 228 

The entire section is regarded as pre-Cambrian. 

Ireton. — The waterworks at Ireton (population, 631) are supplied 
from 4 wells 3 feet in diameter and 12 feet deep. The water is 
pumped by a windmill from the wells into a reservoir, and by an 
engine from the reservoir into an elevated tank. About a mile of 
mains supphes 12 fire hydrants. The water is not considered 
fit for domestic use, and the people depend largely on rain water, 
which is stored in cisterns. 

Orange City. — -Until recently the public supply for Orange City 
(population, 1,374) was taken from a drilled well 215 feet deep, 
but difficulty with the screen made it necessary to abandon the 
well, and two shallow dug wells, whose combmed yield is only about 
4,500 gallons a day, were temporarily brought into service. There 
is an elevated tank and about a mile of mains with 9 fire hydrants 
and 28 taps. 

A deep well was sunk in 1911 for city supply to a depth of 562 
feet, by G. L. Savidge, of Sioux City. The diameters are 8 inches 
to 331 feet and 6 inches thence to the bottom. Water was found 
at 300 feet and in sandstone from 410 to 562 feet. The head is 25 
feet below the surface. The pumping capacity at completion is 
stated to have been 20 gallons a minute. It is also stated that the 
well ''will hold out at 75 gallons." The cylinder is placed at 321 
feet below the surface of the ground. The well is cased with 8-inch 
casing to a depth of 331 feet, below which is 144 feet of 6-inch and 110 
feet of 4^-inch casing, 60 feet of each of the latter sections being perfo- 
rated with one-half inch holes to admit water. No packing was used. 



WOODBURY COUNTY. 891 

The cost of drilling was $2 a foot. Unfortunately it proved impossible 
even with the cooperation of the town officials to secure any samples 
as the drilling progressed or any accurate log. A sketch of the well 
made by the driller indicated the following sequence: 

Log of well at Orange City. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Unknown, probably largely drift. 

Rock 

Clay, blue 

Sandstone; not very much water . 

Clay 

Sandstone, white, soft 

Clay, blue. 



Feet. 
331 
8 
73(?) 
30 
70 
50 



Feet. 
331 
339 

412(?) 

442 
512 
562 



Bock Valley. — The village well at Rock Valley (population, 1,19^) 
is 10 feet in diameter and 30 feet deep, ends in gravel, and has been 
tested at 300 gallons a minute. The waterworks include an elevated 
tank, 1 \ miles of mains, 18 fire hydrants, and about 80 taps. Approxi- 
mately 400 people, or one-third of the population, use the water, an 
average of 25,000 gallons being consumed daily. 

WOODBURY COUNTY. 

By W. J. Miller and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Woodbury County may be divided into two topographic provinces — 
the Missouri River bottom, which occupies the western side of the 
county, and the rugged highland region, which extends eastward from 
the Missouri River bottom. The line of separation between the two 
is rather sharp, the flat swamp^ lands of the river bottom coming 
abruptly against the characteristically very rugged hilly region. 

The largest stream in the county is Little Sioux River, which flows 
across the eastern end. West Fork of Little Sioux River flows across 
the central portion of the county from north to south. Both these 
streams have numerous branches which greatly dissect the region. 

GEOLOGY. 

Of the drift formations, the Kansan and the loess are both well 
represented, each extending over the whole county except along the 
Missouri River bottom, where both are mostly eroded away. Clays 
and soft sandstones of Cretaceous age lie immediately beneath all of 
the drift, and good exposures may be seen along Missouri River. As 
far as known, all the geologic formations of the county lie approxi- 
mately horizontal. 



892 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Water is obtained by shallow wells from the alluvium of the Mis- 
souri River bottom and from the loess. Deeper wells strike the 
aquifer beneath the Ivansan or the Dakota sandstone. A well at 
Sioux City extends far into the Algonkian. 

Except in and about Sioux City, most of the wells of the county 
are shallow surface wells, though there are a few deeper drilled wells. 
The numerous wells furnish a good supply of water, which is almost 
always hard. 

In the drift deposits there are two water horizons — one in sand or 
gravel below, or sometimes within, the loess, and the other in sand 
or gravel below the blue Kansan clay. The combined thickness of 
the Kansan and the loess is much less in Woodbury County, as a rule, 
than in the next county to the east (Ida), and these water horizons 
are proportionately nearer the surface. The loess appears to range 
in thickness from nothing to 60 or 70 feet, and most of the wells of 
the county are shallow (20 to 80 feet) dug weUs, whose water comes 
from the loess itself or from sand or gravel just below it. Many of 
these shallow-well supplies fluctuate according to seasons. 

A much more clearly defined and persistent water horizon is that 
of the sand or gravel at the base of the Kansan, although compara- 
tively few wells are deep enough to reach it, its depth ranging from 
less than 100 feet along stream bottoms to 300 feet in the high land. 
Locally, water-bearing sands may be struck within the blue clay 
itself. 

Along the Missouri River bottom many shallow driven wells are 
obtained by going from 15 to 45 feet in the alluvial deposits, in which 
many sand or gravel layers are charged with water. The head of 
water in the wells generally responds to the rise and fall of water in 
Missouri River itself. 

The Cretaceous rocks below the drift or alluvial deposits contain 
some important water-bearing beds, especially in the vicinity of 
Sioux City. The rocks and soft sandstones yield large supplies of 
water in numerous places at depths ranging from a few feet to 500 
feet. 

PROVINCES. 

Woodbury County may be divided into two underground-water 
provinces — the Missouri River bottom, where many shallow wells 
derive water from Cretaceous sandstones, and the larger provinces 
east of the river bottom, where water is obtained largely from the 
loess and the Kansan drift and where a few deeper wells obtain water 
from the Cretaceous rocks. No flowing weUs have been noted in 
the county. 



WOODBUEY COUNTY. 893 

SPRINGS. 

Many small springs emerge from the loess or the Kansan drift along 
the main stream courses. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Sioux City. — Sioux City (population, 47,828) draws its supply 
from two groups of wells. The water is pumped by steam and is 
distributed under gravity and direct pressure of 110 pounds. The 
wells at the Main Street station are 97 in number, comprising 90 
driven wells from 90 to 100 feet deep and 7 drilled wells more than 
300 feet deep. Those at the Isabella Street station are 19 in number, 
1 drilled to a depth of 371^ feet, and 18 driven to between 75 and 78 
feet. The wells yield a good supply of medium hard water; 1,680,000 
gallons are used daily. There are 58 miles of mains, 325 fire hydrants, 
and 4,500 taps. 

The 371^-foot well at the Isabella Street station has a diameter 
of 10 inches. The water heads 24 feet below curb. 

Record of strata in city waterworks well, Sioux City. 
[Based on driller's log.] 



Depth. 




Pleistocene: 

Sandy clay 

Fine gravel and water 

Cretaceous: 

Gray shale or clay 

Sandstone, fine grained, light colored, and water. 

Sandstone, yellow; with layers of shale 

Shale, pink and blue 

Shale, gray and blue 

Sandstone, coarse 

Sandstone, finer, light gray 

Pyrite and lignite 

Sandstone, fine, light gray 

Sandstone, white, fine grained 

Sandstone, darker and coarser 

Sandstone, coarse; limestone fragments 

Sandstone, etc., as above but coarser 

Sandstone, very coarse; water 



The well of D. A. Magee has a depth of 2,011 feet and a diameter 
of 6 inches to 1,270 feet; casing, 6 inches for 444 feet, and 4 inches 
for 230 feet more. The curb is 1,125 feet above sea level and the 
head at curb. Water beds lie at 65 feet (drift gravel), at 120 feet 
(yielding 120 gallons a minute), at 570 feet (heading 12 feet below 
the curb), at 1,250 feet (flowing 3 gallons a minute), and at 1,480 
feet (pre-Cambrian) . The discharge is 6 gallons a minute; tem- 
perature, 70° F. The well was completed in 1882 by Marrs & 
MiUer, of Chicago. 

The water of the well is strongly mineralized, containing large 
amounts of the sulphates of calcium, magnesium, and sodium, and 
has been sold for medicinal purposes. 



894 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



Driller's log of Magee well {Sioux City Waterworks Co.) at Sioux City. 



Thick- 
ness. 




Soil and clay 

Gravel 

Shale 

Sand, white 

Sandstone, brown 

Sandstone, white 

No samples 

Sandstone, gray. 

Sand and limestone 

Limestone, gray 

Sand and limestone 

Limestone, white 

Sandstone, light colored 

Limestone, gray 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale, sandy 

No samples 

Limestone 

Shale 

Shale and limestone 

Limestone, gray _. 

Marl, red; with sand 

Sandstone, porous (St. Peter) 

Sand and marl 

Marl, sandy 

Sandstone, micaceous, very hard; crevice giving water 
Sandstone, b^o^vn, micaceous; and lime, very hard. . . 

Limestone, light colored 

Sandstone and lime, very hard 



Feet. 

60 

25 

54 

2 

34 

100 

155 

110 

30 

50 

35 

100 

30 

20 

98 

10 

12 

10 

5 

5 

35 

50 

70 

60 

30 

60 

5 

15 

25 

20 

165 

380 

5 

146 



Feet. 

60 

85 

139 

141 

175 

275 

430 

540 

570 

620 

655 

755 

785 

805 

903 

913 

925 

935 

940 

945 

980 

1,030 

1,100 

1,160 

1,190 

1,250 

1,255 

1,270 

1,295 

1,315 

1,480 

1,860 

1,865 

2.011 



Record of strata in Magee well at Sioux City. 

Cretaceous : 

Sandstone, light yellow; of fragmental quartz grains. . . 
Undetermined Paleozoic: 

Dolomite, light yellow gray; much fissile, green shale, 
in rounded lumps, and some quartz sand, both prob- 
ably from above 

Sandstone and limestone; mostly quartz sand, grains of 
moderate size, imperfectly rounded; also considerable 
limestone, light yellow gray, in small fragments, 
chips of hard crystalline gray-dolomite, and shale as 
above 

Dolomite, gray; in sand; drillings largely chert 

Dolomite, light buff; in sand, drillings chiefly white 

pyritiferous chert 

Cambrian : 

Sandstone, bluish gray, argillaceous, pyritiferous, 
slightly calcareous; grains microscopically fine, sub- 
angular, 2 samples 

Sandstone, white; some grains rounded and polished 
but most of them broken 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous ; embedded grains rounded, 
pyritiferous, and glauconiferous; pyrite in minute 
nodules 

Sandstone, calciferous, pyritiferous, glauconiferous 

Sandstone, light gray; grains minute, not rounded 



Depth in feet. 
210 



530 



540 
645 

780 



840-855 



970 



1,000 
1,010 
1,030 



WOODBURY COUNTY. 895 

Cambrian — Continued. Depth in feet. 

Sandstone, gray, calciferous; many rounded grains 1, 035 

Sandstone, medium dark blue gray, calciferous; grains 
minute; glauconiferous 1, 070 

Sandstone, highly calciferous, gray; minute angular 
particles of quartz, highly glauconiferous, with con- 
siderable green shale 1, 160 

Pre-Cambrian : 

Schist, soft, fine grained ; speckled with white and dark 
green gray; so friable that a microsection could not be 
obtained; when pulverized it is seen to be composed 
of quartz and chlorite 1, 260 

Schist or gneiss; contains quartz, feldspar, white and 

pink feldspar, black ferromagnesian mica; and a trans- 

> lucent apple-green mineral, probably chlorite; 2 

samples 1, 320-1, 350 

Schists or gneisses, gray, brown, and black; micaceous, 
usually with biotite; much hornblende; 32 samples; 
at 1,860-1,865 samples are chiefly feldspar and quartz. 1, 727-2, 000 

The well of the Sioux City Brewing Co. has a depth of 215 feet. 

Record of strata in well of Sioux City Brewing Co. 



Clay, brown, difBcultly friable 

Shale, dark drab; carbonaceous inclusions from 30 to 56 feet; minutely quartzose from 

S6 to 98 feet 

No record 

Sandstone, yellow; grains little rounded, seldom exceeding 0.4 millimeter in diameter 

Sandstone, as above, but coarser; largest grains 1 mm. in diameter 

Shale, drab, calcareous 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 



Depth. 



Feet. 



6 


104 


21 


125 


15 


140 


75 


215 



Minor supplies. — The following table summarizes the smaller sup- 
plies of Woodbury County : 

Village supplies in Woodbury County. 



City or 
town. 


Nature 
of sup- 

piy- 


Pumping 

system. 


Distri- 
bution. 


o 

ft 

-si 

a 

o 


3 

£ 
ft 

.§ 


.3 
E 

"o 

be 
C 

3 


1 

s 


ft 


■6 
.2 
ft 
ft 

S 
ft 


Daily 
consump- 
tion. 


Sufficiency 
of supply. 


QuaUty. 


Anthon 


98-foot 
well. 

18-foot 
well. 

32-foot 
well. 

13 driv- 
en 
wells.i 


Gasoline 
engine. 

Electric 
motor; 
duplex 
pump. 

Gasoline 
engine 

Steam 
pump. 


Gravity 
...do... 

...do... 
.do... 


Pounds. 


Pounds. 


Miles. 








M gal- 
lons. 


Good sup- 

piy- 

...do 

Fa i r 1 y 
good 
supply. 

Good sup- 

piy- 


Hard. 


Correc- 
tion- 
ville. 

Moville 
Sloan . . 


45 
42 


100 
12 


H 

1 


20 

8 


50 
51 


350 
420 


75-90 
15.3 


Do. 

Medium 
hard. 

Hard. 

















1 For Ore use only. 



896 



UNDEEGROUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



WELL DATA. 



The following table gives data of typical wells in Woodbury 
County : 

Typical wells of Woodbury County. 









B 




o 




Owner. 


Location. 


si 
ft 




Source of 
supply. 


2« 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 






0) 

ft 














Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




H. Dolan 


5 miles nortlieast 
Smitliland. 


24 




Sand 


147 


No rock. 


Oscar Button. . 


11 miles north Smith- 
'land. 


120 




...do 


70 


Do. 










Town 


Anthon 


98 




Gravel and 


20 


Gas engine pump. Black soil, 
4; yellow clay and some 










sand. 
















gravel, 20; gravel and water, 














20; bluish-black clay, 20; 














gravel, sand, lignite and 














water, 34; no rock. 


Henry Hein 


4 miles northwest Cor- 
rectionville. 


400 


350-1- 


Sandstone 


200 


Yellow clay (gravel toward 
bottom), 35; blue clay, 250; 
gravel and water, 25; blue 
clay, 30; sand and shale, 52; 
sandstone (hard and white) 
and water, 8. 


B. Delmater. . . 


IJ miles southwest Cor- 
" rectionville. 


337 


302 


...do 


200 




Hans Lahan. . . 


4 miles southeast Cor- 
rectionville. 


285 


240 


...do 


210 


Yellow clay with gravel at bot- 
tom, 40; blue clay, 200; shale, 
sandstone, and water, 45. 


Margeson. . 


7 miles west Moville . . . 


175 


155 


...do 


95 




City 


Sioux City 


371 J 


136 


Coarse 


24 


Well not now used but will be 










sand. 




cleaned and used again. 


Omaiia shops. . 


do 


72-75 




Gravel 


28 


3 weUs driven along river bot- 
tom. Filling, 12; black soil. 
























34; blue clay and yellowish 














sandy clay, 38; gravel and 














water, 20-22; blue clay; no 














rock. 


Oudahy Pack- 


do 


355 


170 


Sandstone. 


19 


Air lift. Gravel, 30-40; light- 


ing Co. 












colored clay; white sand- 
stone, 170; shale or clay, 202; 


























sandstone, 205; white chalk 














rock, 300; sandstone (water), 














325; light-colored shale, 350; 














shale, 355. 


Logan Park 


3 miles north of post 


120 


110 


...do 


60 


Black soil and water, 40; blue 


Cemetery. 


office, Sioux City. 










clay, 47; sand and water, 3; 
yellow clay, 25; sandstone 
(soft), and water, 10; blue 
clay. 
Gas engine. Feed yard. 


Macx Dreyfus. . 


4 miles east of post 


87 


80 


Shale 


SO 




office, Sioux City. 
Sioux City 












Harriford Prod- 


120 




Gravel 


20 


Steam pump. Cold storage. 


uce Co. 












Alluvium, 35; fine sand, 15; 
blue clay, 6; fine gravel, 14; 
hard blue clay, 4; coarse 
gravel, 2; clay and gravel 
alternating (water in last 
gravel layer), 44; jio rock. 


Town 


Sloan 


30 




Sand 


5-10 


Driven; steam pump. No 














rock. 



CHAPTER XV. 
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT. 

INTRODUCTION. 

By W. H. Norton. 

The southwest district includes 11 counties — Adams, Audubon, 
Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, 
Shelby, and Taylor. Over the northern counties the Cretaceous 
deposits lie immediately below the drift ; over the remaining counties 
the drift is underlain by the Missouri group of the Pennsylvanian series. 
At Atlantic the Pennsylvanian shales, limestones, and sandstones 
are 725 feet thick and extend to 300 feet above sea level, where they 
give place to highly cherty limestones of the Mississippian series. At 
Council Bluffs, however, a distinct upwarp reduces the thickness of 
the Pennsylvanian to about 500 feet. At Glenwood the base of the 
Pennsylvanian can not lie more than 1,235 feet below the surface, 103 
feet below sea level; at Bedford it occurs 1,340 feet below the surface 
or 242 feet below sea level; in the section of the driU hole at Nebraska 
City, Nebr. , it is placed at 90 feet below sea level. (See PI. XVIII. ) At 
Clarinda a drill hole 1,002 feet deep failed to reach it. The map 
showing the elevation of the base of the Pennsylvanian (fig. 6) indi- 
cates a gentle downwarp whose axis extends from Polk County to 
Fremont County. If this interpretation of the data at hand is 
correct, the Pennsylvanian series on the uplands near the Missouri 
State line may attain a thickness of about 1,400 feet. 

Of the Paleozoic terranes underlying the Pennsylvanian series very 
little has been disclosed by deep wells. At Bedford the Mississippian 
series appears to be at least 300 feet thick, not including a basal shale 
which is probably Kinderhook but which may be Devonian. Below 
the shale are about 200 feet of argillaceous limestones, red or pink in 
the lower portion, which rest on water-bearing dolomites and anhy- 
drite marls that continue to a depth of at least 2,400 feet from the 
surface. Like the gypseous beds of eastern Iowa, they are referred to 
the Silurian. At Glenwood the succession is similar. Below the 
sandstone at the base of the Pennsylvanian lie the cherty limestones 
and basal shales of the Mississippian, resting on water-bearing 
dolomites. At Dunlap, on the north line of this area, a deep well 
36581°— wsp 293—12 57 897 



898 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 




Feet. 
1100 - 

loon- 

900- 

800- 

700- 

6004 

1 

500- 

400 4 
300- 
2011 - 
100 4 
0- 
100- 
200- 



900 • 

1000- 

uoo j 

1200 ■ 



U. S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



Glenwood 



®S^-ii Pleistocene 



- 60 miles 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 293 PLATE 



600- 

500- 



■j-rt-r c 



Missouri group 



Des Moines group 



Sea level 



Mississippian 



Devonian (?) 



Silurian 



GEOLOGTG SECTION BETWEEN BEDFORD AND GLENWOOD, IOWA 
Bv W. H. Nortorv 



SOUTHWEST DISTRICT. 899 

reached the Mississippian at 569 feet above sea level, and at 416 feet 
below sea level a calciferous sandstone or arenaceous dolomite which 
may be referred either to the St. Peter or to some lower terrane. The 
presence at 194 feet below sea level of a green shale resembling the 
green shales of the Platteville favors the latter reference; but the fact 
that the dolomite intervening between the shale and the supposed 
St. Peter is not arenaceous lends some countenance to the former 
hypothesis. 

At Lincoln, Nebr., the State well, 2,463 feet deep, left the Pennsyl- 
vanian at 40 feet above sea level and entered the St. Peter at 827 feet 
below sea level, the intervening strata being largely magnesian lime- 
stones. The southwest strike of the St. Peter mapped for southwestern 
Iowa (PI. I) thus appears to continue into Nebraska. On the other 
hand, there is in south-central Iowa a south-southwest strike of the 
St. Peter into Missouri. In the deep weU at Forest City, Mo., accord- 
ing to the interpretation of the Missouri geologists, the Pennsylvanian 
extends to 760 feet below sea level and the base of the shales 
referred to the basal shales of the Mississippian in the Nebraska 
City section lies at 1,181 feet below sea level. The Paleozoic terranes 
reach their greatest known depth in territory adjacent to southwestern 
Iowa. 

All of the facts at hand support the theory graphically shown in 
Plate I that the deeper Paleozoic strata of southwestern Iowa form a 
trough whose axis extends southwestward from Des Moines. Just 
where the axis of the trough crosses the southern boundary of the 
State is unknown. The fact that the base of the Mississippian is 
lower at Bedford than at Nebraska City leads to the inference that 
the axis may lie as far east as Page or Taylor County. The great 
thickness of the Silurian at Bedford leads to the same conclusion. 
If at Bedford the distance from the base of the Mississippian to the 
St. Peter is as great as at Nebraska City, the St. Peter would be 
reached at Bedford at about 2,000 feet below sea level. The hypo- 
thetic contours of the summit of the St. Peter in southwestern and 
south-central Iowa have been drawn by spacing the rise of the St. Peter 
from its assumed depth at Bedford to Nebraska City, Dunlap, Des 
Moines, Pella, and Centerville, assuming some increase in steepness 
toward the southwest. 

The water-bearing beds of the drift and of the Cretaceous are 
described in the reports of the individual counties of this district. 

The sandstone at the base of the Pennsylvanian series wiU afford 
moderate supplies of water which in the deeper vaUeys may rise near 
the surface. The Mississippian limestones supply moderate quantities 
of water at Council Bluffs, Logan, and probably at Woodbine, where 
they lie from 600 to 900 feet below the valley levels. 



900 



XJISTDEKGEOUND WATER EESOUKCES OF IOWA. 



The magnesian limestones referred to the Silurian yield copious 
supplies of heavily mineralized water. At Glenwood the water is 
used for city supply; at Bedford it is not fit to drink. The quality of 
the water is probably best in the northern counties of the area, where 
the strata stand the highest. At Nebraska City there is a large flow 
of fresh water from the dolomites underlying the Kinderhook; at 
Council Bluffs dolomites referred to the Silurian yield copiously, 
and these and subjacent dolomites should afford generous supplies for 
scores of miles up the Missouri Valley and the valleys of its tribu- 
taries. Water may possibly be found in the St. Peter (PL I), but the 
depth to this formation is great — over most of the district too great 
for profitable drilling — the casing out of the mineralized waters of 
the Carboniferous is difficult, the quality of the water of the St. Peter 
is uncertain, and on the uplands the head of the water would be low. 
In the northern tier of counties the Silurian and Ordovician water 
beds are within a not excessive distance of the surface. At Logan, 
for example, whose elevation is 1,033 feet above sea level at the 
Illinois Central Railroad station, the St. Peter should be found about 
1,650 feet below the surface or about 650 feet below sea level. A 
well 2,250 feet deep would thoroughly test the capacities of the chief 
water beds associated with the St. Peter. Water may be expected 
here in heavy arenaceous dolomites probably of Ordovician age. 
The capacity of the present well at Logan, which draws its supply 
from the Mississippian series, would no doubt be greatly increased if 
it were deepened to reach the horizons which furnish the main sup- 
plies at Council Bluffs. At Harlan the St. Peter is estimated at 
about 1,900 feet from the surface and the required depth for a deep 
well would range from 2,000 to 2,500 feet. At Audubon the St. Peter 
will probably be found about 2,000 feet below the surface. 

Information of great value in interpreting the geology of south- 
western Iowa is afforded by a drill hole sunk in 1911 and 1912 
in search for oil and gas at Nebraska City, Nebr., by IngersoU 
Bros., of Pittsburgh, Pa. Through the efforts of Dr. George L. 
Smith, of Shenandoah, Iowa, who has long studied the geologic 
problems of this section of the State, a log made out with special 
care was secured and a number of samples of the drillings were sub- 
mitted for examination. 

Driller'' s log ofhoring at Nebraska City, Nebr. 





Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Soil 


Feet. 

4 
25 
2 
5 
15 


Feet. 
4 


Limestone 


8 


Shale 


33 


Limestone 


35 


Shale, red 


40 


Shale, blue 


55 



SOUTHWEST DISTKICT. 
Driller's log of boring at Nebraska City, Nebr. — Continued. 



901 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


5 


60 


22 


82 


5 


87 


32 


119 


6 


125 


2 


127 


73 


200 


9 


209 


6 


215 


5 


220 


30 


250 


15 


265 


9 


267 


15 


282 


8 


290 


45 


335 


2 


337 


17 


354 


2 


356 


9 


365 


15 


380 


35 


415 


20 


435 


20 


455 


3 


458 


10 


468 


25 


493 


15 


508 


12 


520 


10 


530 


40 


570 


5 


575 


40 


615 


2 


617 


60 


677 


5 


682 


3 


685 


5 


690 


10 


700 


10 


710 


15 


725 


25 


750 


10 


760 


25 


785 


8 


793 


20 


813 


5 


818 


5 


823 


10 


833 


10 


843 


20 


863 


17 


880 


20 


900 


25 


925 


15 


940 


20 


960 


60 


1,020 


4 


1,024 


5 


1,029 


21 


1,050 


190 


1.240 


200 


1,440 


20 


1.460 


1 


1,461 


4 


1,465 


48 


1.513 


4 


1.517 


82 


1,599 


6 


1,605 


65 


1,670 


5 


1,675 


13 


1.688 


38 


1,726 


35 


1,761 


56 


1,817 


5 


1,822 


30 


1,852 


153 


2,005 



Shale, red 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Shale, blue 

Red rock 

Sandstone 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Shale, black 

Limestone, blue 

Limestone, white 

Limestone, blue 

Shale, black, with oil 

Limestone, white 

Shale, blue. 

Limestone, white 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Shale, blue 

Shale, black 

Limestone 

Sandstone with mineral water, artesian 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, white 

Red rock 

Shale, black 

Limestone 

Shale, blue 

Sandstone, with artesian mineral water 

Shale, black 

Limestone, white 

Red rock 

Limestone, bottom sandy, with water 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, white .- 

Shale and limestone 

Shale 

Limy shale 

Limestone 

Shale, black 

Sandstone, limy ; 

Limestone 

Limestone, blue 

Shale, limy 

Sandstone, very hard 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone, very hard 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale, blue 

Wanting 

Limestone, blue 

Shale, blue 

Shale, black 

Limestone, white 

Shale, red 

Rock, hard flinty 

Soapstone, white 

Sandstone, white; with big flow of water, saline between 1,040 and 1,050, passing grad- 
ually into limestone below 

Limestone, cherty; with several small layers of shale toward bottom, none over 2 feet 
thick 

Shale, blue; in last 50 feet hard thin shells of pyrite 

Unknown, hole caving badly 

Shale, white; casing set here 

Sand, white 

Sand, and lime, brown; big flow of fresh water rising to within 100 feet of surface 

Sand, gray 

Lime and' sand, white 

Shale, green and black 

Limestone, sandy, white 

Shale, green blue 

Limestone, brown; show black shale 

Limestone, brown; turning to white 

Limestone, buff, sandy 

Sandstone, white, hard, sharp 

Limestone, white 

Limestone, brown 

Limestone, white. 



902 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

Driller'' s log of boring at Nebraska City, Nebr. — Continued. 



Limestone, white, sandy 

Shale, black 

Limestone, white, sandy : 

Limestone, white 

Limestone, blue, white, sandy 

Limestone, white 

Limestone, dark and shale 

Limestone, shaly, dark; showed some sand 

Limestone, buff; showed some mineral 

Limestone, blue, hard 

Limestone, browm, very hard 

Limestone, white 

Limestone, blue, white, sandy; drills into chips and cuts steel badly 

Limestone, white, sandy, medium hard ." 

Limestone, white 

Limestone, blue white and darker, hard 

Limestone, blue white, sandy 

Limestone, black, hard " 

Limestone, dark, very sandy .> 

Limestone, dark ' 

Limestone, brown, sandy 

Shale, black; alternating with limestone shells; wet sample gives odor of petroleum 

Limestone, brown, very hard 

Limestone, gray, sandy, very hard 

Limestone, blue, very hard 

Limestone, brown, very hard 

Limestone, blue white, hard 

Shale, black and blue; with shells, alternating hard and soft, fossiliferous. 



Description of strata of boring at Nebraska City, Nebrfi 



Thick- 
ness. 



Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian (1,020 feet thick; top, 930 feet above sea level): 

No samples 

Mississippian (420 feet thick; top 90 feet below sea level): 

Chert, white, sparingly pyritiferous; in large fragments; 1 fragment of non- 
magnesian, light gray-brown, fine crystalline-granular, compact limestone, 

and 1 diorite pebble from drift; 1 sample 

Shale, light blue, plastic, argillaceous; somewhat calcareous, finegrained, mas- 
sive; some fragments of light blue, finely arenaceous laminated shale, laminae 

\ inch thick 

Devonian and Silurian (720 feet thick; top, 510 feet below sea level): 

Dolomite; in fine yellow powder; crystalline grains; very small admixture of 

minute grains of quartz ." ". 

Limestone, magnesian; or dolomite; effervescence moderately slow; buff in mass, 

in fine sand and powder; some minute quartz grains; 4 saraples 

Dolomite, light brown; in fine sand; a little chert, at 

Limest6ne, magnesian; or dolomite; dark buff; moderately slow effervescence; in 

fine crystalline sand, at ^ 

Limestone, magnesian; or dolomite; as above; 1 sample 

Shale, hard, light blue green, and darker, blue gray; slightly calcareous, at 

Limestone; in light bufi powder, rather brisk effervescence; with minute grains 

of quartz and flakes of cryptocrystalline silica, at 

Limestone, magnesian; or dolomite; lightbufE; in sand; effervescence rapid at first, 
then slow; more or less residue of irregular and broken minute grains of quartz 

and cryptocrystalline silica; 3 samples, at 

Dolomite, light buff, cream color, and whitish; in fine crystalline sand; residue of 
minute, irregular grains of quartz and flakes of cryptocrystalline silica; in some 
samples large residue of cryptocrystalline silica; 1 sample contains fragments 

of hard granular-crystalline Vesicular dolomite; cavities drusy: 8 samples 

Dolomite, light buff and light brown; in sand and powder; highly cherty below 
2,060; 7 samples 



Feet. 
1,020 



220 
200 



27 
130 



a On March 25, 1912, the drillers reported that after passing through 29 feet of the Decorah shale the 
drill entered, at 2,783 feet from the surface, a white sandstone 64 feet thick, evidently the St. Peter, the 
Platteville limestone unexpectedly being absent. The top of the St. Peter here lies 1,853 feet below sea 
level. The St. Peter was found to be underlain by red rock and shale 22 feet thick and this in turn 
rested upon sandstone. The St. Peter and the strata below it were dry. 



SOUTHWEST DISTRICT. 903 

Description of strata of boring at Nebraska City, Nebr. — Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Ordoviclan: 

Maquoketa shale (114 feet thick; top, 1,230 feet below sea level): 

No samples 

Galena dolomite (480 feet thick; top, 1,344 feet below sea level): 

Limestone, light gray and whitish, minutely granular-crystalline; oxidized 
on surface to buff; rather slow effervescence; contains minute cubes of pyrite 
and some gray chert, in chips; also limestone, soft, buff, minutely crystal- 
line-granular; rather rapid effervescence at first immersion, but crystalline 
grains attacked rather slowly; considerable blue-gray flint in fine sand: 
fragment of pygidium of trilobite noted on one chip of same; much shale 
(2,274 feet); caving from above; blue green, hard, fissile, noncalcareous, non- 
arenaceous, nonglauconiferous 

Chert, blue gray, mottled, and light bufl; in small chips; a little soft crystal- 
line-granular "limestone, buff, of rather rapid eflervescence; some hard green 
and gray fissile shale and pjTite 

Dolomite, light gray, highly cherty, pyritiferous; some minute irregular grains 
of quartz; in fine" sand, at 

No samples 

Dolomite, light buff, crystalline, granular, vesicular; in places cherty; in fine 
sparkling sand; 5 samples 

Dolomite, buff and gray, cherty; a little hard fissile greenish shale, somewhat 
calcareous; 2 samples 

No samples ^ 

Dolomite, buff, impure, considerable microscopic siliceous and argillaceous 
residue (described by driller as alternating layers of lime and dark shale). . . 

Dolomite, dark buff, crystalline, granular; in sand; 3 samples 

Limestone, mottled buff and gray, compact; rapid effervescence; pyritiferous; 

2 samples 

Decorah shale (top, 1,824 feet below sea level): 

Shale, dark green, hard, fissile, fossiliferous; Stictoporella angularis and Dalma- 
nella subsequata var. minneapolis, identified by Ulrich. 



Feet. 
114 



43 
159 



24 



Feet. 

2,274 



2.309 



2,313 



2,322 
2,365 



2,524 



2,575 
2,620 



2,644 
2,690 



2,754 



Analysis of drillings from. 1,982 to 1,993 feet.o- 

MgCOj 36. 63 

CaCOg 47. 00 

FeCOs 2. 38 

SiOa 13. 97 

99. 98 

Omitting the silica, which occurs largely as chert, it will be noted 
that the percentages of magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate 
are respectively 42.5 and 54.6, or nearly those of these constituents 
in dolomite. 

The fu'st 1,020 feet of the boring is clearly Pennsylvanian. The 
age of the large body of limestone between 1,020 and 1,240 is of 
special importance. In reamings there was found a fossil identified 
by the late Dr. Samuel Calvin as a thick, short-liinged variety of 
Spiriferina Tcentuckiensis, a species most common in the Pennsyl- 
vanian, but not unknown in the Mississippian. Reference of the bed 
to the Mississippian is favored by the occurrence of entirely similar 
thick cherty limestones at about the same horizon at Bedford and 
at Glenwood. At Nebraska City they underlie the shales of the 
Des Moines group and are with little doubt the westward extension 
of the cherty limestones of the Mississippian of southeastern Iowa. 

a Made in chemical laboratory of Cornell College, Iowa, under direction of Dr. Nicholas Knight. 



004 UNDEEGEOUi^D WATEE EESOTJECES OF lOWA. 

The absence of any body of cherty limestone of like thickness in the 
Missouri group in Iowa makes for the same reference. Assuming, 
then, that the limestone in question is Mississippian, it will be noted 
that the Pennsylvanian section at Nebraska City is almost wholly 
of the Missouri group, the Des Moines group having thinned to a 
few feet of shale at base. The same assumption gives the summit 
of the Mississippian at Nebraska City as 90 feet below sea level, 
practically the same as at Glenwood, and 150 feet higher than at 
Bedford. The base of the coal measures at Lincoln, Nebr., is about 
100 feet higher than at Nebraska City. Apparently then the floor 
of the coal measures lies nearly horizontal over this area mth the 
axis of the slight synchne lying between Bedford and Missouri River. 

On the other hand. Dr. George L. Smith, of Shenandoah, Iowa, 
who has given much study to the Missouri group of southwestern 
Iowa, finds a considerable dip southward along IV'Iissouri River, a 
dip of at least 400 feet from the railway bridge at Plattsmouth to 
Nebraska City, and largely on this account he is convinced that the 
limestone in question is the Bethany limestone. 

Beginning at 1,240 feet the drill passed through 200 feet of shale. 
This is correlated with the 130 feet of shale immediately beneath the 
Mississippian limestone at Glenwood and with a much thinner shale 
at the same horizon at Bedford. It may be referred to the Kinder- 
hook, but in part may be Devonian. On the other hand, if the cherty 
Umestone overlying the shale is the Bethany limestone, this shale 
represents the Des Moines group. Unfortunately no succession of 
samples of the shales were saved, so that their lithologic affinities 
are unknown. When the well had reached a depth of 1,330 feet, the 
driller described this shale as light blue and states that ''in places it 
gets sandy and hard, but is practically one body of shale so far as 
we have gone." At 1,385 feet the same description, practically, is 
given. There is no evidence of the alterations in color which are 
common in the Des Moines. 

From 1,440 to 2,160 feet the drill continues in magnesian limestones 
and dolomites. This body of limestone, 720 feet thick, nowhere 
so far as the drillings are in evidence carries gypsum or anhydrite 
as at Bedford and Glenwood. At 1,460 feet a parting of 1 foot of 
shale is recorded and at 1,665 another parting less than 10 feet in 
thiclaiess. 

This body of limestone is assigned to the Devonian and the Siliu-ian 
without any attempt to draw a division line between them. The 
base also of the Silurian is in doubt, for the reference of the strata 
between 2,160 and 2,274 feet to the Maquoketa shale rests only on 
the statement of the driller's log, reporting here ' ' alternating limestone 



ADAMS COUNTY. 905 

and shale." From 2,274 to 2,754 feet extends an unbroken body 
of limestone and dolomite, which may be assigned to the Galena 
dolomite, since it overlies a shale which extends from 2,754 to 2,783 
feet and wliich contains fossils proving it to be the Decorah. In 
the Decorah shale, at 1,824 feet below sea level, a definite and certain 
geologic datum is evident. 

As the drill hole was sunk as an oil prospect no quantative or 
qualitative tests were made of the waters found at different horizons. 
To 400 feet the hole was dry. From the Pennsylvanian water-bearing 
beds were reported from 400 to 415 feet, from 508 to 520 feet, and 
at 615 feet. Small flows occurred also in the same terrane between 
615 and 900 feet at intervals not exceeding 50 feet. A larger flow of 
salty water was encountered at the summit of the Mssissippian at 
1,040 feet. These waters rose slightly above the surface and yielded 
not to exceed two gallons a minute. They are described by Dr. 
George L. Smith as bitter, saline, purgative, and unpotable. At 
1,050 feet casing was placed which shut them out, and all waters below 
this depth are said to be fresh. Between 1,461 and 1,480 feet, a flow 
was reached in the limestones underl3dng the shale referred by the 
writer to the Kinderhook, but which is the apparent equivalent of 
that at Forest City which the Missouri geologists have placed with 
the Devonian. This flow is described by the drillers as "immense;" 
at least it was not lowered by them in their work. The temperature 
is said to have been colder than spring water; the head was 125 
below the siu-face. A measurement was kept of the height' of the 
water in the drill hole, but no changes occurred below 1,480 feet to 
indicate that other veins had been reached. Below that level, 
however, the bailer brought up water which after going through the 
cold water of this flow was still a little warm. 

ADAMS COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Adams County comprises a portion of the old drift plain wliich 
slopes from the crest of the jVIississippi-^NIissouri divide southwestward 
toward Missoiu-i River. Though well up on the slope the plain is 
maturely dissected and thoroughly drained by the numerous tribu- 
taries of Nodaway River. The larger streams flow through broad, 
flat, preglacial valleys which are carved deeply into the underl3dng 
rocks and are partly refilled by drift and alluvium. 



906 XTNDEEGEOUKD WATEE EESOUECES OP lOWA. 

GEOLOGY. 

The drift mantles all the country rock to depths of 15 to 150 feet, 
and is in turn overlain by the loess. Broad strips of alluvium, con- 
sisting of sands, gravels, and clays overlain with fine silt, border the 
larger streams, and sand and gravel fill the valleys beneath to a 
depth of 40 feet in many places. 

In the northwest corner of the county the drift is underlain by 
heavy beds of soft, porous, brown sandstone — the Dakota sandstone 
of the Cretaceous. Over all the rest of the county the Dakota is 
missing and the drift is directly underlain by the Missouri group 
(Carboniferous), which consists chiefly of heavy beds of hard limestone 
alternating with shales and, rarely, a thin seam of coal. Below, 
these rocks grade into those of the Des Moines group. The lime- 
stone decreases, whereas the shale, sandstone, and coal increase. 
The whole has a thickness of several hundred feet. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The alluvial sands and gravels afford a plentiful supply of water to 
inexpensive driven wells ranging in depth from 15 to 50 feet. Most 
of the wells of the county, however, obtain their water from the 
drift. Many very shaUow wells, 15 to 20 feet deep, are scantily 
supplied by surface waters seeping through the porous loess, and 
others reach the sandy layers which lie beneath. The water in all 
of these wells is scanty and is subject to pollution from organic 
matter washed in from the surface. 

As the quantity of ground water near the surface has decreased 
as a result of more perfect drainage and the cultivation of the land, 
it has been found necessary to sink many of the wells into the sands 
and gravels which usually he at the base of the drift and which furnish 
good water freely and permanently. These wells are hned with 
18-inch tUing and will probably prove the best source of supply for 
upland farms over all the limestone region. Other wells obtain an 
ample supply in the local sandy layers above the base of the drift. 

The Dakota sandstone yields the best and purest water obtainable 
in the county. Unfortunately, this soft sandstone underlies the drift 
only in the northwest corner of the county, and in some places it 
is too thin to furnish water abundantly. The water is only moderately 
hard and is free from undesirable minerals. It makes an excellent 
domestic and stock water. The limestones and shales of the Missouri 
group underlie the entire county, but because of their compact 
texture they afford only a scanty supply of hard water, and are 
penetrated only by wells which fail to find a suitable supply in the 
drift. Fortunately, this failure is rare, for though the limestone beds 



ADAMS COUNTY. 907 

between shaly layers in many wells yield a supply of good hard 
water, several holes drilled to depths of 200 to 500 feet have been 
abandoned because of scantiness of supply. In such wells waters 
from the drift may be combined with those from the limestone by 
puncturing the casing opposite the higher beds. In the coal-prospect 
hole drilled at Carbon heavy water-bearing sandstone was found at 
a depth between 70*^ and 800 feet. The hole was 873 feet deep and, 
except for 16 feet of drift, was entirely in Permsylvanian strata. The 
sandstone lenses, however, lie so deep and their occurrence is so 
uncertain that drilling for them is not warranted except where 
artesian wells are sought. 

No flowing wells of importance are reported. A few weak flows 
are obtained on low ground, one such being on the farm of J. Mercer 
(sec. 28, T. 71 N., R. 33 W.). 

SPRINGS. 

Several good stock springs flow from margins of Dakota sandstone 
on the sides of the Nodaway River vaUey, typical ones being found 
on the farms of Joe Houcks and Peter Curry, 1 mile and 3 miles, 
respectively, north of Carbon. Other springs from sandy layers of 
drift occur at different points in the county, but none are important 
sources of water supply. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Corning. — Corning (population, 1,702) has one well, 169 feet deep, 
extending 131 feet below the alluvial deposits of East Nodaway River 
into the shales and limestones of the Missouri group. The weU 
yields a scanty supply of hard water and is unused. A large open 
well sunk on the river bottoms 38 feet to bedrock is walled with brick 
laid in mortar. This well is 25 feet in diameter and furnishes the 
present town supply. The water comes in at the bottom from 
gravels overlying bedrock, stands at a level varying from 3 to 28 
feet below the curb, and may be entirely withdrawn by heavy pump- 
ing. Two steam pumps having a capacity of 10,000 gallons each 
force the water into an elevated tank, from which it is distributed 
under gravity pressure of 60 pounds through 5 miles of mains to 27 
hydrants and many private taps. Driven wells, ranging in depth 
from 30 to 100 feet, are common on the bottoms, whereas most 
wells on the slopes and in higher portions of the city are dug or 
bored. All these wells are in drift, and many of them draw from 
sands immediately overlying bedrock. 

Prescott. — Prescott (population, 426) has a small public supply for 
fire protection. The water is obtained from shallow wells and dis- 
tributed through a few hundred feet of mains to three or four hydrants 
located on the principal street. 



908 



tlNDERGEOUND WATEK EESOURCES OF IOWA. 



Most of the wells at Prescott are bored and lined with tile to depths 
ranging from 15 to 40-feet, the alluvial and subloessial sands furnish- 
ing the water. On uplands the wells extend to the deeper drift sheets. 

Minor supplies. — At Nodaway 30-foot sand points are common on 
all of the lower lands. Wells on uplands are bored 50 to 200 feet in 
drift. Near Carbon 40-foot points obtain plenty of water in the 
Nodaway bottoms. In Nodaway Valley, outside the alluvial belt, 
all 50-foot wells find abundant water in the drift. At Brooks and 
Nevmville wells range in depth from 20 to 70 feet, many being 35 feet 
deep. Mount Etna gets its water supply from driven and bored wells 
ranging in depth from 16 to 50 feet and averaging 30 feet. A clay 
overlies the water-bearing sandstone. 

WELL DATA. 

The following table gives data of typical wells in Adams County : 
Typical wells in Adams County. 



O^vner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of 
supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks (logs given in feet). 






Feet. 


Feet. 




Feet. 




J. A. Mason 


NE.Jsec.5,T.71 
N.,R.35W. 


276 


150 


Sandstone 
(Dakota). 


106 


Yield 3 gallons per minute for one- 
halt day without lowering. Drift 
(Pleistocene), 150; sandstone (Da- 
kota), 40; shales and limestone 
(Missouri), 86. 


W. C. Day 


NE. i sec. 2, T. 
72N.,R.35W. 


403 


68 


do 




A little water in Dakota sandstone, 
none below. Abandoned. Drift 
(Pleistocene), 68; sandstone (Da- 
kota), 6; shale and hmestone ( Mis- 
souri) 329. 


Corning 


River bottoms... 

• 


169 


38 


Lime stone 
(Missouri). 


30 


6-inch drilled well cased to rock; put 
down for city supply but unused 
on account of hardness and scan- 
tiness. AUuvium, sand and 
gravel (Pleistocene), 38; shales 
and limestone (Missouri), 131. 


Coming 


River bottoms.. 


3S 


38 


do 


3 to 
28 


Chief city supply; diameter, 24 
feet. Soil and loam, 8; gumbo, 
8; blue clay, 10; gravel, 12 ; lime- 
stone. 




Coming 


35 


35 


Gravel 

















AUDUBON COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Audubon County comprises a well-dissected upland over which are 
interspersed a number of rather wide alluvium-iilled valleys. 

The generalized upland section as reported by R. S. Gransbury, 
driller at Exira, is as follows : 

Yellow clay containing lime concretions and pebbles, with hardpan and 

a little sand near the bottom. 
Light-blue clay. 
Hardpan. 
Blue-black clay. 



ATJDUBOlsr COUNTY. 909 

"White hardpan. 

Yellow hardpan. 

Yellow and white cemented sand. 

Limestone, shale, and sandstone. 

The interpretation of this section seems to be as follows : The yellow 
clay is loess and weathered Kansan drift; the light-blue clay is 
unweathered Kansan; the blue-black clay is Nebraskan; and the 
overlying hardpan Aftonian; the white and yellow hardpan and sub- 
jacent cemented sand are Cretaceous, and the series of limestone 
shale and sandstone is Pennsylvanian. 

The Cretaceous "hardpan" is said to be between 1 foot and 20 feet 
thick, and the ''cemented sand" has about the same range but aver- 
ages less than 10 feet. The Cretaceous deposits have not been found 
in all parts of the county. Drillers report them best developed near 
the eastern margin and generally wanting in the vicinity of Audubon 
and farther north. They consider them most likely to be reached by 
wells located on the divides between the principal drainage lines. 
The "cemented sand" is found at depths of 300 feet and more on the 
highest ground and at correspondingly less depths on lower ground 
near the valleys. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Water can be obtained from the alluvium, the drift and associated 
deposits, the Cretaceous sandstone, and the lower formations. Of 
the lower formations the upper Carboniferous strata are predomi- 
nantly nonwater bearing, but their deeper beds are likely to furnish 
at least small amounts of water. Still lower formations yield larger 
supplies. 

Though the Cretaceous sandstone yields more freely than any of 
the drift deposits, its water is under little pressure and flows into the 
wells at only a moderate rate, and must be lifted a great distance to be 
brought to the upland level. Two wells, reported by E. L. Gransbury 
as ending in the "cemented sand," may be cited as typical: 

The well of F. Hays, located in sec. 13, T. 79 N., R. 34 W., has a 
depth of 340 feet and a diameter of 3 inches. Its water bed is 6 feet 
thick, and its head is 290 feet below the surface. Continuous pump- 
ing at the rate of 3 gallons per minute lowers the water level 20 feet. 
The water is hard and ferruginous. 

The well of George McClain, located in sec. 35, T. 79 N., R. 35 W., 
has a depth of 218 feet and a diameter of 3^ inches. Its water bed is 
5 feet thick, and its head 148 feet below the surface. Pumping at the 
rate of 6 gallons a minute lowers the water level 20 feet. 

Many weUs drilled to the Cretaceous on ridges in this and adjacent 
counties in years of extreme drought have on the return of more 



910 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

normal conditions been abandoned on account of difficulties arising 
from the depth, low head, mineralized water, and the iacrusting of 
the sand screens. Two-inch tubular wells are not so successful as 
wells of larger diameter with independent pumps. In many places 
larger wells can be finished without screens by sand pumping and 
putting down fine gravel which tends to keep back the sand. 

Most of the wells at present in use are of the shallow bored and dug 
types, are located on the lowest ground feasible, and depend on a 
slow seepage from the drift. They are fairly satisfactory except in 
dry years or where large supplies are required. Much of the difficulty 
resulting from inadequate yield could be overcome if, instead of a 
single hole, a series of holes were bored. If the wells are spaced about 
25 feet apart and are not less than 2 feet in diameter they can be con- 
nected by boring horizontal holes an inch or two in diameter from the 
bottom of one well to the bottom of the next, so that the water con- 
tributed by all can be lifted by means of a single pump placed in any 
one of the weUs. These horizontal holes can be bored most conven- 
iently with an auger consisting of detachable links which can be added 
as the boring progresses. The links should be attached to each other 
like the links of the chains used in pipe tongs, so that the auger can 
be withdrawn without disconnecting them. The horizontal holes 
should be provided with iron pipes, to make sure that the connections 
are kept open; but if these pipes are small enough to fit loosely the 
seepage on the outside of them will, in some weUs, add materially to 
the total yield. 

In the valleys generous supplies can commonly be obtained by sink- 
ing inexpensive open or driven wells into the stream deposits. This 
source is utilized largely in settlements located along streams. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Audubon. — The city waterworks of Audubon (population, 1,928) 
are at present supplied from 5 shallow wells located in the creek 
valley. The principal well is 27 feet in diameter and 35 feet deep, 
and receives its water from sand and gravel near the bottom. The 
wells fill within 15 feet of the surface, and are frequently pumped at 
the rate of 10,000 gallons an hour for 5 consecutive hours. The water 
has a large amount of permanent hardness, as is shown by the analysis 
(p. 175). Boring was at one time carried to a depth of 95 feet and 
ended in dark-blue clay without water. The distributing system 
comprises an elevated tank and about 2 miles of mains, with 125 taps. 
The average daily consumption is 30,000 gallons. 

Exira. — The village well at Exira (population, 787) is sunk in the 
river bottom to a depth of 28 feet, the last 2 feet of which are in 
gravel. It is 10 feet in diameter, is cased with brick, and fills with 



CASS COUNTY. 911 

water to within 8 feet of the surface. Approximately 8,000 gallons 
are used each day, but the well would easily provide several times 
this amount. Wlien the waterworks were installed, a series of 2-inch 
wells were driven to the same bed of gravel, but were not as satisfac- 
tory as the large well used at present. The waterworks include a 
standpipe, three-fourths mile of mains, 10 fire hydrants, and about 35 
service connections. The water is said to be very hard and is used by 
only a small portion of the inhabitants. 

Kimballton. — The village of Kimballton (population, 271) has a 
system of waterworks which draws from a well and includes one-fifth 
mile of mains, 4 fire hydrants, and 12 taps. 

CASS COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Cass County is near the southwest corner of the State, well up the 
western slope of the Missouri-Mississippi divide. 

Topographically it is a drift plain, sloping gently south westward, 
cut in every direction by the channels of minor streams. Nishnabotna 
and Nodaway rivers flow southwestward across it in wide, deep, 
preglacial valleys, which they have cut in the underlying rocks and 
recut in the soft drift cover. The upland slopes to the north and 
east grade into gently rolling prairies; those to the south and west 
show more complete dissection and more mature drainage than those 
on the eastern side of the divide. 

In the vaUeys of Nishnabotna and Nodaway rivers the drift rests on 
Carboniferous strata, here chiefly a series of heavy shales alternating 
with thinner beds of hard limestone (Missouri group). Over a large 
part of the county the drift rests on Cretaceous sandstone, known as 
the Dakota, which rests unconformably on the Carboniferous. On 
the uplands the drift has an average thickness of perhaps 200 feet, 
and consists of heavy beds of till overlain by a comparatively thin 
mantle of loess. Heavy deposits of sand and gravel are found in the 
bottoms of the larger valleys. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The water-bearing beds utilized in Cass County are the alluvial 
sands and gravels, the loessial sands, the drift sands, the Dakota 
sandstone, and the limestone of the Missouri group. 

In few other parts of Iowa can so satisfactory supplies of water be 
obtained so cheaply as in the gravel-filled valleys of the southwestern 
part of the State. The sands and gravels that flll the valley 



912 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

bottoms of Nishnabotna and Nodaway rivers and their larger tribu- 
taries to depths of 50 to 100 feet afford an inexhaustible supply of good 
water at depths ranging from 20 to 100 feet. The water is generally 
obtained by driving 1^-inch pipe shod with a 3-foot point covered 
mth No. 60 gauze mesh. The expense of such a well complete, with 
pump, is $15 to $25. Rarely is the sand so fine as to fill the point and 
thus destroy the well. Wlien it does, the pipe may be drawn, the 
point cleaned, and the whole again driven. 

On the uplands, especially in the eastern part of the county, where 
the loess is comparatively thin, many shallow wells obtain water from 
sands under the loess. In the western part, where the loess is thicker, 
many wells do not pass through the loess, but depend entirely on the 
slow seepage from this porous clay. Wells in the loess and its under- 
lying sands are very likely to be contaminated by drainage from the 
surface. 

In all parts of the county an excellent supply of water may be 
obtained from the gravels at the base of the drift at depths of 100 to 
225 feet. The head is relatively low but strong. Many wells obtain 
a scant but wholesome supply from seepage and from local sand 
layers that he at different depths wdtMn the till. Where cultivation 
and artificial drainage have lowered the ground-water level, dug 
wells have been dug deeper, and bored weUs filled with large tiling 
or sewer pipe extending down to lower gravels of the drift are very 
common. The gravel between the drift sheets also yields water. 

The Dakota sandstone is an aquifer of the first order and rarely 
fails to yield excellent water at depths ranging from 150 to 300 feet. 

The limestone of the Missouri group affords a scant supply of hard 
water that is seldom utilized. It is important only on the slopes of 
the larger valleys, where the Dakota sandstone has been eroded away. 
It is rarely reached within 250 feet of the surface. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Anita. — The public water supply of Anita (population, 1,118) is 
obtained from a 207-foot well, which draws excelleijt water from the 
Dakota sandstone. It is somewhat hard and is said to pit the boilers. 
The water is pumped by gasoline engine into elevated tanks, from 
which it is delivered over the entire town under direct pressure of 50 
pounds. 

Atlantic. — The public supply of Atlantic (population, 4,560) is 
owned by the city. It is drawn from 30 drilled and driven weUs, 
ranging in depth from 52 to 86 feet and in diameter from 4 to 6 inches, 
located in the "bottoms" of Nishnabotna River. The drilling is 
done inside a tube, the well being pumped out and the tube driven 
a few inches or feet at a time until it reaches a suitable aquifer, into 



CASS COUNTY. * 913 

which drilling is continued a foot or two to form a collecting pocket. 
A Cook strainer is pushed to the bottom and fixed on the end of the 
driven pipe. The wells are connected with T's to air chambers and 
so connected in groups and series that any individual or group may 
be cut off, the caps may be removed, and the sand pumped out at will. 
One of the 30 wells never produced at all, and this well and two others 
whose casings were broken in cleaning have been cut off. 

The water-bearing bed, a sharp white sand with some gravel, lies 
50 to 86 feet below the surface. Above it are many layers of clay 
sUt alternating with beds of sand and gravel, some of which are 
water-bearing. Several years ago fifty 3-inch drive points penetrat- 
ing some of these gravel layers were utilized, but they were abandoned 
on account of the insufficiency of the supply. The series could be 
pumped dry in about one hour. 

When not pumped the water in the present wells ordinarily stands 
13 feet below the surface, but the level varies with weather and rain- 
fall. The wells respond within 24 hours to heavy rainfall or rise of 
river near by, but the water level lowers much more slowly than it 
rises. Under emergency pumping the water level has been lowered 
to 28 feet below the surface. 

The water in these wells is distributed by direct pressure through 
13 miles* of mains to 104 fire hydrants and more than 1,200 taps. 
Four-fifths of the inhabitants of the city are supplied. The daily 
use is 500,000 gallons; the daily capacity of the plant is 2,500,000 
gallons. The water pumped at night in excess of that used overflows 
into a reservoir where it is held in reserve for emergency. In case of 
fire the water from this pond is forced directly into the mains and 
the pressure is raised from 80 to 155 pounds. The contamination 
of the city mains ■v^dth stale water from the pond is the unsatisfactory 
feature of this otherwise excellent system. 

The water has been used in boilers and for manufacturing purposes 
by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway, the electric light 
company, laundries, canning factories, starch factory and others, 
and is, on the whole, very satisfactory. It precipitates, on standing, 
a small quantity of the red sediment that is commonly found in 
drift-gravel waters, and some firemen find it helpful to use a small 
amount of boiler compound. 

A prospect hole, drilled in 1888 by the Rust Artesian Well Co., of 
Ithaca, N. Y., for the Atlantic Coal & Mining Co., goes down 1,310 
feet. The elevation of the curb above sea level is 1,1 50 feet. No record 
was preserved of water-bearing beds, as the contract required a dry 
hole at all times. It is said that drilling was stopped because the 
pressure became so great that it caused the casing to collapse. The 
hole is situated a short distance east of the railway station. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 58 



914 



UNDEJIGROUI^D WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



Samples of the drillings of this boring were placed at the disposal 
of the Iowa Geological Survey by Seth Dean of Glenwood. In the 
following record the determinations of strata are supplied by Mr. Dean 
and Mr. E. H. Lonsdale. 

Record of strata in deep well at Atlantic. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Pleistocene? (no sample) 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian (725 feet thick; top, 1,025 feet above sea level): 

Shale., blue 

Shale, gravelly 

Shale, red and blue, gravelly 



Limestone, gray, sandy 

Shale, red and blue, with soapstone. 



Shale, gravelly 

Shale, purple, dark drab, and green, fine, unctuous; with pebbles (5 lime- 
stone, 1 vitreous sandstone, 1 coal) 

Shale, gravelly 

Clay, mottled red and blue 

Shale, blue 

Shale, red and blue, with gravel.. 

Shale, blue, with slate 

Sandstone and shale ., 

Slate, black; soapstone, blue and green 

Shale, varicolored, green, and reddish; fissile, practically noncalcareous 

Sandstone 

Shale 

Shale and limestone 

Shale, varicolored, green, and reddish; fissile, practically noncalcareous 

Clay and soapstone 

Sandstone 

Shale, blue 

Shale, dark gray, very finely laminated, somewhat calcareous 

Sandstone, or sandy limestone 

Shale, dark gray 

Shale, dark brown gray, noncalcareous, arenaceous, pyritiferous 

Sandstone, brown, highly ferruginous 

Sandstone 

Shale, sandy 

Sandstone, very fine 

Shale and slate 

Shale, iron gray, finely laminated, noncalcareous 

Sandstone, white, very fine 

Clay, blue, with gravel 

Shale, sandy 

Sandstone 

Shale, finely arenaceous, ocherous; some black 

Shale, black, carbonaceous 

Shale, blue, and slate 

Shale, yellow, gravelly 

Sandstone, gray, of finest grain, with much black shale; samples at 800 and 815 . . 

Limestone, sandy 

Sandstone, brown 

Sandstone^ gray 

Mississippian (420 feet thick; top, 300 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, white, nonmagnesian; white chert constitutes the bulk of the sam- 
ple 

Limestone, blue gray, argillaceous; quartzose residue, with large fragments of 
dark shale; probably from above 

Limestone, yellow gray; sample chiefly dark-brown flint with somechalcedonic 
silica; a very little quartz sand 

Flint, brown "gray, calcareous; some chalcedonic silica; much shale in frag- 
ments 

Flint, gray and black chalcedony; drusy quartz; some shale 

Flint, brown, calcareous: some chalcedony; a little shale. 

Flint and chalcedony; 5 samples; drillings largely milk-white, translucent 
chalcedony, with brown calcareous fUnt and some limestone 

Limestone, nearly white; much white chert; 2 samples 

Chalcedony and flint: drillings remaining after original washing made up of 
chalcedonic silica and blue-gray and yellow siliceous fragments which eiler- 
vesce in cold dilute hydrochloric acid, but do not disaggregate; pure limestone 
practically absent ..'. 

Shale and flint; shale, blue gray, somewhat calcareous 

Limestone, soft, light yellow gray; with silica as above, and some fragments of 
shale; 4 samples 

Limestone, brown; much white chert 

Limestone, lighter colored; drillings chiefly chert; only finest sand is limestone 
and even this is siliceous ". 



CASS COUNTY. 
Record of strata in deep well at Atlantic — Continued. 



915 



Depth. 



Carboniferous— Continued. 

Mississipian (420 feet thick; top, 300 feet above sea level)— Continued. 

Limestone, light yellow, nearly pure; considerable shale in small fragments 

Limestone; as above; much chalcedony and chert 

Limestone, white, chalky, and light yellow 

Chert; drillings of chert and chalcedony; at 1,145 feet a few rounded grains of 
crystalline quartz and particles of fine-grained sandstone; 4 samples, all 

of which in mass eflervesce freely in acid 

Flint; black, yellow, and red flint and jasper, with sand of rounded grains of 

quartz; fragments of limestone, chert, and chalcedony 

Limestone, blue gray, cherty, and argillaceous 

Chert, white and brown; some shale in sample 

Limestone, cherty; gray in mass 

Limestone; siliceous material constitutes one-tenth of sample by weight 

Chert and shale, buff; chert eflervescent; shale pink in fine grains, but slightly 

calcareous 

Limestone, highly arenaceous and siliceous; chert and chalcedony; two-fifths 

of sample by weight insoluble 

Sandstone, highly calciferous; limestone arenaceous; quartz in minute angular 

particles; white and yellow-gray; 2 samples 

Devonian? (40 feet penetrated; top, 120 feet below sea level): 

Shale, fine, light gray, calcareous 

Limestone, cream yellow, rather hard; in angular sand 



Feet. 
1,135 
1,140 
1,145 



1,170 

1,180 
1,190 
1,200 
1,225 
1,245 

1,255 

1,260 

1,270 

1,285 
1,310 



Griswold. — The town of Griswold (population, 949) is supplied 
from a 200-foot drilled well which draws its water from drift within 
70 feet of the surface. A standpipe is used for storage and the water 
is distributed through 1^ miles of mains at pressure varying from 35 to 
100 pounds. 

Lewis. — The water supply of Lewis (population, 603) is chiefly from 
wells ranguig in depth from 40 to 70 feet. The public supply is drawn 
from a dug well 7 feet in diameter and 68 feet deep, in which the water 
stands 50 feet below the surface. The well ends in sand and gravel 
overlain for almost the entire depth by clay. The water is distributed 
from an elevated tank under direct pressure of 43 pounds through 
nearly 1 mile of mains. 

A well drilled on a vaUey slope in 1900 as a prospect for coal and 
artesian water passed through 7 feet of Dakota sandstone, probably 
the edge on the valley side, and continued down through coal meas- 
ures to a depth of 562 feet, where it was abandoned. An excellent 
spring flows from the sandstone outcrop in the bluffs bordering Nish- 
nabotna River and furnishes water for drinking and bathing at a sum- 
mer resort established by D. W. Woodward. 

Marne. — At Marne (population, 266) domestic wells are sunk 30 
to 60 feet to sand layers in the drift. Many of the stock wells, demand- 
ing a larger supply, are sunk to the lower gravel layers, about 200 
feet. The city well supplies an elevated tank from which water is 
distributed by direct pressure of 25 pounds for fire, street, and domes- 
tic purposes. 

Massena. — At Massena (population, 490) there are few deep 
wells, most of the people relying on bored wells 20 to 60 feet deep. 
The city has no other supply than that afforded by open cisterns and 
hand pumps. 



916 



UNDEKGROUND WATEE RESOURCES OF IOWA. 
WELL DATA. 



Information in regard to some of the typical wells in Cass County is 
presented in the following table : 

Typical wells of Cass County. 



Owner. 



Location. 



Depth. 



Depth 

to 
rock 



Source of supply. 



Head 
below 
curb. 



Remarks (logs given 
in feet). 



T. 76 N., R. 35 W. 
(Franklin). 
R. R. Bell 



T. 76 N., R. 37 W. 
(Washington). 

W. B. Berry 

W. J. Copeland. 
Julius Kirkpat- 
rick. 
T. 74 N., R. 37 W. 
(Pleasant). 

Town 

Do 

T. 75 N., R. 36 W. 
(Bear Grove). 
Sam Deverns 



T. 76 N., R. 36 W. 
(Grove). 

F. C. Schain 

Bert Frost 

PolkByrd 



C. V. Wilder. 



T. 77 N., R. 35 W. 
(Benton). 
Thomas Kelly 

T. 77 N., R. 37 W. 
(Brighton). 
L. S. Allen 



T. 77 N., R. 36 W. 
(Pymosa). 
Winfleld Wilbur. 

T. 75 N., R. 34 W. 
(Massena). 
W. S. Shields.... 

T. 74 N., R. 34 W. 
(Victoria). 

John Holste. 

T. 77 N., R. 34 W. 
(Grant). 
Town 



T. 75 N., R. 37 W. 
(Cass) . 
Town 



SW. -1- sec. 24. 



NE. Jsec. 7.. 
SE.isec. 11.. 
NE. i-sec. 10. 



Griswold. 
do. . . 



6 miles south of 
Atlantic. 



SE. i sec. 29.. 
NE. Jsec. 19. 
NE. Jsec. 6.. 



5 miles south of 
Atlantic. 



4 miles southeast 
of Bray don. 

NW, } sec. 30 



7 miles north of 
Allautic. 



NW. isec 32.... 

NE. i sec 20 

Anita 



Lewis. 



Feet. 



226 
150 
180 



100 
200 



110 
218 
150 



295 

247 

283 

324 

240 
207 

562 



Feet. 



100 

70 



245 



250 



207 
171 



Sand. 



Fine sand. 
Drift sand. 
....do 



Feet. 

179 



150 



"Blue rock". 
Drift sand . . . 



No water. 



Drift sand 

Sand 

Sandstone (Da- 
kota). 



Drift sand and 
gravel. 



Sandstone (Da- 
kota). 



....do 



Sandstone (Mis- 
souri). 



No water. 



.do. 



Sandstone (Da 
kota). 



Limestone (Mis- 
souri). 



30 
163 



166 



200 



171 



Upper water bed at 
40. 



Very hard water. 



VaUey. 

No water below drift. 



In limestone and 
shale. \ 



Good strong well. 

Drift, 124; white 
sandstone, 4; red 
sandstone, 18; 
shale, 4. 

Abundant water in 
sand and gravel 
over limestone. 



Strong well, good 
water. 



Limestone (Missouri) 
at 247 feet. 



Water in crevice of 
limestone. 



In limestone (Mis- 
souri). 



Do. 



Hilltop: Pleistocene, 
171; Dakota sand- 
stc-ie, 36; lime- 
stone (Missouri) at 
207 feet. 



HiUside: Pleistocene, 
70; Dakota sand- 
stone, 7; Carbonif- 
erous, 485. Water 
in limestone at 82. 
Abandoned be- 
cause of caving; 
drilled for coal. 



UNDEEGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 91? 

FREMONT COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Fremont County is divisible into two distinct physiographic 
provinces: (1) The uplands, consisting of rugged hills and ridges 
separated by innumerable sharp ravines, and (2) the lowlands, con- 
sisting of broad valleys with flat, monotonous bottoms that include 
nearly one-half of the county's area. Between Missouri River, which 
forms the west boundary, and the abrupt margin of the uplands, 
stretches a flood-plain belt nearly 6 miles in average width; and the 
valleys of both forks of the Nishnabotna are also in most places several 
miles wide. 

GEOLOGY. 

The bedrock, composed of alternating strata of shale and limestone 
belonging to the Missouri group (Pennsylvanian) , was at one time 
deeply buried under glacial drift which seems to include two distinct 
till sheets — a lower, dark, dense bowlder clay (Nebraskan) and an 
upper yellow and pale blue crumbling bowlder clay (Kansan). In 
certain locaHties beds of sand and gravel are also found between the 
two sheets, at the base of the drift, and perhaps at other horizons. 
Since its deposition much of the drift has been removed by erosion, 
for not only were countless ravines and gullies carved out of this 
material in the upland areas, but the wide, deep valleys were also 
excavated in it. 

After weathering and dissection had progressed far, the region was 
mantled with yellow homogeneous silt known as loess, which, accord- 
ing to Udden,^ has an average thickness in Mills and Fremont coun- 
ties of about 60 feet and which along the ridge bordering the Missouri 
Valley attains a maximum thickness of 100 to 150 feet. Since the 
loess was deposited it, too, has been vigorously attacked by stream 
erosion. 

In the valleys the rivers have laid down considerable quantities of 
alluvium, which consists largely of fine silt derived from the loess, but 
which includes also beds of sand and gravel, especially at some depth 
below the surface. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOUBCE. 

In this region much of the drilling into bedrock has been done for 
the purpose of finding coal, and such explorations for water as were 
made have generally yielded unfavorable results. At Hamburg a 

> Udden, J. A., Geology of Mills and Fremont counties: Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 13, 1902, 
p. 167. 



918 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

hole was drilled into the Missouri strata to a depth of 180 feet, accord- 
ing to current reports, without findmg water, and there are other 
indefinite reports of unsuccessful wells sunk into the upper part of 
this series. The deep wells at Glenwood (see pp. 928-932) discovered 
supplies in formations far below the surface. 

On the lowlands hard but otherwise satisfactory water is obtained 
without difficulty from beds of alluvial sand and gravel that lie at 
very moderate depths and from which the water rises nearly or quite 
to the surface. The driven wells, which are here in common use, are 
inexpensive and f anly satisfactory, although some trouble is caused by 
the incrustmg of the screens. 

On the uplands supplies are obtained principally from the seepage 
out of the loess and glacial drift. Water-bearing deposits of sand and 
gravel exist in certain localities but seem to be too largely wanting to 
be generally relied upon. The loess is homogeneous in texture and 
so constituted that it allows the water to percolate through it very 
slowly. Hence, where it is thick its lower portion is saturated even 
on hUls and ridges near deep valleys, and if wells are sunk into this 
saturated zone they receive a sure though meager seepage supply, 
the amount varying with the area of the infiltration surface, which, 
of course, depends upon the depth and diameter of the well. The 
glacial drift, especially in its upper layers, behaves in a somewhat 
similar manner, but since it is more heterogeneous m its structure it 
is also more diverse in its water-bearing capacity. 

An ordinary dug well which extends through loess or drift to a short 
distance below the water level will usually furnish enough water for 
the small demands of a household, but will seldom supply a windmill 
continuously, and will frequently prove inadequate for stock farms. 
The yield can be indefinitely augmented by increasing the number of 
wells or projecting drifts out from the bottom of a well, the best 
method probably being to bore with a well auger a sufficient number of 
holes, perhaps 25 feet apart, and to connect the latter at the bottom 
with small pipes placed in holes bored with a link auger. (See p. 910.) 
The difficulty of obtaining enough water from these sources for muni- 
cipal supplies is illustrated by the experience at Tabor and Sidney, 
but the solution here also seems to consist in increasing the infiltra- 
tion surface. 

Throughout the uplands many ravines and valleys have been cut 
below ground-water level and hence receive a slow seepage which 
gives rise to rivulets and creeks that are extensively utilized for stock 
and domestic supplies. Numerous springs also issue at the base of 
the cliff along the east margin of the Missouri Valley. 



FREMONT COUNTY. 919 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Hamburg. — In Hamburg (population, 1,817) the public supply has 
in the past been obtained from (1) a huge dug well situated at the 
edge of the valley and ending in fine sand, and (2) a spring which 
issues from the cliff that borders the valley. The total daily yield 
from these two sources is reported to be only about 20,000 gallons a 
day, which has not been enough to meet the demands. A system of 
2-inch driven wells is to be installed at a point farther from the cliff, 
where the alluvium is thicker and yields more freely. 

The water is pumped into a large cement reservoir situated on the 
loess ridge back of the city, 170 feet above the valley, and is thence 
distributed through 2 or 3 miles of mains to 22 fire hydrants and about 
110 taps. 

Sidney. — In Sidney (population, 1,019), located in the upland area, 
several unsuccessful attempts have been made to obtain an adequate 
supply for the pubHc waterworks. There are two dug wells, one 15 
feet in diameter and 55 feet deep, the other 6 feet in diameter and 58 
feet deep, both ending in a bed of fine sand and connected at the bot- 
tom by a drift. The normal water level is said to be 20 to 25 feet 
below the surface, but the wells fill to a depth of less than 10 feet in 
24 hours and together furnish only about 15,000 gallons a day. Two 
holes were also drilled to bedrock, at about 200 feet, without finding 
water except a small amount at 80 feet. The waterworks include a 
standpipe and about 2 miles of mains with 15 fire hydrants and 40 
taps. 

Tabor. — Tabor (population, 909) is on the upland nearly 300 feet 
above the Missouri Valley. Its public supply is taken from a dug 
well 12 feet in diameter and 114 feet deep. The first 80 feet appears 
to consist of loess and the rest of yellow "joint clay," which is prob- 
ably drift. The clay in the last 2 feet is somewhat sandy. The well 
receives seepage from all levels below about 40 feet and will fiU to 
within this distance of the surface. Its yield has not been definitely 
ascertained, but it is apparently small, though adequate for present 
needs. The water is only moderately hard and is considered otherwise 
good. The system of waterworks consists of two compression tanks, 
about one-half mile of mams, 7 fire hydrants, and 31 taps. 

TJiurman. — Thurman (population 336), like Hamburg, is located 
at the foot of the Missouri Valley cliff and gets most of its water 
supply from the alluvium. The waterworks, which are owned by a 
private company, depend on a 4-inch well that ends with an 8-foot 
screen at the depth of 92 feet. The water rises to within about 30 
feet of the surface and has been pumped for long periods at the rate 
of approximately 20 gallons a minute without noticeable effect. 



920 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

There is less than a mile of mains, with 8 lire hydrants and 12 taps. 
The pressure is obtained from a storage reservoir on the bluff about 
100 feet above the village. The water is good, though somewhat 
hard, and it is estimated that an average of 7,000 gallons is con- 
sumed daily. The village well has about the same depth as the one 
that supplies the waterworks, but most of the private wells are driven 
to depths of only 15 to 30 feet. 

HARRISON COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

A striking contrast to the rugged and thoroughly dissected upland 
that occupies most of this county is presented by the broad expanses 
of flat, swampy lowland formed by the Missouri Valley in the western 
part, and by its largest branches, which extend diagonally south- 
westward across the county. This entire region is underlain by 
Pennsylvanian rocks (upper Carboniferous), which consist essentially 
of a succession of shale and limestones, aggregating several hundred 
feet in thickness. These rocks outcrop at a few points and have 
been pierced by the drill at Logan, Woodbme, and Dunlap. Over 
an indefinitely known area, especially in the northeast, they are cov- 
ered by Cretaceous sandstone and shale; elsewhere they are overlain 
directly by glacial drift or alluvial deposits. The drift comprises 
two sheets, the dark Nebraskan below and the lighter Kansan above, 
separated in some localities by Af Ionian gravel. On the weathered 
surface of the Kansan till rests a thick cover of loesslike clay. In 
the lowlands the alluvial deposits of clay, sand, and gravel are exten- 
sively developed. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Ground-water supplies in Harrison County are derived from allu- 
vial deposits, loess, drift and associated gravels, Cretaceous rocks, 
and lower rock formations. 

The deeper formations reached in the public wells at Logan, Wood- 
bine, and Dunlap, have a certain value for municipal and other sup- 
phes, but their yield of water is not entirely satisfactory either in 
quantity or quality. The Pennsylvanian strata, though not totally 
destitute of water-bearing members, are generally so disappointing 
that it is not advisable to penetrate them unless it is the intention 
to drill to the lower aquifers. 

A few wells in this region probably draw water from Cretaceous 
deposits. In some wells shale or "soapstone" was found below the 



HAREISOlSr COUNTY. 921 

drift, and beneath the ''soapstone" a bed of sand or sandstone satu- 
rated with water; other drilled wells have not passed through shale, 
but have been finished in sand or sandstone at depths ranging from 
a hundred to several hundred feet — most commonly about 250 feet; 
still others have entered shale and limestone of the Pennsylvanian 
series without finding a satisfactory water-bearing bed. The drilled 
wells are 2 to 6 inches in diameter and are mostly finished with sand 
screens. Wells of small diameter are, however, not adapted to the 
conditions found in the uplands, both because of the limitations in 
yield and because of the rapidity with which their screens become 
incrusted. Cretaceous wells and other drilled sand wells should have 
a diameter of 4 or 6 inches. 

In the uplands the two principal water horizons above the Creta- 
ceous are at the contact zone between the loess and the Kansan and 
in the Aftonian gravel between the two drift sheets: Neither of these 
generally supplies water readily enough for drilled wells, although 
they furnish a satisfactory yield for bored wells. The upper of the 
two beds is characterized by white calcareous accumulations of 
''chalk," so commonly found near the bottom of the weathered 
zone of the Kansan drift, and also by sandy and gravelly seams that 
are frequently cemented into a "hardpan." The water which perco- 
lates slowly downward through the loess saturates the sandy and 
gravelly material at this level and is hindered from descending far- 
ther by the impervious unweathered drift. The Aftonian gravel is 
only vaguely recognized in wells and, indeed, is reached in few. 
Where sufficiently developed it ought to furnish more water than 
any deposit at a higher level. 

In the lowlands generous supplies of hard but otherwise good water 
are obtained by means of inexpensive wells, the best type of which 
are driven or drilled and end in screens. The most copious yield is 
secured from the coarsest materials and these are most common near 
the bottom of the alluvial filling, but the amount of dissolved iron is 
generally greater in this deeper water than in that near the surface 
because it is less accessible to the oxygen of the atmosphere. The 
water from all parts of the alluvium rises to within a few feet of the 
surface and can be pumped at small cost by means of suction pumps. 
Examples of large supplies obtained from this source are afforded by 
the railway and city wells at Missouri Valley and the railway well at 
Dunlap. The wide distribution and great importance of the alluvium 
as an aquifer will be realized when it is remembered that the Missouri 
Valley wells are located on the Missouri bottoms 6 miles from the 
river, and that the Dunlap well is located near the northeast corner 
of the county, many miles from where the Boyer Valley opens into 
the Missouri. 



922 UFDEKGROUND WATER EESOURCES OF IOWA. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Dunlap. — ^The public supply of Dunlap (population, 1,155) is 
obtained from a well l,535f feet deep, 6| inches in diameter, cased to 
400 feet. The curb is 1,151 feet above sea level; original and present 
head, 47 feet below curb. The tested capacity is 80 gallons a minute. 
The well was completed in 1887 by J. P. Miller & Co., of Chicago, and 
was repaired about 1903 by inserting smaller casing. The strata 
penetrated are indicated by the following section : 

Record of strata in Dunlap city well {PI. XI, p. 382). 

Pleistocene : Depth in feet . 

Unknown 0-50 

Sand , 50-70 

Gravel; pebbles of northern drift and sand 70-95 

Gravel; pebbles of northern drift, at 150 

Cretaceous and Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) (307 feet thick 
(minimum); top, 926 feet above sea level): 

Shale, drab, at 225 

Shale, pink, at 300 

Sandstone, grains varying widely in size and imperfectly 

rounded, at 392 

Shale, dark drab, at 400 

Shale, black, noncalcareous, at 450 

Shale, pink and purplish, at 480 

Carboniferous (Mississippian) (288 feet thick; top, 619 feet above 
sea level) : 
Limestone, white, soft, chalky; with gray -green shale, at. . . . 532 

Limestone, white, hard ; of finest grain 600 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, cherty, at 650, 703 

Limestone, gray, finely crystalline; fracture subconchoidal, at. 797 
Devonian (?), Silm'ian, and Ordovician (715| feet penetrated; top, 
331 feet above sea level) : 
Limestone, magnesian or dolomite, brown and buff; 3 sam- 
ples 820, 875, 890 

Shale, light green-gray, calcareous; 2 samples 970, 980 

Limestone, magnesian, light yellow-gray and shale, green; all 

in concreted powder, at 1,006 

Limestone, highly argillaceous, yellow; in almost white pow- 
der; 3 samples, at 1,010, 1,050, 1,093 

Shale, gray-green, calcareous, at 1, 150 

Limestone; as at 1,010 feet; 2 samples, at 1,184, 1,241 

Shale, bright green, noncalcareous, at 1,295 

Dolomite, buff, pyritiferous, slightly arenaceous, at 1,375 

Dolomite, buff; much chert carrying disseminated crystals of 
pyrite; a few grains of limpid quartz, some of which are 

rounded; a little chalcedonic silica, at 1,400 

Dolomite, highly arenaceous; or calciferous sandstone; grains 

varying in size, many coarse, imperfectly rounded, at 1,517 

Dolomite, white; in fine powder; with arenaceous rounded 
grains, quartzose and cherty residue; at bottom of well, at . 1,535J 



HAREISON COUNTY. 923 

The arenaceous dolomite at 1,517 feet possibly represents the 
St. Peter, but it is also possible that the St. Peter is absent, and that 
the shales and clayey limestones from 1,010 to 1,295 belong to the 
Platteville, and the dolomite from 1,375 down to the Shakopee. 

The samples are said to have been taken at every "change" of 
rock. 

The water is lifted into a standpipe and thence distributed by 
gravity through one-half mile of mains. It is used by a small pro- 
portion of the people and the daily consumption does not exceed 
10,000 gallons. The water is very hard. Large supplies of less 
mineralized water are available in the valley at no great depths below 
the surface. 

The Chicago & North Western Railway well at Dunlap is sunk into 
the stream deposits of Boyer River valley. The section is as follows : 

Section of Chicago & North Western Railway well at Dunlap. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay , sandy 

Sand 

Sand, coarse (water bearing) . 
Clay, blue (entered). 



Feet. 
20 
12 
23 



Feet. 
20 
32 
55 



This well is 12 inches in diameter and ends with a 14-foot 
screen. With the suction pipe extending 40 feet below the surface, it 
is reported to be pumped at the rate of 300 gallons a minute and to 
furnish about 100,000 gallons daily. 

Logan. — The public waterworks at Logan (population, 1,453) were 
until recently supplied from two wells — a shallow open well and a 
deep drilled well — both located in the valley. The open well is 20 
feet in diameter, is cased with brick, and ends at a depth of 32 feet 
in a bed of sand resting upon rock. It fills with water within about 
10 feet of the surface but its yield is not great. The water is hard, 
though otherwise good. 

The public supply is used by most of the inhabitants, and the daily 
consumption is estimated at 30,000 gallons. The pressure is secured 
from a reservoir located on the upland. The supply for the Illinois 
Central locomotives is taken from large dug weUs in the valley. 

The drilled well is 840 feet deep, 10 to 6 inches in diameter, is cased 
with 30 feet of 8-inch pipe to rock, and 570 feet of 6-inch pipe, heads 
30 feet above the curb, and has a natural flow of 13 gallons a minute. 
The water bed is shale at a depth of 650 feet. The weU was drilled 
m 1902 at a cost of $2,000. The water is called "mineral." It is 
generally liked by the people and is said to be soft and wholesome 
and to have a mild laxative effect. 



924 



UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



Fortunately for the interests of science one of the citizens of Logan 
Mr. C. N. Wood, obtained at his own expense from the drillers a 
fairly complete set of samples of the drillings, and submitted them to 
the Survey for examination. The following table presents the inter- 
pretation of the samples: 

Record of strata in city well No. 1 at Logan. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian: 

Unrecorded 

Limestone, blue-gray, eartliy, soft, and light buff, harder; in large chips; rapid 

effervescence 

Shale, greenish, practically noncalcareous; some yellow and red shale; chips 

of light yellow limestone; in molded masses 

Shale, copper red, calcareous; a few cuttings of limestone 

Limestone, light yeUow and blue gray, compact; and sandstone, micaceous, 

fine grained, light blue-gray 

Shale, drab and blue or greenish gray 

Limestone, grayish bufi, very fine grained, compact; smooth fracture; fossilif- 

erous; in large flakes 

Limestone; as above, with greenish crystalline limestone and some reddish 

clay staining surfaces of limestone cutttags 

Shale, red and greenish, hard, calcareous; in cuttings; some limestone chips. . . 

No samples 

Shale, blue gray and drab; some yellow limestone cuttings; some flne-graiaed 

greenish laminated sandstone 

Limestone, blue-gray, close textured, earthy; in rather large chips; fossilif- 

erous; with some reddish-brown shale from above (?) 

No sample 

Limestone, highly argillaceous, blue-gray, earthy, soft 

Shale, highly calcareous; in chips; cemented by rusted Iron cuttings, evi- 
dently from tools dropped in the well 

Shale, reddish 

Shale, black, coaly 

Shale, light greenish gray, somewhat calcareous, plastic; in molded masses 

Limestone, dull luster, light gray 

Shale, drab, fissUe, calcareous; some limestone cuttings 

Shale, dark drab and green-gray, hard, fissile, calcareous 

Sandstone, gray, micaceous, fine grained; grains imperfectly rounded 

Shale, yellow, plastic; in molded masses; a little ocherous limestone 

Limestone, yellow, argillaceous; in fine cuttings; fragments of joints of crinoid 

stems; chips of shale of various colors 

Shale, orange and other colors, plastic 

No samples 

Mississippian: 

Limestone, drab, argillaceous, slightly gritty; much translucent milky-white 

chalcedonic silica; in smaU cuttings; some grains of crystaUlne quartz 

Limestone, gray; in fine sand; much chalcedony; some quartz grains imper- 
fectly rounded 

Limestone, gray, yeUow-gray, and light drab; fine crystalline, granular; some 

white cryptocrystalhne silica and some shale in powder and smaU cuttings. . 
Limestone, light bull in mass; fine crystalline granular; some crjrptocrystal- 

line silica and some quartz sand 

Limestone; as above; and some white; in coarse sand 

Limestone, whitish and light yeUow gray; some rounded quartz grains 

Limestone; as above; a very httle cryptocrystaUine with white silica and 

some quartz sand .'.... 

Limestone, pure white, fine grained 

No samples 

Limestone, blue-gray and light yellow-gray; in fine sand (sample labeled "to 

770") 

Limestone, white; in fine meal 

Limestone, light grayish white; in fine sand; this and aU other limestones of 

the samples effervesce rapidly in cold dilute hydrochloric acid 

No samples, but reported to be no change in strata 



Feet. 



4 
IS 
6 

15 
40 
15 
15 
5 
6 
4 
IS 
20 

2S 
SO 
15S 



(?) 
(?) 



Feet. 



70 

no 



125 
130 
155 



169 
184 
190 

205 
245 
260 
275 
280 
286 
290 
305 
325 

350 
400 
555 



580 



595 
610 
620 

635 
655 
(?) 

770 

V80 

821 
840 



Another city well has recently been drilled at Logan. The depth 
is 954 feet and the diameter 6 inches; casing, 6 inches to bottom of 
well. The curb is 1,033 feet above sea level and the head 80 feet 
above curb. The flow is 2Q0 gallons a minute, the principal supply 



HARRISON COUNTY. ^ 925 

being at 940 feet; other water beds are at 36 and 454 feet. The well, 
which cost $5,000, was drilled by L. E. Nebergall, of Omaha, Nebr., 
in 1911. 

Missouri Valley. — The public supply of Missouri Valley (population, 
3,187) is obtained from four 6-inch wells located a short distance from 
the margin of the valley. The wells pass through clay, ''hardpan," 
etc., and end with 10-foot to 14-foot brass screens at a depth of 85 feet 
in a bed of gravel from which the water rises within 4 to 5 feet of the 
surface. 

By means of a suction pump at the surface, the wells are usually 
made to yield 550 gallons a minute, but they are reported to have been 
pumped for 17 hours continuously at about 600 gallons a minute. 
The water is rather hard and in time seals the screens with chemical 
precipitates. A dug well with a group of sand points was at first 
installed but was not so satisfactory as the wells now in use. 

The water is stored in a large cement reservoir on the top of the bluff 
and is delivered under considerable pressure through about 6 miles of 
mains to 60 fire hydrants and 500 taps. It is used by a large propor- 
tion of the people, the average daily consumption from November 1, 
1908, to November 1, 1909, havuig been 170,500 gallons. 

The Chicago & North Western Railway owns two wells, about 25 feet 
apart, sunk through the alluvial deposits to a depth of 90 feet and fin- 
ished with screens in a bed of gravel that is said to rest on rock. The 
water rises within 5 or 6 feet of the surface, and the pump cylinders are 
placed 14 feet below the surface, with suction pipes extending lower. 
According to the man in charge, nearly 200,000 gallons of water are 
taken from these wells every day. 

Persia. — The waterworks at Persia (population, 358) consist of a 
tank elevated upon a tower and connected with about 1 mile of 
mains. The supply is at present drawn from a well 4 feet in diameter, 
sunk about 50 feet into clay from which it receives a seepage of hardly 
more than 2,000 gallons per day. A hole bored to a depth of over 100 
feet discovered a bed of quicksand at about 60 feet which yielded only 
a small amount of water. There is, however, little question that an 
adequate supply for the waterworks can be obtained without deep 
drilling. 

Woodbine. — The public supply of Woodbine (population, 1,538) is 
derived (1) from an 840-foot flowing well whose small natural flow (12 
gallons a minute) is augmented perhaps threefold when an air lift is 
appUed; and (2) from a dug well, 18 feet in diameter and 26 feet deep, 
which ends in a bed of sand and gravel but does not seem to furnish 
much water. The deep well, which was put down by J. Shaw in 1905, 
IS 12 to 6 inches in diameter. Altogether about 25,000 gallons of 
water are consumed each day, requiring the operation of the air lift 



926 UNDEEGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

for 6 hours. The waterworks include a standpipe and about 3 miles 
of mains. The deep water is said to be very hard and to produce 
much scale in boilers. 

No record of the strata has been preserved, but the succession is 
probably closely that of the Logan deep well (p. 924) and the water 
bed is Mississippian. 

MILLS COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

The surface of Mills County consists of hilly upland areas separated 
by broad tracts of flat lowland through which the principal streams 
meander. The unconsolidated deposits consist of glacial drift, loess, 
and alluvium; the bedrock, to a depth of 670 feet in the deep well 
at Glenwood (PL XVIII), consists almost exclusively of alternating 
strata of shale and limestone belonging to the Missouri group of the 
upper Carboniferous. In some localities thin beds of sandstone, 
referred to the Cretaceous, lie between the Missouri strata and the 
drift.i 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The thick Missouri group contains so little water, and that little is 
so highly mineralized, that wells should not be sunk into it unless it is 
intended to go to great depths for artesian supplies, as in the Glenwood 
wells (pp. 928-932) . Ordinarily, water must be obtained from surface 
sources or from the deposits above the Missouri. The lowland and 
upland ground-water conditions differ radically. In the lowland 
areas abundant quantities of hard but other\vise good water are 
obtained by driving inexpensive points to beds of alluvial sand and 
gravel at slight depths; in the upland areas more meager amounts of 
equally satisfactory water are obtained from large wells dug or bored 
into the loess or drift. In the former areas large supplies can be 
developed by driving a sufficient number of sand points, comiecting 
the wells at the top, and drawing from all simultaneously ; in the latter 
it is difficult to obtain large supplies, but the yield can be increased 
indefinitely by expanding the infiltration surface. In some localities 
layers of sand or sandstone (either Af tonian or Cretaceous) are encoun- 
tered and copious supplies obtained, but such water-bearing layers are 
not everywhere found. 

1 Udden, J. A., Geology of Mills and Fremont counties: Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 13, 1903, 
p. 161. 



MILLS COUNTY. 



927 



SPRINGS. 

Springs are abundant in Mills County. Seeps which give rise to 
rivulets occur in many of the deep ravines that have been cut into 
the uplands below the surficial water level, and many springs also 
issue from the cliffs bordering the main valleys, the water coming 
from Aftonian gravel, from the base of the drift, or from more or less 
porous materials at other levels. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Glenwood. — The public supply of Glenwood (population, 4,052) is 
pumped from a deep drilled well (PL XVIII, p. 898) having a depth of 
2,000 feet and a diameter of 10 to 4f inches, cased to 1,773 feet. The 
curb is 1,132 feet above sea level. The original head was 171 feet 
below curb; head in 1909, 180 feet below curb. The original tested 
capacity was 60 gallons a minute; tested capacity in 1896, 83 gallons 
a minute; tested capacity in 1908, 108 gallons a minute. The well 
was completed in 1891 at a cost of $7,265 by the American Well 
Works Co., of Aurora, 111. 

Character of water in Glenwood city vjell. 





Depth of 
water 
bed. 


Head 
below 
surface. 


Fresh 


Feet. 

154 

716 

825 

1,008 

1,210 

1,668 

1,794 

1,836 


Feet. 


Salt 


176 


Salt 


15 


Fresh 


40 


Fresh 


126 


Fresh 


100 


Fresh 


40 


Fresh 


171 







The following data concerning pumping tests have been supplied 
by Seth Dean: On January 28, 1890, the pump was started at 10 
a. m., pumping 50 gallons a minute. The temperature of the water 
rose from 60° F. at 10.15 a. m. to 66° at 11.30 a. m., to 68° at 12 
m., and to 69° at 3.15 p. m. 

A second test was made July 26 and 27, 1892, after the salt water 
had been cased out. The pump was started at 4.30 p. m., pumping 
60 gallons a minute. The temperature of water rose as follows: 4.50 
p. m., 60°; 5 p. m., 62°; 5.40 p. m., 66°; 6 p. m., 69°; 8.17 p. m., 72°; 
2.45 a. m., 72^°; 9.45 a. m., 72^°; and 11 p. m., 72i°. Probably the 
gradual rise in temperature is caused by the increasing proportion 
of water drawn from the lower vein. 

The well was repaired about 1904 by replacing some joints of 
casing, but mthout effect on the discharge. The cylinder (not more 



928 



UNDEBGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



than 6 inches in diameter) is set about 280 feet below the curb. The 
pump is run continuously 16 hours a day, at a speed of 16 to 17 
revolutions a minute; running the pump faster does not increase the 
yield. 

Record of strata in city well at Glenwood {PI. XVIII, p. 898). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Quaternary (175 feet thick; top, 1,132 feet above sea level): 

Soil 

Loess 

Gravel and coarse sand (water bearing) 

Sand, coarse 

Till, yellow; greenstone, and other pebbles 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian: 

Missouri group (670 feet thick; top, 957 feet above sea level) : 

Limestone, soft, light and darker gray, cherty 

Limestone, dark blue, argillaceous, pyritiferous 

" Shale, black carbonaceous" 

Clay, blue, shaly 

Shale, iron gray 

Limestone, gray; earthy luster 

Shale, dark blue-gray, flssUe, disks of crinoid stems and fragments of a 
Productus 

LimestoiKS, gray; luster, earthy; compact, moderately hard; with crinoid 
stems, echinoid spines, and fragments of brachiopods 

Shale, black, carbonaceous 

Limestone, soft, yellow-gray, with Fusuhna 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, light yellow, fossUiferous 

Shale, dark red 

Limestone, brecciated; sample consists of two large unfractured masses of 
very hard limestone breccia; limestone gray or reddish; matrix greenish 
gray and argillaceous, but hard 

Sandstone 

Limestone, argillaceous, bluish gray 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, compact 

Shale, greenish gray, arenaceous, calcareous 

Limestone, hard, gray; highly cherty at 358 feet 

Shale, hard, greenish gray, highly calcareous 

Limestone, Ught greenish gray, highly argLUaceous 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, compact, fine grained 

Shale, black, carbonaceous; and greenish gray, hard 

" Marl, wliite" 

Limestone, hard, gray 

Shale, gray; and hmestone, argillaceous 

Shale, varicolored 

Limestone, gray, close textured 

Limestone, hard, blue, highly argillaceous; crinoid stems and fragments of 
brachiopods 

Shale, black, carbonaceous; impure gray limestone 

Sandstone 

Limestone, white and light gray, close textured; earthy luster 

Slate, black 

Limestone, yeUow-gray, fossillferous, crystaUine to earthy , 

Shale, dark and greenish gray; with Chbnetes 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, soft, fossillferous 

Shale, green, calcareous 

Limestone, white, soft, crystalline to earthy •: 

Shale, gray, highly calcareous, fossillferous 

Shale, black, carbonaceous, dark drab 

Lunestone, white and light colored: in places fossUiferous, with 1 foot of 
"coal?" at 612 feet, and brown chert at 635 feet; 9 samples 

Shale, varicolored, arenaceous; with minute angular particles of limpid 
quartz; 2 samples 

Sandstone, greenish gray, close and fine grained, argillaceous and calcare- 
ous; some siliceous limestone, hard, subconchoidal fracture; with much 
shale at 706 and 711 feet; vein of salt water at 716 feet 

Coal and black shale 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, gray, liard; fracture subconchoidal; close textured; fossiUfer- 
ous and flinty at 732 feet; 4 feet of blue shale at 730 feet 

Slate 

Limestone, arenaceous 

Shale, dark blue, calcareous; and black, carbonaceous 

Sandstone, dark brownish gray; calcareous; ferruginous; argillaceous; fos- 
sUiferous, with Chonetes and other brachiopods •. 

Limestone, lighter yellow-gray; highly fossUiferous in places; shale at 783 
feet 



Feet. 
2 
152 
6 
5 
10 



2 
10 
1* 
6J 

8 
24 



MILLS COUNTY. 929 

Record of strata in city well at Glenwood {PI. XVIII, p. 898) — Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Carboniferous— Continued . 

Pennsylvanian— Continued. 

Missouri group (670 feet thick; top, 957 feet above sea level)— Continued. 

Shale, black, slaty 

Shale, gray 

Limestone with shale 

" Shale, blue with sandstone band " 

Sandstone, fine grajs micaceous; vein of salt water 

Des Moines group (390 feet thick; top, 287 feet above sea level): 

Shales; some fossiliferous, in places carbonaceous; mostly noncalcareous; 
of various colors; limestone at 868 and 885 feet, and 956 feet; coal at 956 

feet; pyrite at 901 feet; 17 samples 

Limestone 

Sandstone and shale, fossiliferous 

Sandstone, gray, soft, argUlo-calcareous, fine grained 

Shale, hard, brittle, noncalcareous, green and brown 

Sandstone, gray, water bearing 

Shale, hard, brittle; of various bright colors; finely laminated; fracture 

splintery; noncalcareous 

Shale, arenaceous 

Shale, black, carbonaceous 

\ Fire clay, gray; in molded masses 

■ Shale, black and gray; some sandstone 

Limestone 

Shales, varicolored, hard, brittle, noncalcareous 

Sandstone, fine grained; with shale; 2 samples 

Shale; mostly black, brittle, splintery 

Sandstone; 4 samples 

Shale, black, hard, flssUe 

Chert, gray, with shale, limestone, and sand 

Sandstone, gray; grains of moderate size; imperfectly rounded; 2 samples. 
Mississippian: 

Chert; with limestone, chalcedonic silica, and quartz sand; the latter some- 
times seen embedded in the chert; 5 samples 

Sandstone, argillaceous; in dark-gray powder 

Chert; with chalcedony, limestone, and at 1,305 feet much shale; 5 samples 

Shale, highly calcareous; in blue-gray concreted powder; residue after wash- 
ing, pyritiierous chert, quartz sand; a little glauconite, and nonmagnesian 

limestone; 3 samples 

Limestone, cherty, argillaceous; blue gray; 3 samples 

Limestone, gray; 2 samples 

Shale, highly quartzose and calcareous, in light blue-gray powder; 3 samples; 

quartz particles minute ; 

Shale, green, massive 

Limestone; in flakes; some light yeUow-gray; some soft and white; nonmag- 
nesian; compact; some chert at 1,649 feet 

Limestones, magnesian, or dolomites, crystalline; drab, bull and brown; 

largely in sand; effervescence slow; 4 samples 

Limestone, brown and gray; considerable green shale at 1,720 feet 

Limestone, magnesian; or dolomite, brown, rough crystalline; 4 samples 

Sandstone, gray; grains of limpid quartz imperfectly rounded, with some 

crystals 

Limestone, magnesian; or dolomite, buff and yeUow; 3 samples 

Limestone, somewhat magnesian; moderately rapid effervescence; in brown 

and buff crystalline sand; 2 samples 

Limestone, magnesian; and dolomites, crystalline, vesicular, brown and buff.. 

Dolomite, light yeUow-gray, cherty; 3 samples 

Dolomite, greenish gray; argillaceous residue 

Dolomite, light gray; much gypsum; water bearing 

Gypsum; in light-yellow concreted powder; now highly indurated 

Dolomite, gray; flakes of gypsum and selenite; 4 samples 

Limestone, gray, somewhat magnesian, seleniferous, argillaceous 

Shale, soft, greenish, calcareous 

Dolomite, gray; in powder; highly seleniferous 

Shale, hard, green, very slightly calcareous. 



Feet. 

2 

7 

15 

10 

20 



117 
3 

24 
9 
10 

17 

20 

36 

7 

6 

8 

3 

23 

22 

10 

30 

5 

10 

30 



Feet. 
793 
800 
815 
825 
845 



962 
965 



1,008 
1,025 



045 
081 
088 
094 
102 
105 
128 
150 
160 
190 
195 
205 
235 



280 
300 
370 



405 
465 
510 

600 
644 



733 

765 



832 
900 
924 
930 
938 
941 
980 
990 
995 
000 



The distribution system consists of two standpipes and about 3 
miles of mains with 16 fire hydrants and 146 taps. The water is rich 
in sulphates and chlorides, but is freely used for drinking and culinary 
purposes and is also employed in several stationary boilers with fairly 
satisfactory results. It is estimated that 50,000 gallons are con- 
sumed in an average day, which requires the operation of the pump 
during a large part of the time. 
36581°— wsp 293—12 59 



930 



UNDEKGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



The supply for the State Institution for Feeble-minded Children at 
Glen wood was formerly obtained from a well 1,910 feet deep which 
was similar to the city well. The curb is 980 feet above sea level; 
casing, 8 inch to 822 feet, 7 inch to 1,011 feet, 6J inch to 1,103 feet, 
SyVii^ch to 1,515 feet, and 4^ inch to 1,640 feet; casing perforated at 
1,450 and 1,600 feet. The original head was 5 feet below curb; head 
at present, 10 feet below curb. Temperature, 66° F. The well was 
completed in 1897 at a cost of $4,800 by F. M. Gray, of Milwaukee. 

The driller's log, which evidently does not record all the strata 
passed through, is as follows : 

Driller'slog of well No. 1 of the Iowa Institution for Feeble-minded Children at Glenwood. 



Drift 

Limestone 

Shale, black 

Limestone, blue. 

Limestone 

Shale, red 

Limestone 

Shale 



Shale, red 

Limestone 

Shale, black 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Slate, black ., 

Rock, soft, white 

Shale, blue 

Shale, red 

Limestone 

Shale, black, coaly 

Sandstone ■. 

Sandstone, with salt water 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Limestone with pyrite (approximate base of Missouri group in city well) . 

Shale, green 

Shale, red 

Miner's slate 

Soapstone 

Miner's slate with pyrite 

Shale, sandy, with salt water 

Sandstone 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Sandstone (approximate base of Des Moines group in city well) 

Limestone, brown 

Quartzite, red 

Limestone, magnesian 

Limestone, gray 

Sandstone, white 

Soapstone 

Soapstone (approximate base of Mississippian in city well) 

Limestone 

Limestone, gray 

Soapstone 

Soapstone 

Limestone, sandy 

Gypsum. 



Limestone, gray 

Limestone, bastard 

Limestone, hard, gray . 
Bottom of well ". . 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 



10 
15 

20 
30 
10 

4(?) 
20 
30 
10 
1 
7 
7 
10 
5 
2 
10 



20 



Depth. 



Feet. 

35 

40 

45 

65 

100 

140 

200 

256 

280 

305 

340 

360 

430 

445 

475 

479 

499 

529 

549 

550 

575 

625 

640 

655 

690 

715 

732 

780 

820 

865 

990 

1,010 

1,032 

1,065 

1,103 

1,115 

1,198 

1,226 

1,361 

1,410 

1,460 

1,509 

1,535 

1,580 

1,600 

1,700 

1,750 

1,772 

1,850 

1,896 

1,910 



The first water bed was struck at 570 feet. The water was salty 
and stood at 6 feet below the curb. The capacity was about 30 gal- 
lons a minute. At a depth of 1,008 feet another water bed was found, 
whose water rose within 60 feet of the surface and yielded 75 gallons 



MILLS COUNTY. 931 

a minute. At a depth, of 1,160 feet the water rose to the surface 
and 70 gallons a minute were pumped. At a depth of 1,356 feet 
the water fell to 6 feet below the curb. Water was also found at 
depths of 1,668 and 1,836 feet and at the latter depth stood 5 feet 
below the surface and was pumped at the rate of 70 gallons a minute. 

During the early part of the winter of 1897 a pump was placed in 
the well and operated by electric motors. These proving unsatis- 
factory, a Fairbanks-Morse steam pump was installed in 1900, the 
cylinder being placed 500 feet below the curb. Breakage of the rods 
necessitated frequent repairs, and in August, 1901, the working bar- 
rel worked loose and dropped to the bottom of the 6-inch casing. 
On August 22, 1901, the cylinder was replaced at a depth of 100 feet, 
but 10 minutes' pumping lowered the water below the foot valve. 
When the cylinder was placed 163 feet below the surface, pumping 
20 strokes to the minute lowered the water below the foot valve in 
1 hour; pumping at 13 strokes to the minute the pump delivered 
40 gallons of water a minute. Early in September the cylinder was 
set at 228 feet below the surface; by running the pump at 18 strokes 
a minute for 10 hours 54 gallons of water a minute were obtained, 
but at the end of this period the water stood below the foot valve. 
From this date until March, 1902, the well was used only to supply 
drinking water, the general supply being taken from Keg Creek, In 
March and April, 1902, it was found that 54 gallons a minute could 
be obtained by operating the pump at 19 strokes a minute. On 
May 5, the cylinder having again worked loose, it was reset 266 feet 
below the surface. During the summer the pump delivered 45 to 
50 gallons a minute, according to the conditions of the leathers and 
the length of time the pump was run. In February, 1903, a new 
and larger cylinder, 5f inches in diameter, with a discharge pipe 
6 inches in diameter, was set 294 feet below the surface. At 18 strokes 
to the minute this cylinder gave 50 to 75 gallons of water a minute 
up to January, 1906, with the following interesting exceptions: On 
June 13, 1905, the water began to fall noticeably. The leathers 
were found in fair condition. The failure continued until on July 
20 no water could be pumped. On August 1 the yield was but 5 
gallons a minute and the water contained a large amount of sediment. 
At the same time the city well of Glenwood was able to furnish but 
a small supply of water. After August 4, however, no sand or sedi- 
ment was noted in the well, and running 10 hours a day the pump 
delivered about 60 gallons a minute. In January, 1906, it was 
found that with a stroke of 18 a minute and running continuously 
for 24 hours a yield of 50 gallons was obtained. 

With the exception of a period of some six weeks in 1905, maximum 
pumping did not exhaust the supply, and the pump was run in 1906 
for 24 hours a day. The needs of the institution, however, had 
become much larger than the well could supply. Furthermore, the 



932 



UNDEEGKOUlSrD WATER RESOUKCES OF IOWA. 



well became infected with the germs of typhoid fever. Water taken 
directly from the discharge pipe was found by the State bacteriolo- 
gists to contain the colon bacillus in large quantities and to have been 
contaminated by surface drainage, evidently through corroded or 
otherwise leaky casings. The location of the well is favorable for 
such contamination. 

It was decided to sink an additional well to the water bed at about 
1,000 feet to obtain a larger supply and to shut out the surface water 
finding access to well No. 1 by recasing it to 120 feet. The second 
well was carried to a depth of 975 feet and was then abandoned. It 
had a diameter of 15 to 6 inches ; casing, 15 inches to 124 feet, 12 inches 
to 557 feet, 10 inches to 769 feet, 8 inches to 860 feet, and 6 inches to 
bottom. The curb was 1,060 feet above sea level. The log follows: 

Driller's log of well No. 2 of the Institution for Feeble-minded Children at Glemvood. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, yellowish 

Clay, reddish, very hard and dry 

Clay, yellowish, as from 2-12 

Clay, dark yellow, moist; easy to dig 

Gravel and fine white sand, water 

Limestone, white; imder which was 2 inches of yellow clay 

Shale, blue-black 

Limestone, white, very hard 

Shale, black 

Limestone, blue, hard 

Shale, black 

Limestone 

Shale, blue 

Ijimestone, white 

Clay shale, red 

Shale, white slate 

Limestone, hard, gray 

Limestone, hard 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, very hard 

Gravel and shale 

Limestone, soft 

Shale, red 

Limestone, white 

Shale, blue 

Limestone, hard 

Shale and lime 

Slate, blue 

Slate and lime 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Lime and shale 

Slate and shale 

Limestone, blue 

Shale 

Shale, blue 

Coarse sand and limestone 

Slate, black, white, and red 

Shale 

Limestone, soft 

Sandstone; salt water rising to 175 feet below curb 

Shale, blue 

Slate, black 

Shale, blue, and sand 

Shale, black 

Shale, blue, and slate 

Shale and limestone 

Shale 

Shale, dark, and 1 foot of limestone 

Clay, red, and some limestone , 

Sand 

Shale, dark blue 



Feet. 
10 
13 
20 
50 

5 

1 
29 

2 

5 
10 

5 
23 
20 
20 
15 
35 
30 
15 
10 
25 
10 

5 
25 
25 
10 
10 

5 

5 
25 
10 
40 
10 
35 

5 
15 
30 
10 
15 
35 

5 
30 
30 
10 
30 
60 
20 
30 
20 
25 
15 
5 
20 



Feet. 
12 
25 
45 
95 
100 
101 
130 
132 
137 
147 
152 
175 
195 
215 
230 
265 
295 
310 
320 
345 
355 
360 
385 
410 
420 
430 
435 
440 
465 
475 
515 
525 
560 
565 
580 
610 
620 
635 
670 
675 
710 
740 
750 
780 
840 
860 
890 
910 
935 
950 
955 
975 



MILLS COUNTY. 933 

Because of the failure to obtain a sufficient amount of water in well 
No. 2 to supplement that of the first well, the second was also aban- 
doned and a supply found in shallow wells on the Missouri River flood 
plain about 2| miles from the institution. 

Though no pumping test seems to have been made of the capacity 
of well No, 2, there is little or no doubt that sufficient water was not 
obtained. The drilling was stopped at 85 feet above sea level, and 
the water beds of the sandstone at the base of the Pennsylvanian were 
not reached in well No. 1 until the drill had gone 28 feet below sea 
level. Had the well been drilled 113 feet deeper probably 75 gallons 
a minute would have been obtained from this sandstone. 

Water for the institution is now obtained from a system of eight 
6-inch driven wells in the Missouri Valley about 1 mile east of Pacific 
Junction. The eight are spaced about 26 feet apart, and end with 
8-foQt screens in alluvial sand at a depth of 32 feet. The casings are 
all connected at the top, and the water, which normally stands about 
7 J feet below the surface is drawn by two duplex suction pumps 
4 feet below the surface. The pumps are usually operated at the 
rate of 450 gallons a minute without producing any noticeable effect 
upon the supply. The water is only moderately hard but contains an 
undesirable amount of dissolved iron that is successfully removed by 
aeration. 

Hastings. — The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad well at 
Hastings (population, 393) is 24 feet deep and apparently ends in the 
alluvium of the valley. It is said to yield about 32,000 gallons in 8 
hours. 

Malvern. — The public supply of Malvern (population, 1,154) is 
drawn from 14 driven wells located in the valley only slightly above 
the level of Silver Creek. Some of the wells are 3 inches and others 4 
inches in diameter. They pass through about 24 feet of soil and clay 
and end with 3i-foot screens in a bed of sand, reported to be fine 
grained and between 2 and 13 feet in thickness. It seems that the 
yield, which was originally not great, has decreased gradually by the 
incrusting of the screens until the enthe system will not yield over 
100 gallons a minute when pumped continuously. A dug well, 
which was 22 feet deep and ended at the top of the sand stratum, was 
origmally used but was abandoned for the present system because of 
its meager yield. It is also reported that the Chicago, Burlington & 
Quincy Railroad at one time drilled to a depth of about 300 feet 
without success. 

The waterworks consist of an elevated tank and approximately 4 
miles of mams, with 18 fire hydrants and about 65 taps. The average 
daily consumption is reported to be 9,000 gallons. 

Pacific Junction. — The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad has 
a pumping station in the valley between Pacific Junction and the 



934 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

asylum wells. The water is drawn by suction from six 4-inch driven 
wells 35 feet deep. The pump usually lifts about 200 gallons a minute, 
which amount the wells ar^ reported to yield except during very low 
water in the summer. 

MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 

By Howard E. Simpson. 
TOPOGRAPHY. 

Montgomery County lies near the extreme southwest corner of Iowa. 
Its surface is an old drift plain carved into broad parallel ridges and 
valleys by the streams that flow across it in a direction slightly west 
of south, toward the Missouri. The broad, flat bottoms of the valleys 
and the mature dissection of the ridges indicate that a long time has 
elapsed since the whole was a broad level plam sloping in the direction 
now followed by the master streams. These streams, the Walnut, 
East Nishnabotna, Tarkio, and West Nodaway rivers, and their 
tributaries thoroughly drain the county, so that it contains no stand- 
ing surface water. 

The drift thickly covers the entire county except some areas in the 
large valleys whose bottoms are filled with sand and gravel and sUt 
and on whose sides it has been here and there eroded away, exposing 
the bedrock beneath. That this till is very old may be inferred from 
the facts that it is deeply leached, that many of its igneous bowlders 
are entirely disintegrated by weathering, and above all that its 
surface is maturely dissected. Well records do not indicate its 
division into Kansan and Nebraskan, as they do in counties north 
and east; whether the drift is Kansan or Nebraskan has not been 
positively determined. The uplands are mantled with the fine gray- 
ish yellow loess that is characteristic of the Missouri Valley region. 

GEOLOGY. 

The bedrock immediately below the drift on the uplands and ridges 
is the soft, porous Dakota sandstone (Cretaceous). 'This is wanting 
in all the river valleys, the preglacial streams which occupied these 
having cut deeply into the shales and limestones of the Missouri 
group (Pennsylvanian) , which lies just beneath. The result is that 
sandstone under the uplands alternates with shale and limestone 
under the valleys in parallel belts running almost north and south 
■across the county. This fact, together with the presence of heavy 
alluvial deposits over the shale and limestone, is of prime importance 
in a consideration of underground water in this county. The strata 
of the county dip slightly west of south. 



MONTGOMEEY COUNTY. 935 

XJNDERGIIOTJND WATER. 
SOURCte. 

The most clearly defined water-bearing beds are the alluvial sands 
beneath the valleys and the Dakota sandstone beneath the uplands. 
Together these afford an abundant supply of good water for most of 
the county. Besides these the entire county is underlain by the 
drift and limestone horizons. Only on upland slopes that are not 
underlain by sandstone nor overlain by alluvium and in places where, 
owing to deep dissection, the drift is well drained, is there lack of 
good underground water in Montgomery County. 

Most important of all aquifers are the deep beds of sands underly- 
ing the till of both the first and the second bottoms of each of the sev- 
eral rivers. These afford an mexhaustible supply of water at depths 
of 20 to 100 feet over belts ranging in width from a few hundred yards 
to 2 J miles and extending across the county from north to south. 
The water is medium hard and locally carries sufficient iron com- 
pounds in solution to form a red precipitate on standing, yet is on the 
whole very wholesome where not contaminated by organic matter in 
towns and cities. 

Water is generally obtained from this bed by means of driven wells 
sunk at very slight cost. Ordinarily there is sufficient clay above 
the sands to seal out immediate surface waters and prevent contam- 
ination. In the cities and towns, however, a 4arge amount of sewage 
enters through the cesspools dug into or through the surface soil and 
clay and through open wells which mingle surface waters and the 
sand waters. Pollution may be easily determined by analysis, and 
where found all private shallow wells should be closed and the public 
supply taken from some point above the city where it is free from 
contamination. 

Over the uplands many shallow wells obtain a supply for domestic 
use or for small farms from the waters that gradually seep through 
the porous surface clay, the loess. The lower portion of the loess 
generaUy consists of fine sands, and these are the more common 
sources of supply for wells 10 to 20 feet deep. Loess wells are usually 
of the dug type and are unsatisfactory, as their supply greatly dimin- 
ishes or fails entirely in dry seasons. 

In recent years bored wells drawing on the sands and gravels at or 
near the base of the drift are replacing the shallower wells. These wells 
range in depth from 30 to 75 feet and obtain a larger and purer sup- 
ply. A few wells obtain a supply from local lenses of sand or gravel 
in the bowlder clay. 

Where found beneath the uplands the soft brown sandstone imme- 
diately under the drift is a most excellent aquifer, the purest and 



936 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

best. It ranges from a few feet to 100 feet in thickness and is 
found at depths ranging up to 150 feet. Only on the margins of the 
uplands is it inadequate. Wlien this water is obtained care should 
be taken to case out all others. 

The limestone of the Missouri group is everywhere present under 
the sandstone or directly under the drift and affords a very scanty 
supply of hard water. This should be sought only when higher beds 
fail or are contaminated. Failure to procure ample supply from 
higher sources will rarely occur except on the lower upland slopes 
and uplands in the western edge of the county — that is, where the 
drift is deeply eroded and well drained and is neither overlain by 
alluvium nor underlain by sandstone. In such places it will proba- 
bly be necessary to utilize waters from all sources by casing to lime- 
stone and by puncturing the casing opposite each horizon. 

PROVINCES. 

Montgomery' County comprises several underground-water prov- 
inces. The first, or valley bottoms, consists of the first bottoms, the 
part now flooded in times of high water, or the flood plain; and the 
second bottoms, the terraces of the old vaUey floor, now above aU 
ordmary floods and occupied by splendid farms and in many places 
b}" towns and villages. These second bottoms vary in width from a 
few hundred yards to 2 or 3 miles. On them the entire supply of 
water comes from driven, dug, or bored wells, which draw water from 
the alluvium. In the deeper portions, where silt is underlain by 
heavy beds of sand, driven wells are chiefly used, and such wells 
should be used wherever possible, as they prevent the mingling of 
surface waters with the supply used. In cities and towns on the 
bottoms care should be taken to determine by frequent analysis 
whether such wells are contaminated, and if contaminated, the pri- 
vate wells should be closed and free public w^ater provided from a 
location above the town or from some source too deep for contami- 
nation. 

The higher uplands underlain by sandstone constitute the second 
province. These are not all continuous or even connected, but this 
sandstone is one of the best aquifers in the State. Most wells in this 
region are shallow and obtam water from the drift, but where a large, 
pure, and permanent supply is desired the sandstone is sought. 

The third province, that of the limestone, occupies the higher low- 
lands and the lower uplands of the western edge of the county and 
lies in general on the slopes between the other two. Though the 
limestone is everywhere present, it is sought only where the alluvial 
and sandstone aquifers are wanting and where the drift is so broken 
and dissected as to be thoroughly drained. The limestone is a last 



MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 937 

resort and the water is frequently so scanty as to require a careful 
combining of the waters of all beds to make the supply sufficient, 
when the quality may not be satisfactory. 

The shales of the Des Moines group, lying underneath the Missouri 
group, are very impervious and therefore dry in this part of the State. 

FLOWING WELLS. 

Several small flowing wells have been reported, the aquifers of 
which are the drift or the Dakota sandstone. The best is that of A. 
Monson on very low ground ui the NE. J sec. 19, T. 72 N., R. 36 W.; 
at a depth of 50 feet it obtains a fairly good flow from a conglomerate 
layer of the Dakota sandstone. Another well, drawing its supply 
from drift sands, is on J. P. Maben's farm near the center of sec. 21, 
T. 72 N., R. 36 W. Water flowed for a time from the tubular well 
on the farm of J. R. Jones (NE. I sec. 16, T. 73 N., R. 39 W.), but 
soon ceased. The source is unknown. A flow was also struck in the 
35-foot test hole put down on the slope 15 feet south of the new city 
well at Red Oak. This comes from the Dakota sandstone. A flow 
was not obtained, however, in the larger well. Small flows may 
usually be found m Dakota sandstone on low slopes. These may be 
of value in a small way for stock wells, and may be classed as artificial 
springs. No important flows can be expected from shaUow weUs. 

SPRINGS. 

Where the deeper valleys cut tlu-ough an excellent aquifer, such as 
the Dakota sandstone, and leave it exposed over the valley sides, a 
number of excellent springs are found. Some are of the usual drift 
variety and are formed at outcropping edges of sand and gravel 
beds in the heads of ravines and on valley sides. The stronger, how- 
ever, come from the Dakota sandstone where it overlies the shales 
and limestones of the Missouri group, and flow perennial streams of 
pure cold water. The best known of this class are the "Sand 
Springs" just south of Red Oak (N. i sec. 33, T. 72 N., R. 38 W.). 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Elliott. — All weUs at Elliott (population, 528) are driven, the 
average depth being 30 feet. A good cover of soil and clay overHes 
the sand, which occurs at a depth of about 20 feet. The valley bot- 
tom in which such wells may be obtained is three-fifths mile wide. 
On the uplands beyond, wells are bored, dug, or drilled. Most com- 
mon are the wells bored 60 to 80 feet to sand and gravel and lined 
with 12 to 18 inch sewer pipe. Others penetrate the sandstone. 

The public supply is obtained from a battery of twelve 2-inch 
drive points connected in series by 4-inch pipe to a 12-horsepower 



938 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

gasoline pump with a capacity of 200 gallons a minute. Mains 900 
feet long connect the pump with 5 hydrants. The system is used 
only for fire protection, when a pressure of 20 pounds is obtained. 

Red Oak. — Drive points are the common wells on the lowland por- 
tion of Red Oak (population, 4,830), the usual depth being 25 to 
40 feet, though a few reach 60 feet. On the upland portion tubular 
wells are in very general use. The water heads at 10 to 12 feet below 
the surface; in wet weather at 4 feet. 

A section is as follows: 

Section of well at Red Oak. 

Depth in feet. 

Soil 1-6 

Gumbo 6-10 

Clay, yellow 10-20 

Sand, ferruginous (first water) 20-25 

Clay. 

Gravel (second water) 40-50 

Villisca. — Driven wells on lowlands all about Vilhsca (population, 
2,039) find sheet water in sand at 15 to 35 feet. On the higher land 
wells 35 feet deep in alluvium or drift obtain an abundance of water. 
Few deep wells are reported. Sheet water in sand would probably 
not be found in Jackson Township except in the western tier of 
sections. 

The public supply is obtained from a sprmg weU at the bottom of 
the slope between the town and the river. This well is a large, square 
hole 20 feet deep walled with rock, pointed up with mortar, and roofed 
over. From this a tile extends into the source of a spring wliich is 
evidently in the drift of the hill. The water is pumped into a tank 
by a triplex electric engine having a capacity of 100,000 gallons a day. 
A steam pump of equal capacity is held in reserve in such a way as to 
give gravity pressure of 55 pounds on the main business streets and 
68 pounds at the plant. In case of fire 125 pounds direct pressure by 
electric and steam pumps may be obtamed. Mains 2| miles long 
connect with 22 fire hydrants and about 120 taps, supplying one- 
tenth of the people. 

A small tank is maintained for the city electric-light pumping 
plant and for street-sprinkling It draws its supply from the river, 
since the city water scales boilers badly and is low in dry seasons. 

In emergency the tank supply may be cvit off and after the well is 
drained the river may be drawn upon for unlimited supply. Tliis 
has, however, been found necessary but once or twice in the history 
of the plant. 

The water is so unfit for domestic use and so unsatisfactory for 
boilers and the supply furnished in dry seasons is so scant that a 
new system is contemplated. 



PAGE COUNTY. 



939 



WELL DATA. 



The following table gives data of typical wells in Montgomery 

County: 

Typical wells of Montgomery County. 



Owner. 


Location. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
rock. 


Source of supply. 


Head 
below 
curb. 


Remarks. 


T.73N., R.36W. 
(Douglas). 
R. W.Corbin.. 
W. Gardner 

T.73N., R.37W. 
(Pn-OT Grove). 
Mrs.G.Halbert 

S.Tripp 


SE.i-sec.8 

NE. J sec. 17 

N.Jsee.ll 

SW. J sec. 26 

1 mile northwest 
of Stennett. 

NW.i-sec. 27 

W.4sec.7 

NW.isec.21 

NE.|:sec.l2 

SE.i-sec.26 

NV\^.isec. 35 

NW.isec.l 

NW.isec. 3 

S. Jsee.l4 

SW.isec.22 

SE.isec. 15 

NE. J sec. 19 


Feet. 
220 
210 

180 
278 

178 

270 
50 

161 

160 

245 
175 

140 
177 
125 

175 

212 

50 


Feet. 
50 
149 

100 
100 

27 

40 
40 


Coal (Missouri)... 
Limestone (Mis- 
souri). 

Sandstone (Da- 
kota). 


Feet. 
160 
150 

160 


Hard water. 

Fine water. 

No water; limestone 


T. 73N., R.38 W. 

(Sherman). 
J. W. -Griffith.. 






well. 
Do. 


D.L.Rush 






Do. 


D. W. Bricls... 

J. E. Good 

T. 73N., R.39 W. 

(Lincoln.) 

J. H. Aridn.... 
T. 72N., R.39 W. 
(Gaeheld.) 

Mrs.M.E.Tol- 


Sandstone (Da- 
kota). 
Sand and gravel.. 

do.... 

Sand 


81 

140 

100 
75 

115 


Plenty of water. 
No rock. 

Do. 

Plenty of water. No 


man. 
G.W.Buchan- 
an. 
T.71N., R.39W. 
(West). 
T. G.Haag 


Sandstone (Da- 
kota). 

....do 


rock. 
Strong well; no rock. 

Strong weU. 
Plenty of water. 


J. Larsen 




do 


J. E.Frank 


60 
90 


do 




Soft water. 


T. 71N., R.38 W. 
(Grant.) 
S. Anderson 


do 






T.72N., R.38W. 
(Red Oak.) 

J. A. McLean... 
T.72N., R.36 W. 
. (Washington.) 

A. Monson 


do.. 

do 




Flowing well. 











PAGE COUNTY. 

By 0, E. Meinzer. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Page County is crossed by several streams, all of which meander 
through wide, flat-bottomed valleys that are nearly parallel and have 
a general southward or slightly southwestward trend. The two 
largest are Nodaway and East Nishnabotna rivers. Between the 
valleys extend intricately dissected upland belts, having a relief of 
about 200 feet. 

GEOLOGY. 

The entire county is underlain by the Missouri group (Pennsyl- 
vanian), which consists essentially of shale with numerous thin 
strata of hmestone and a few coal seamSj the total thickness of the 



940 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OP IOWA. 

series, as determined by deep drilling at Clarinda, apparently being 
nearly 700 feet. (See PI. XVIII.) Below the Missouri is the Des 
Moines, another thick series belonging to the Pennsylvanian and con- 
sisting predominantly of shale but differing from the Missouri chiefly 
in containing less limestone and more sandstone. 

The upper surface of the Missouri group lies for the most part 
below the valley level and is encumbered with a heavy deposit of 
glacial detritus, out of which the valleys have been excavated, and 
the hill topography of the interstream belts, with their 200 feet of 
relief, more or less, has been carved. At a number of places a thin 
layer of sandstone has been found between the glacial drift and the 
shale or limestone of the Missouri group, and this is considered by 
Prof. Calvin as probably Cretaceous.^ 

The upper surface of the drift is thoroughly weathered and is widely 
overspread with a few feet of loess. The broad valleys are filled 
with alluvium, in some localities to depths of more than 50 feet. 
The alluvium, especially near the top, consists chiefly of fine-grained 
loesslike sediments, but it also includes beds of sand and gravel. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

The alluvial deposits are the most reliable source of water in Page 
County. They are very important, not only because they occur over 
a considerable part of the county, but also because they are available 
to the principal cities and villages. They furnish the public supplies 
at Clarinda, Shenandoah, and Essex, the locomotive supplies for 
both the Wabash and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad 
companies, the hospital supplies at Clarinda, the industrial and 
domestic suppHes in essentially all the valley to'wois, and the domestic 
and stock supplies on a large number of farms. 

The bulk of the alluvium consists of clay and silt that ^^dll not yield 
water, and much of the rest consists of fine sand that gives up its 
water slowly, but fortunately there also exist, commonly at consid- 
erable depths, beds of gravel, through which the water percolates 
more freely. A large number of the private wells end in sand and 
provide only scanty supplies, but where the demands are greater, as 
for pubhc and industrial uses, the gravel beds are utilized, although 
even these are sharply limited in their yield. It needs to be said, 
however, that the small capacity of both private and public wells is, 
to a certain extent, due to the chronic clogging of the screens by fine 
sediment and by precipitates from the water. 

For domestic and stock purposes, driven wells are largely employed. 
A pit is commonly dug nearly to the water level and the pump cylin- 

1 Calvin, Samuel, Geology of Page County: Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 11, 1901, p. 439. 



PAGE COUNTY. 941 

der is placed at the bottom, where it will be protected from frost. 
Many pits are sunk some depth below the water level, so that the water 
rising in the driven well overflows into the pit, from which it is 
pumped. The manifest advantage of such an arrangement is that a 
reserve of water accumulates during the intervals that it is not drawn 
upon, and hence water can at times be pumped more rapidly than 
the rate at which the well will yield. A serious disadvantage of such 
an arrangement, or of any that estabhshes communication between 
the well and pit, is that the water is always in danger of contamina- 
tion, especially in the settlements, where cesspools and privies are in 
common use. 

In the upland areas, between the streams, the ground-water condi- 
tions are more precarious. The drift contains beds of sand and gravel, 
but if these He above the valley level they have been drained of their 
water wherever they are widely distributed and are freely porous. 
If the drill or auger penetrates to the valley level it may perhaps 
discover a stratum of drift sand or of Cretaceous sandstone that is 
filled with water, but it is more likely to encounter the shale and 
limestone of the Missouri group, which is an unpromising source of 
water, as to both quantity and quality. The imperfectly porous parts 
of the drift, such as are commonly found in the uncompacted upper 
portion, do not readily lose their water by leakage into the valleys, 
and hence it is that in spite of their meager yield they are relied upon 
for supplies on most of the upland farms. Many of the shallow wells 
in the hilly areas are in large ravines, where the prospects of procuring 
sufficient seepage are better than on valley sides or hilltops. The 
leakage from the sandy and gravelly seams in the drift produces 
numerous springs, some of which are found in the smaller draws near 
the tops of the divides. The water from the drift, especially from 
its upper part, is, like that from the alluvium, of good quality except 
that it is hard. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Clarinda. — The public supply at Clarinda (population, 2,832) is 
drawn from five 6-inch wells, aU of which are situated in the valley 
and end with screens in a 9-foot bed of gravel that lies below about 
50 to 60 feet of clay and sand and rests upon shale. The water is 
hard but otherwise good. It rises within about 20 to 30 feet of the 
surface, and the wells "will furnish an average of about 50 gallons a 
minute each. It is reported that either of the two wells at the Lee 
electric-light plant, situated 75 feet apart, wUl yield 100,000 ga^ons 
in 24 hours, but that together they will yield only 130,000 gallons. 
The aquifer seems to be entirely reliable and not to be affected by dry 
seasons, but the weUs deteriorate rapidly and must be renewed every 
few years. A system of small driven wells, previously used for the 
public supply, was not satisfa>ctory. 



942 



UNDEKGBOUND WATEK KESOUECES OF IOWA. 



The water is pumped by the electric-Hght company into a stand- 
pipe, from which it is carried to the consumers by gravity. About 
175,000 gallons are used daily. 

. At the State Hospital for the Insane three 6-inch wells start from 
slightly higher ground than the city wells and go to a depth of 77 feet, 
evidently ending in the same bed of gravel below alluvial clay and 
sand above Carboniferous shale. The gravel is here said to be a little 
over 7 feet thick. The three wells are reported to have a maximum 
capacity of 106,000 gaUons, 96,000 gallons, and over 100,000 gallons, 
respectively, in 24 hours. The average daily consumption is about 
110,000 gallons. The water is considered excellent for drinking and 
for general domestic use and serves very well for boilers, though it is 
somewhat hard. 

A boring at Clarinda was carried to a depth of 1,002 feet in search 
of coal. Water flowed from the boring for a short time during the 
progress of the work. The driller's log, which seems to have been 
carefuUy kept, contains 40 entries, including records of shale of 
various kinds, limestone, marl, and coal. The drill seems to have 
passed from the Missouri group into the Des Moines at about 700 feet, 
but apparently did not reach the Mississippian. 

An accurate and detailed log (109 entries) of a diamond-drill hole at 
Clarinda, 840 feet deep, is published by the Iowa Geological Survey.^ 
From this log and an inspection of the core, Leonard places the base of 
the Missouri group at about 715 feet. 

The driller's log first mentioned is given below: 

Driller^ s log of coal prospect at Clarinda. 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. i 


50 


50 


SO 


100 


20 


120 


5 


125 


20 


145 


5 


150 1 


5 


155 


15 


170 


25 


195 


20 


215 


85 


300 


20 


320 


20 


340 


4 


344 


36 


380 


120 


500 


20 


520 


72 


592 


28 


620 


10 


630 


30 


660 


8 


668 


11 


679 


21 


700 


5 


705 


5 


710 


10 


720 



Clay and gravel 

Shale, with thin streaks of rock 

Shale, brittle 

Marl, black 

Shale, black 

Shale, blue -.. 

Limestone 

Shale, light 

Limestone, very hard 

Shale 

Soapstone, changing to shale 

Limestone 

Shale, black 

Marl, red 

Soapstone, impure, red 

Shale, blue 

Limestone « 

Shale 

Shale 

Stone, dark colored 

Shale 

Coal, impure 

Limestone 

Rock and shale 

Coal 

Shale 

Shale ' 

1 Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 12, 1902, pp. 29-31 



PAGE COUNTY, 
Driller's log of coal prospect at Clarinda — Continued. 



943 



Depth. 



Shale and coal 

Shale 

Shale 

Coal 

Limestone 

Shale, black and blue 

Slate and shale 

Slate, gray 

Shale, white 

Shale 

"Drift" 

Shale, blue and black 
Soapstone 



Coin. — The Charles Schick well at Coin (population, 591), a pros- 
pect hole for gas and coal, has a depth of 888 feet, casing from 800 
feet to bottom. Salty water is said to flow from well. Below a 
depth of 62 feet the rocks penetrated probably belong to the Pennsyl- 
vanian series. 

Driller'' s log of Charles Schick well at Coin. 




Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Material containing wood, at. 
Gravel. 



Feet. 



Feet. 



Limestone, very hard 

Limestone and black shale, alternating every 2 to 4 feet . 

Caving rock and water, at 

Shale and coal blossom 

Limestone 

Coal. 



Shale and limestone, alternating every 2 to 4 feet 

Shale, black, tarry 

Shale, etc.; rapid alternations 

Coal and slate 

Stopped drilling to case well on account of caving; casing broken and tools lost; well 
abandoned, at 



12 
8 
2 

153 
4 

456 



190 
217 
225 
227 
380 
384 
840 
849 



Essex. — ^The public supply at Essex (population, 776), as at 
Clarinda and Shenandoah, is drawn from alluvial gravel. A 6-inch 
well passes through 40 feet of clay and sand and ends with a 6-foot 
strainer in a bed of gravel from which the water rises to a level 
12 feet below the surface. According to estimates made the maxi- 
mum yield does not greatly exceed 20 gallons a minute. The water is 
reported somewhat hard but otherwise good. It is stored in two com- 
pression tanks, from which it is delivered by air pressure through over 
a mile of mains to 12 fire hydrants and 41 taps. It is used by perhaps 
one-fifth of the people, who consume approximately 4,000 gallons 
daily. 

SJienandoah. — ^The city waterworks at Shenandoah (population, 
4,976) are suppHed from one 10-inch and six 6-inch weUs, which 
pass through about 45 feet of alluvial clay and sand and end with 



944 UNDERGEOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

screens in a bed of gravel. The water level fluctuates somewhat 
but is commonly about 16 feet below the surface. The casings 
of the seven wells are connected with a pump placed in a pit approxi- 
mately at water level, and this pump draws by suction from all 
the wells simultaneously at the rate of about 200 gallons a minute, 
which approaches the maximum capacity of the system. It is 
probable that this small yield is largely due to the deterioration 
of the 6-inch wells, which have been in service for a period of years. 
Before the wells at present in use were put down, a series of small 
driven wells was used. 

The water is pumped into a standpipe from which it is distributed 
through 9 or 10 miles of mains to a large number of fire hydrants 
and taps. It is extensively utihzed for domestic purposes and is 
also used in the locomotives on the Wabash Railroad. The total 
daily consumption is about 125,000 gallons. 

The well of M. W. Smith in the NW. I sec. 21, T. 69 N., E. 39 W., 
is 710 feet deep and 4 to 2 inches in diameter. It is cased to rock. 
The curb is 1,024 feet above sea level and the head is above the curb. 
The flow is now 1,000 gallons a day, but was greater, the yield having 
dhninished. The water is salty and is used for stock. The well 
was completed in 1887. 

POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY. 

By 0. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 
TOPOGBAPHY. 

Most of Pottawattamie County consists of an upland carved by 
stream erosion into mnumerable steep hills and ravines, but Mis- 
souri River, which forms the west boundary of the county, and Nish- 
nabotna River and other affluent streams, which cross the county in 
a southwest direction, occupy wide valleys whose broad, flat, monot- 
onous bottoms are in striking contrast to the rugged topography 
of the uplands. 

GEOLOGY. 

The region is underlain by Pennsylvanian strata, consisting 
cliiefly of shales and limestones that outcrop at several localities 
but are commonly buried under 100 to 200 feet of unconsohdated 
materials of Pleistocene and more recent age. At a few points ia 
the eastern part of the county a Cretaceous formation, mainly sand- 
stone, has been found in exposures and wells between the Pennsyl- 
vanian and Pleistocene series. On the uplands the Pleistocene 
consists in downward succession of loess, yellow clay somewhat 
resembling loess, Kansan drift, Aftonian gravel, and Nebraskan 



POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY. 945 

drift.* The numerous wide valleys all contain thick deposits of 
alluvium. 

The deep geology of the western part of the county, near Council 
Bluffs and Omaha, Nebr., has been almost entirely unknown. A 
very few samples of the drillings of the deep well of the Willow 
Springs distillery at Omaha, examined by Norton in 1896, showed 
that a magnesian Umestone series begins about 1,055 feet from the 
surface, or about sea level, and continues thence to the bottom 
of the boring at a depth of 1,780 feet, interrupted, so far as shown 
by the samples, only by a thin shale at 1,250 feet and a white sand- 
stone at 1,430 feet. The logs of several wells at Council Bluffs 
and Omaha are on record but are vague and contradictory. The great 
depth of the Pennsylvanian in southwestern Iowa has led to a beUef 
that at Council Bluffs, as at places farther to the east and south, 
the coal measures might well extend down to sea level. 

The drillings at Miller Park, Omaha, and at Fort Crook (see pp. 
954-958) agree in testifying that at about 550 feet above sea level 
there begins a series of limestones and cherts, 500 feet thick, contain- 
ing in many places milk-white translucent chalcedony. In view of its 
nature and its thickness this series can hardly be attributed to any 
higher terrane than the Mississippian, At least this hypothesis seems 
preferable to the hypothesis that the Des Moines group changes from 
clay shales to limestones of Mississippian f acies on nearing Missouri 
River at this latitude. 

Apparently, then, there is in this area a rather sharp upwarp that 
brings the Mississippian floor of the coal measures 650 feet higher at 
Omaha than at Glen wood, 18 miles to the southeast, so that they 
have a dip of 36 feet to the mile. The southward dip is corroborated 
by the testimony of well drillers, who report a much greater dip. 

The heavy shales of the Kinderhook group, which are regarded as 
the base of the Mississippian at Glenwood, are absent at Omaha and 
Council Bluffs, so that it is difficult to draw any line of separation 
between the Mississippian and the Devonian, and it is quite possible 
that more or less of the limestones assigned to the former really 
belong to the latter. The thickness of the Mississippian is not 
excessive, for at Glenwood it measures somewhat more than 400 
feet. At Logan, also, farther north, where it should be thinner, the 
Mississippian extends from at least 478 feet above sea level to 212 
feet above sea level, giving a minimum thickness of 266 feet. The 
Mississippian at Logan, however, may begin 150 feet higher up, there 
being a gap in the record; moreover, its lower limit does not seem to 
have been attained. 

> Udden, J. A., Geology of Pottawattamie County: Ann. Rept. Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. 11, 1901, pp. 233 
et seq. 

36581°r-wsp 293—12 60 



946 UNDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

At about 50 feet above sea level at Fort Crook a series of dolomitic 
limestones begins. At 70 feet above sea level at Miller Park, Omaha, 
dolomites are first encountered, although limestones, more or less 
magnesian, are found 100 feet higher. These magnesian limestones 
and dolomites are the uppermost beds of a thick series of rocks that 
are widely spread over western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. They 
probabl}^ represent different formations, but in the absence of fossils 
any identification or even demarcation seems impossible. In excep- 
tion, it may be noted that a thick body of magnesian limestone and 
dolomite occurring at Glenwood and at Bedford well up toward the 
summit of the series may be referred with some confidence to the 
Salina ( ?) formation of the Silurian, on account of its content of gyp- 
sum and anhydrite. In the Council Bluffs section these minerals are 
absent, and the upper beds may be assigned to the Silurian solely on 
account of their place in the series. 

At Fort Crook the magnesian series is interrupted by limestones of 
slight magnesian content from 1,070 to 1,125 feet. At 1,220 feet 
(150 feet below sea level) occurs a hard, bright green shale inter- 
bedded with dolomite, the whole being 30 feet thick. All limestones 
below this shale are thoroughly dolomitized. At 1,340 feet (270 feet 
below sea level) they are slightly arenaceous. At the Willow Springs 
distillery, Omaha, a white sandstone occurs about 400 feet below 
this. At Miller Park, Omaha, a red arenaceous shale with thin 
layers of sandstone intervenes at 75 feet below sea level. This may 
represent the hard green shale found in the Fort Crook well at 150 
feet below sea level. 

The formation to which the dolomites below the green and red 
shales belong is quite uncertain. In facies they resemble the dolo- 
mites of the Prairie du Chien group except in their generally non- 
arenaceous nature. But the Silurian dolomites at Bedford are of 
great thickness. The drill was still in them at 2,400 feet, which would 
give them a minimum thickness of 575 feet. There seem, therefore, 
to be no data by which the lower limit of the Silurian dolomites at 
Council Bluffs can be determined. 

It would not be inconsistent with some of the data to refer the 
bright-green and the red sandy shales found from 75 to 150 feet 
below sea level to the base of the Platteville. This would imply an 
upwarp of the lower Paleozoic in the Council Bluffs area of far 
greater steepness than any known in the State. It would correspond 
with the already inferred upwarp of the Mississippian floor of the coal 
measures, but it would be considerably steeper, lifting the St. Peter 
about 1,000 feet higher than the general stratigraphy would indicate. 
At Lincoln, Nebr., where the St, Peter is fairly well identified in the 
State well, it occurs nearly 900 feet below the summit of the mag- 
nesian limestones, and if the green shale at Fort Crook at 150 feet 



POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY. 947 

below sea level marks the top of the St. Peter, it occurs at but 100 
feet (or at most at but 200 feet) below the same datum, although the 
Mississippian has thinned out to the west from Omaha to Lincoln. 
For this reason it would seem somewhat more probable that the St. 
Peter lies below the lowest terranes pierced by the Omaha wells. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. " 

Water is found in (1) the alluvium; (2) in the loess, drift, and 
associated deposits; (3) in the Cretaceous deposits; and (4) in the 
lower formations. 

In the lowland tracts water can be secured from alluvial sand or 
gravel in sufficient quantities for all ordinary purposes. When not 
polluted tliis water is of good quality, though it contains rather large 
amounts of calcium and magnesium. Driven wells are in common 
use and the water rises nearly or quite to the surface. 

Two 12-inch wells drilled in the Missouri Valley at Council Bluffs 
for the Cliicago & North Western Railway have the following section: 

Section of Chicago & North Western Railway wells at Council Bluffs. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Clay, soft, yellow 

Mud, soft, gray 

Sand, soft, gray, muddy. 
Sand, gray 

Sand, coarse, and gravel . 



Feet. 
24 
20 
20 
16 
16 



Feet. 
24 
44 
64 
80 
96 



These wells were finished with 10-inch screens in the basal sand and 
gravel from which the water rose within 10 feet of the surface, and 
was lowered 15 feet 4 inches by pumping 300 gallons a minute for nine 
hours. 

The loess and the upper part of the bowlder clay are slightly porous 
and contribute a slow seepage to dug or bored wells sunk below the 
ground-water level. Beds of sand and gravel are numerous. The 
Aftonian gravel appears to be widely distributed, and in some places 
attains considerable thickness. Along the cliffs north of Council Bluffs, 
where it is especially well developed, it gives rise to numerous good 
sprmgs. According to Andrew Graham, park commissioner, 31 
springs in this vicinity, presumably all issuing from the Aftonian, 
together yield 1,250,000 gallons a day. Sand and gravel also occur 
in certain localities between the drift and the bedrock. 

Most of the water in the numerous sand and gravel deposits is not 
under much pressure and generally does not flow readily into drilled 
wells of small diameter, though it may constitute a very satisfactory 



948 UISTDEKGKOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

source for large bored wells. The difficulty with many of the bored 
wells is that they fail to reach water because well augers can not bore 
into gravels that are firmly cemented, as they are in many places. 
In seeking municipal, industrial, or stock suppHes in the upland 
regions, explorations should if necessary be carried to the Pennsyl- 
vanian strata, which can easily be recognized. 

The conditions found in drilling in Fairmont Park, on the loess- 
covered uplands at Council Bluffs, may be regarded as typical. The 
first hole was sunk through 125 feet of loess and bowlder clay, 2 feet of 
yellow sand, and finally through about 13 feet of red or yellow rock, 
stopping at 140 feet (about at the valley level) without water. The 
second hole was started on ground about 20 feet lower than the first 
and was carried through about 100 feet of loess and bowlder clay, 2 
feet of gravel, 8 feet of red or yellow rock, and 155 feet of rock, con- 
sisting of alternating shale and limestone strata. Finally, at a depth 
of 265 feet, it was ab^doned, for it did not find sufficient water to 
supply a well of small diameter, although in the first 100 feet there were 
seeps that would probably have sufficed for a well of large diameter. 
The third hole was started on ground perhaps 110 feet higher than 
the first and was sunk to a depth of 280 feet. Near the bottom the 
drill passed through 2 feet of brown sandstone, 10 or 15 f«et of yellow 
clay, and 3 feet of clean white sand and gravel, ending in a few feet 
of red or yellow rock. The water from the sand and gravel rose 
about 40 feet in the well, and with the cylinder at the bottom it can 
be pumped at about 6 gallons a minute. It is apparently of good 
quality. A fourth hole encountered 6 feet of sandstone instead of 2, 
and 4^ feet of gravel instead of 3; its maximum yield is 8 gallons a 
minute instead of 6. 

Locally the Cretaceous sandstone will yield freely, but it is so 
generally absent that for the county as a whole it is not of much 
consequence. 

The deep beds, which have been tapped by a number of wells 
in Council Bluffs and Omaha, yield moderate amounts of water rich 
in sodium sulphate. Between them and the water-bearing beds that 
are nearer the surface lie several hundred feet of Pennsylvanian 
strata, which are unpromising as a source of water, although a few 
wells seem to draw from them. 

The thick body of limestones referred to the Mississippian carries 
artesian water at several levels. In the Missouri Valley at Council 
Bluffs small flows may be expected at depths between 620 and 740 
feet and stronger flows between 800 and 815 feet (245 to 235 feet 
above sea level). 

The magnesian limestones and dolomites referred to the Silurian 
(often called sandrock in drillers' logs because of the sharp sparkling 
crystalhne sand to which they are crushed by the drill) are tapped by 



POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY. 949 

most of the artesian wells of the area. Water is found in them at 
950 feet to 1,150 feet below the Missouri Valley at Council Bluffs. 

Other water is found in deeper dolomites referred with great 
uncertainty to the Silurian. Like the water from the Silurian dolo- 
mites at Bedford, these deeper waters are highly minerahzed. These 
beds are the source of the main water at Fort Crook (1,560-1,580 feet) 
and were tapped also at Willow Springs distillery (1,600-1,700 feet). 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Avoca. — The public supply at Avoca (population, 1,520) is derived 
from four 5-inch driven wells which stand 30 feet apart on the Nish- 
nabotna bottoms and end at a depth of 28 feet with 6-foot screens in 
a 13-foot bed of sand and gravel, from which the wacer rises to within 
a few feet of the surface. The combined yield of the 4 wells was 
roughly estimated at 250 gallons a minute. The water is hard and 
the screens become incrusted in about 2 years. Before the present 
wells were put down a less successful system of small sand points was 
used. The water is pumped by the electric-light company into a 
standpipe and is deUvered through about 4^ miles of mains to approx- 
imately 100 buildings. It is used by one-third of the people and 25,000 
gallons are daily consumed. Water for the boilers at the electric- 
hght plant and mill is drawn from the river; that for the railway loco- 
motives is taken from a large dug well on the river bank; that for the 
boiler at the brickyard is drawn from rain water stored in a cistern ; 
and that for the canning factory is taken from a well similar to the 
village wells. 

Carson. — Carson (population, 640) is located at a place where the 
Nishnabotna Valley is greatly constricted, apparently owing to out- 
cropping bedrock. The waterworks, which are in private ownership, 
draw from a dug well about 6 feet in diameter and 40 feet deep that 
extends largely through fine sand from which the water is with diffi- 
culty separated. The yield is between 10 and 15 gallons a minute. 
The supply is pumped by water power into a small tank on high ground 
and distributed by gravity through a system of mains with hmited 
service. The railway locomotives are suppHed from a well that is 
similar to that at the waterworks. 

Council Bluffs. — Water at Council Bluffs (population, 29,292) 
is obtained from four distinct sources: (1) Missouri Eiver, which 
supplies the public waterworks and most of the railway companies, 
and furnishes the most satisfactory boiler water; (2) alluvial sand 
and gravel, which in the valley yields generous quantities of hard water 
that is widely used for a variety of purposes; (3) loess and drift 
materials, which on the uplands furnish meager supplies of good 
water that must generally be lifted from near the bottoms of the 



950 



UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 



wells, as at Fairmont Park; and (4) rock formations at greater 
depths, which provide moderate amounts of sodium-sulphate water 
that in some cases rises above the valley level. The deep water is 
used at the State School for the Deaf and at several industrial estab- 
lishments, but it is avoided for locomotive boilers. 

For the pvibhc supply the water is lifted from the river by a cen- 
trifugal pump into sedimentation basins and is thence elevated by 
duplex pumps into a storage reservoir, from which it is distributed by 
gravity. The system consists of about 34 miles of mains with 288 
fire hydrants and 4,500 service connections. The water is mdely 
used by the people and by the railway companies, and approximately 
2,500,000 gallons is consumed daily. 

Well No. 1 of the school for the deaf is 1,012 feet deep and 3 inches 
in diameter. The curb is 1,010 feet above sea level. The original 
head was 50 feet above curb, but the present head is only 10 feet 
above. The original discharge was 50 to 60 gallons a minute; the 
discharge in 1889 was 11 gallons a minute; the discharge in 1908 
was 3 gallons a minute and the present pumping capacity is 15 
gallons a minute. The well was completed in 1885. In 1894 several 
hundred feet of new casing was inserted, with the effect of temporarily 
increasing the flow. This well now flows into an artificial pond and 
furnishes auxiliary supply for fire protection. 

Record of strata ofivell No. 1 at school for the deaf, Council Bluffs.^- 




Shale,, red, calcareous ^ 

Shale lavender colored, noncalcareous 

Shalei bluish, calcareous; some small chips of limestone 

Shale) dark gray, fine grained, sUghtly tmcaceous, noncalcareous 

Shale, blue, tough, calcareous 

Shale, blue, calcareous; some chips of limestone 

Shale, light gray to green, pyritiferous; a few chips of limestone 

Shale, reddish brown, calcareous 

Shale, dull red, siliceous, noncalcareous; 2 samples 

Shale, blue gray, very weakly calcareous; 2 samples 

Sandstone, white, transparent; quartz grains rather sharp; some calcareous particles. . 

Limestone, white; much quartz sand 

Shale, greenish; some fragments of limestone; calcareous, slightly pyritiferous 

Sandstone, fine, calciferous T 

Limestone, dark; mixed with some shale and sand 

Sandstone, very fine; some calcareous grains 

Shale, green gray, sUghtly calcareous 



o From descriptions of drUlings by J. A. Udden and by a member of Iowa Geological Survey. 

Well No. 2 at the school for the deaf has a depth of 1,080 or 1,100 
feet and a diameter of OJ inches to 482 feet, 5| inches to 618 feet, and 
4 inches to bottom. The casing is 4-inch pipe to 482 feet. The 
original discharge was 40 gallons a minute; discharge in 1908, 6 
gallons; pumping capacity, 30 gaUons a minute. Date of completion, 
1889. The well is pumped and furnishes 35,000 gallons a day. 



POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY. 951 

Log of well No. 2, school for the deaf, Council Bluffs. 





Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Surface material 


Feet. 

90 

300 

80 

100 

250 

100 

40 

50 

30 

35 

25 


Feet. 
90 


Shale , 


390 


Sand. . . . 


470 


Limestone 


570 


Shale . 


820 




920 


Sandstone 


960 


Limestone ... 


1,010 


Sandstone 


1,040 


Shale 


1,075 


Sandstone 


1,100 







The Geisse Brewery well is 1,114 feet deep and 9 to 3 inches in diam- 
eter. The curb is 1,047 feet above sea level and the original head was 
55 feet above curb. The original discharge was 175 gallons a minute. 
The water comes from limestone. Date of completion, 1886(?). 

The weU of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway at the 
roundhouse is reported to be 750 or 860 feet deep. The curb is 980 
feet above sea level and the present discharge 3^ gallons a minute. 
A gradual lessening of flow has been noted. No pumps are used. 
DriUer, W. H. Gray & Bro., Chicago. 

Driller's log of well of Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. 





Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Drift 


Feet. 

70 

100 

480 

100 


Feet. 
70 




170 


Shale 


650 




750 







The J. G. Woodward & Co. candy factory well was 830 feet deep. It 
obtained a flow of 15 gaUons a minute from water bed at 725 feet, which 
had decreased to 5 gallons a minute by 1904. The well was deep- 
ened in 1904 to 847i feet and the flow increased to 12 gaUons a minute. 
Water at present is pumped at the rate of 60 gallons a minute with 
cylinder 140 feet below surface. Date of completion, 1901. 

The Bloomer Ice & Cold Storage Co. well is 1,280 feet deep and 
12 to 8 inches in diameter. The head is 80 feet above curb. A slight 
flow of ferruginous water at 700 feet was cased out, the mam flow 
coming from 1,000 to 1,100 feet. The original discharge was 105 
gallons a minute; the discharge in 1909 was 75 gaflons a minute; the 
temperature was 62° F. The weU was completed in 1906 at a cost of 
$5,500, by L. E. NebergaU, of Omaha. 

The owner of the well states (from memory) that limestone was 
struck at 95 feet, beneath 3 or 4 feet of blue shale. A coal seam 2 or 3 



952 



UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 



inches thick was found at about 700 feet, with shale above and below 
it, and a very coarse conglomerate gravel with flattened pebbles at 
about 1,100 feet. From 1,150 feet to the bottom the well is in lime- 
stone. 

Omaha, Nebr., and adjoining towns. — Some assistance in the inter- 
pretation of the difficult section at Comicil Bluffs is afforded by 
records of wells at Omaha, Lane, and Fort Crook, Nebr. These 
records were collected by J. H. Lees, assistant State geologist of the 
Iowa Geological Survey, and by correspondence. 

Driller's log of Riverview Park well at Omaha, Nebr. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Drift 

Limestone . 
Shale 



Limestone 

Caving slaale; streaks of limestone : 

Limestone 

Streaks of lime and shale, caving badly, at ... . 

Caving shale to 

Lime and shale 

Sandy shale, caving badly in places 

Limestone 

Shale, caving considerably 

Limestone, with streaks of shale caving badly. 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Shale streak, at 

Limestone; streaks of shale 



Feet. 



41 
132 
108 
149 
101 
58 
72 



Feet. 

94 

164 

174 

260 

347 

395 

460 

669 

610 

742 

850 

999 

1,100 

1,158 

1,230 

1,233 

1,380 



Log of Young Men's Christian Association well, Omaha, Nebr. 
[Elevation of curb, 1,070 feet above sea level.] 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Earth 

Limestone 

Shale, red and black 

Limestone 

Shale, black 

Limestone 

Shale and limestone. 

Limestone 

Sandstone 



Feet. 
102 
198 
200 

20 

50 
170 

50 
284 

60 



Feet. 
102 
300 
500 
520 
570 
740 
790 
1,074 
1,134 



Log of Booth Fisheries Co. well, Omaha, Nebr. 

[Elevation of curb, 1,045 feet above sea level.] 

Depth in 

feet. 

Loam and clay 40 

Clay, blue, struck blue rock 50 

Bedrock 61 

Shale 78-88 

Limestone and shale 93 

Shale 98 

Shale; trace of red rock 115 



POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY. 



953 



Depth in 
feet. 

Clay, blue; trace of red rock 125 

Kock 130 

Limestone 180, 200 

Clay, blue 210 

Shale, red 260, 280 

Clay, blue 290, 315 

Shale, gray 370 

Shale, red 380 

Shale, red and gi-ay 400, 410 

Shale 412 

Shale, reddish 420 

Rock ■. . .- 428 

Shale, red, and clay 440 

Shale, gray 520 

Limestone 550 

^imestone and clay; a small overflow 620 

More -water 740 

Limestone 792 

Limestone ; more water 805 

Through limestone; more water 812 

Shale; flow 46 gallons a minute 815 

Limestone, milky 850 

Bad cave 950 

Limestone, hard; water somewhat milky; 60 gallons a minute. . 970 

Hard rock; 67 gallons a minute 1, 047 

Bottom of well (flow of 110 gallons a minute) 1, 094 

Log of Union Pacific Bailway well, Lane, Nehr. 
[Curb, 1,091 feet above sea level.] 





Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Clav, sandv 


Feet. 
50 

2 
53 
45 
13 
20 

2 
15 

2 
48 

4 

7 
159 
295 
10 
10 
15 
10 

6 
146 

8 
26 

4 
41 

9 

318 

67 

33 

7 

8 
10 


Feet. 
50 


Sand. . . 


52 


Shale, blue 


105 




150 


Shale, black. . . 


163 


Limestone 


183 


Shale 


185 


Limestone 


200 


Shale 


202 




250 


Sandstone 


254 


Limestone 


261 


Shale 


420 


T.iTnpRtnnp, . . 


715 


Shale 


725 


Limestone 


735 


Shale.. 


750 


Limestone . 


760 


Shale 


766 




912 


Shale . - 


920 




946 


Shale 


950 


Limestone 


991 


Shale 


1,000 


Limestone . 


1,318 




1,385 


Limestone 


1,418 


Shale 


1,425 


Sandstone 


1,433 


Shale 


1,443 



954 UlSTDEKGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Log of Union Pacific Railway well, Lane, Nebr. — Continued. 




Sandstone. . 

Shale 

Sandstone.. 
Limestone., 
Sandstone. . 
Limestone.. 
Sandstone.. 
Limestone.. 
Shale, green 
Sandstone.. 



Record of strata of deep well at Fort CrooJc, Nebr. 
[Furnished by Frank Phillips, Government engineer.] 



Thick- 
ness. 



Unrecorded 

Sand, coarse 

Sand; gravel up to three-fourths inch diameter; pebbles of quartzite, greenstone, gran- 
ite, etc 

Till, blue; small pebbles, some of coal; facies of Kansan drift 

Gravel; up to 1 inch diameter; well rounded; cuttings of gray crystalline limestone; 
rapid effervescence in cold dilute hydrochloric acid .». 

Limestone; as above, some grayish white fossiliferous cuttings 

Limestone, light yellow gray; rapid effervescence; subcrystalline; FtosuUna cylin- 
drica 

Limestone, gray-white; in small chips 

Limestone, blue gray, soft, earthy; large irregular chips, fossiliferous; erinoid stems and 
joints and Fusulina cylindrica; some shale 

Limestone, gray, subcrystalline, encrinital; some green shale 

Limestone, green gray, hard, fossiliferous; rapid effervescence 

Shale, black, fissile 

Limestone, grayish white, encrinital; in flaky chips 

Shale, black 

Limestone, light gray, earthy; some black shale from above 

Limestone, white, fossiliferous; in large flaky chips; some blue shale 

Shale, green, small particles of white limestone 

Limestone, gray and white, soft, earthy 

Limestone, blue-gray, fossiliferous, compact , 

Shale, red, slightly calcareous 

Sandstone, blue-gray, fine grained, micaceous, calciferous, in chips; some red shale . .. 

Limestone, blue-gray, highly argillaceous; some pyrite , 

Limestone, blue-gray; shale, black, reddish, and yellow; fragments of Productus 

Limestone, cream colored, earthy; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, light gray, earthy 

Shale, black, coaly 

Shale, light green, calcareous 

Shale, blue, calcareous, plastic 

Sandstone, dark blue-gray, calcareous, micaceous, laminated, fine grained; in chips. . . 

Limestone, light buff and gray; rapid effervescence; blue shale ., 

Shale, varicolored, blue, gray, yellov/, red 

Shale, gray; some coal; in thin flakes 

Sandstone, light gray, micaceous; grains minute and highly irregular in shape; in fine 
sand 

Limestone, sandstone, and shale; limestone and sandstone in fine sand; shale, black 
fissile, in flakes of some size and perhaps from above 

Chert, white 

Chert, white, and limestone; some sand and shale 

Limestone, light buff and white; chert; some sand in drillings, rapid effervescence. . . 

Limestone, light buff and white; rapid effervescence; chert; some sand 

Limestone, white and gray; rapid effervescence; some chert and chalcedonic silica. . . 

Chert and chalcedony; some limestone, of rapid effervescence; 3 samples 

Limestone, hght gray; rapid effervescence; chalcedony and chert; all in fine sand; all 
samples below the sandstone at 500 contain more or less quartz sand of irregular and 
minute grains 

Chert, white and gray ; limestone, light gray; limestone in sand, chert in large chips 

Limestone, white and light gray, compact; rapid effervescence; some chert 

Limestone, light gray and white; some laminated, compact; rapid effervescence; some 
crystalline darker; some chert 

Limestone, white and light gray, macrocrystalline, soft, fossiliferous 

Limestone, compact, wmte, rather soft; rapid effervescence; larger part of water-worn 
chips of shale of various colors and some gray sandstone, both evidently from above. 



Feet. 



65 
4 

6 

28 

10 

2 

7 
12 

4 

2 
13 

5 
22 
15 

5 
13 



10 

60 

27 

13 

5 

10 

5 

5 

15 
5 
5 
10 
70 
30 

10 

37 
3 

15 

10 

5 

10 
50 



POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY. 955 

Record of strata of deep ivell at Fort Crook, Nebr. — Continued. 




Limestone, white and light gray; in small flaky chips 

Sandstone, light gray; grains diverse in size and irregular in shape; considerable white 
limestone; all in tine sand; 2 samples 

Shalti, blue, plastic 

Limestone, hght gray; rapid effervescence; sample consists of limestone, some quartz 
sand and chert, and black shale and pyrite; all in fine sand 

Limestone, white, soft and dark gray, subcrystalline, hard; in flaky chips 

Limestone, light gray, dense; in small angular cuttings 

Limestone, light gray ; rapid effervescence; some chert 

Limestone (?), cuttings of limestone, chert, shale of all colors, and grains of quartz; 
probably due to caving 

Limestone, light-buff, some white; considerable chert and quartz sand in drillings 

Chert, blue, mottled; limestone of rapid effervescence; some quartz sand , 

Limestone; light buff; much blue chert; slow effervescence, indicating large content of 
magnesia 

Limestone, light gray and white, compact; in flakes; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, light buff and light gray, subcrystalline; effervescence slow; some parti- 
cles rapid (see analysis below) 

Dolomite, dark brown, crystalUne; in sharp sand; effervescence slow 

Dolomite, light buff; in fine sand 

Dolomite; as at 1,055 feet 

Shale, blue, plastic, calcareous 

Dolomite, light buff 

Limestone, buff, in mass; rapid effervescence; much white and light-gray limestone; 
some black shale and quartz sand; resembles upper limestones 

Limestone, dark and light gray; rapid effervescence; in minute cuttings; black shale 
from above ._ 

Dolomite, light buff; in finest crystalline sand, without shale, and with negligible 
quartz sand; 3 samples 

Shale, bright green, hard, noncalcareous, nonarenaceous; in sand; many chips of dolo- 
mite 

Dolomite, gray; in finest sand; 2 samples (see analysis below) 

Dolomite, white; in finest sand; some quartz sand in drillings, grains fairly well 
rounded, some with secondary enlargements; many broken; quartz sand from 5 to 10 
per cent of drillings 

Dolomite, light gray and whitish; in finest sparklmg crystalline sand, almost free from 
quartz sand . ., 

Dolomite, white, macrocrystalline; in coarse sand (see analysis below) 

Dolomite, light buff; cherty in fine sand practically free from quartz 



Feet. 
23 

65 



100 
20 
185 



Feet. 
793 



866 

872 
887 
900 
926 

950 

980 

1,000 

1,004 
1,015 

1,018 
1,055 
1,058 
1,060 
1,065 
1,070 

1,080 

1,125 

1,220 

1,250 
1,340 



1,460 

1,560 
1,580 
1,765 



Analyses of drillings from deep well at Fort Crook, Nebr. 
[Made in chemical laboratory of Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa.] 



1,018 feet. 



1,340 feet. 



1,580 feet. 



Silica (Si O2) .... 

Iron(FeO) 

Water (H2O) 

Calcium (CaO) , 

Magnesium MgO) 

Carbon dioxide (COj) 



5.41 
1.37 

2.26 
26.20 
21.06 
43.73 



100. 03 



17.92 
1.23 
2.08 
19.64 
20.65 
38.18 



99.70 



11.46 
2.60 
2.01 
20.73 
22.73 
41.21 



100. 74 



A complete set of samples of the drillings taken from the deep well 
in Miller Park, Omaha, was preserved by the drillers, J. P. Miller & 
Co., of Chicago. The surface at the well as reported by the city engi- 
neer is 1,007 feet above sea level. The depth to the principal water 
bed is 810 feet; another water bed is at 1,150 feet. The natural flow 
is about 150 gallons a minute; temperature, 60° F. 



956 UNDEEGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata in deep ivell at Miller Park, Omaha, Nehr. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Silt, light, greenish yellow, calcareous, argillaceous; mainly fine, angular quartzose 
particles; some hard chips of white limestone, at 

Limestone, light, blue gray, and light yellow, earthy, subcrystalhne; rapid efferves- 
cence in cold dilute hydrochloric acid; in large cuttings 

Shale, red, according tolabel 

Limestone, white, soft, earthy; in large chips 

Limestone, white, soft; in tliin flakes; with green shale 

Limestone, white, earthy 

Limestone, white and light gray, compact, fine grained, earthy; in flaky chips 

Shale, blue; and limestone, white, soft, earthy, blue-gray, fossiliferous 

Shale, red; and Umestone, light blue-gray, hard, fine grained; some hthographic with 
conchoidal fracture, some partly crystalline 

Limestone, blue-gray and pinkish, earthy; some fine grained, conchoidal fracture; 
reddish shale , 

Limestone, drab, conchoidal fracture; reddish and greenish shale 

Shale, drab, argillaceous; calcareous nodules 

Shale, red 



Feet. 



Shale, blue - 

Shale, blue, plastic 

Shale, blue, plastic, calcareous 

Limestone, gray; in fine angular sand 

Shale, red; some green plastic shale 

Shale, blue, plastic, slightly calcareous. 

Limestone , blue-gray , fossiliferous; crinoid stems; in small chips in mass concreted with 

drab and black shale 

Shale, blue, plastic; 2 samples 

Limestone, buff; in fine angular sand 

Shale, black 

Shale, red; some green, at 

Shale, green and purple; some hard silico-calcareous cuttings 

Limestone, gray; some pinkish; a Uttle colored flint, with yellow, green, and reddish 

shale 



Shale, reddish and yellow; and sandstone, blue gray, fine grained 

Limestone, gray; in fine angular sand 

Shale, greenish yellow; 3 samples 

Shale, blue, plastic 

Shale, blue, somewhat calcareous 

Shale, black and yellow-green 

Shale, black and reddish 

Limestone, white and gray; some white chert 

Chert and Umestone, white and gray - - 

Limestone, blue, highly argillaceous, hard and white, saccharoidal; some chert 

Limestone, white and light gray; much white chert 

Limestone, light gray; in fine sand; with powder of shale in light blue-gray concreted 



Chert and chalcedonic sihca; much black, drab, and reddish shale from cave 

Shale, drab; gray limestone and chert 

Limestone, medium dark blue-gray, dense, earthy; in rather large chips; some fUnt, 
and crystalline quartz, apparently geodic; also blue shale 

Limestone, light 3^ellow-gray ; some greenish gray; in fine sand, at 

Chert, Ught gray, in small chips; a little Umestone of same color 

Chert, gray; a little light gray or whitish Umestone 

Chert, gray, drab, and white; a little chalcedonic siUca and gray Umestone 

Limestone, Ught gray; much chert; some fine grains of clear quartz, partly rounded 

Limestone, light gray and yellow; considerable chert and bluish chalcedony and some 
quartz grains 

Shale, blue and light green; in molded masses; small, hard, dark blue-gray, nodular 
masses at 035 feet; calcareous and argillaceous 

Limestone, light yellow-gray; and hard blue argillaceous 

Limestone, light yellow-gi'ay , dense, fine grained; in flaky cuttings .'. 

Limestone, white, soft, earthly; some hard crystalline; with rare fragments of crinoid 
stems, white and bluish-white chert, and small quartz crystals; in medium-sized 
chips 

Limestone, cream colored, hard, fine grained; in coarse meal 

Limestone, white and light gray; soft; in small flakes 

Lfmestone, Ught yellow gray 

Limestone, white and Ught gray; 2 samples 

Limestone, white and cream colored; dull luster; in flakes; soft 

Limestone, white, subcrystalline; in sand; minute rounded grains suggest ooUtic or 
foraminiferal tests; with shale, green, noncalcareous 

Limestone, gray, of rapid effervescence; some subcrystalline limestone of slow effer- 
vescence. Latter is the first Umestone whose slow effervescence indicates any con- 
siderable magnesian content; shale green, practically noncalcareous; in chips 

Limestone, white and yellow gray; with chert, and some quartz sand; and shale, green, 
pyritiferous; in chips 

Limestone, white; rapid effervescence; with shale in chips; much fine quartz sand; 
shale, from 785 to 825 feet, probably due to caving 

Limestone, white and light yellow, crystalline; effervescence rather slow; with shale, 
blue gray, highly pyritiferous 

Limestone, white" or "light yellow-green, crystalline, and in part saccharoidal; much 
blue-gray noncalcareous shale 



POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY. 957 

Record of strata in deep well at Miller Park, Omaha, iVeSr.— Continued. 




Limestone, buff; slow effervescence; much white chert; fine cuttings 

Limestone, gray; with whiite chert; effervescence slow; in fme cuttings 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, light gray; in very fine crystalline powder; slow 

effervescence; 2 samples 

Limestone, light brown; moderately slow effervescence; in crystalline sand; a few fine 

rounded grains of quartz 

Limestone, brown; in sand; effervescence rather rapid 

Limestone, light yellow, crystalline; some of moderately slow and some of rapid effer- 
vescence -. 

Limestone, light yellow-gray, subcrystalline; in fine cuttings; effervescence rapid 

Limestone, light yellow and brown, crystalline; effervescence moderately slow 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, buff, crystalline, compact; effervescence slow; in 

small cuttings; 3 samples 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, crystalline, cherty, light gray; slow effervescence; 

2 samples 

Limestone, light gray and yellow; in fine sand; effervescence moderately slow 

Limestone, light gray, blue-gray, and drab; hard; effervescence rather slow; much 

quartz sand of rounded grains 

Limestone, light gray; rather slow effervescence; cuttings of hard, white, calcareous 

shale; all in sand; 4 samples 

Shale, bright green, hard; m small chips; calcareous; with limestone, buff; effervescence 

rather slow; some calcite; in fine sand 

Shale, green, plastic, in molded masses but with individual fissile fragments embedded; 

calcareous 

Shale; as at 1,065 feet; some chips of light-gray limestone; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, buff; some mottled with dark drab; rather slow effervescence; some green 

shale 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, clean, bright yellow, fine, crystalUne, granular; 

effervescence slow; with embedded minute ill-rounded grains of silica; a little white 

chert; 2 samples 

Limestone, light yellow and whitish; moderately rapid effervescence; much green 

shale; all in fine sand; 2 samples 

Sandstone, white, fine; well-rounded grains of crystalline quartz; some pink Umestone 

of rather rapid effervescence 

Limestone, ptakish and light buff, subcrystalline; moderately rapid effervescence; 

some gray, of much slower effervescence; in chips, and shale, dark red, very slightly 

calcareous, arenaceous; in chips; and sandstone, of grains as above, with dark-red 

matrix of shale 

Limestone, light gray; rapid effervescence; some white chert; and sandstone, of fine 

well-roimded grains 

Dolomite or magnesian limestone, light blue and yellow-gray, compact, with white 

chert; effervescence slow; some quartz sand and green shale, probably from above; 



Feet. 



Feet. 
855 
865 

885 

895 
905 

915 
925 
935 

965 

995 
1,005 

1,015 

1,055 

1,065 

1,075 
1,085 

1,105 

1,125 
1,145 
1,165 



1,175 
1,185 

1,269 



Driller's log of Miller Parle well, Omaha, Nehr. 



Clay, soft 

Hardpan and gravel 

Hard limestone 

Shale and streaks of limestone 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale, red 

Limestone, hard 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Limestone, hard 

Shale 

Limestone, hard 

Shale 

Shale, black , 

Limestone 

Shale, yellow, and limestone. . 

Shale, blue , 

Limestone , 

Shale, white , 

Limestone 

Shale, black 

Limestone, hard 

Shale, blue , 



Thick- 
ness. 


Depth. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


30 


30 


40 


70 


25 


95 


12 


107 


13 


120 


5 


125 


10 


135 


40 


175 


5 


ISO 


45 


225 


5 


230 


3 


233 


62 


295 


20 


315 


35 


350 


15 


365 


7 


372 


38 


410 


45 


455 


20 


475 


12 


487 


20 


507 


10 


517 


14 


531 


6 


637 



958 UlSTDEKGEOUND WATEE EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Driller'' s log of Miller Park well, Omaha, Nehr. — Continued. 



Depth. 



Limestone 

Shale, blue 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale, white 

Limestone, hard 

Caving rock 

Limestone 

Sand (water-bearing) 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone 

Shale 

Limestone, hard 

Shale 

Limestone 

Sandstone 

Marl, sandy, red 

Limestone 



Feet. 

542 

554 

557 

562 

585 

590 

615 

619 

639 

672 

720 

724 

840 

842 

849 

855 

940 

952 

1,060 

1,067 

1,075 

1,105 

1,125 

1,129 

1,144 

1,269 



Minden. — In Minden (population, 423) there are two pumping 
stations each \vith two wells, none of which supply much water. The 
first well is 8 feet in diameter and 40 feet deep, is cased with brick, 
passes through clay and gravelly streaks from which it receives 
seepage, and furnishes about 5,000 gallons a day. The second is 16 
inches in diameter and 60 feet deep, is cased with tile, penetrates a 
bed of quicksand, and yields perhaps 10 gallons a minute. The two 
new wells at the pumping plant recently installed are 20 inches in 
diameter and 58 or 60 feet deep, are cased with tile, and also end in 
quicksand. There is a standpipe, IJ miles of mains, 22 fire hydrants, 
and 41 service connections. The water is liked by the people and is 
widely used for domestic purposes. The average daily consumption 
is estimated at 10,000 gallons, which amount is now easily provided 
by the wells. The Chicago Great Western Kailway has in the past 
utilized a spring and a shallow well that have not been satisfactory. 
It is reported that the railway company at one lime drilled to a 
depth of several hundred feet without success. The well at the 
canning factory is similar to the village wells. 

Neola. — The public supply at Neola (population, 926) is obtained 
from one 5-inch and about fifteen 2-inch wells that end with screens 
in a thick bed of alluvial sand and gravel at depths of 45 to 50 feet, 
from which the water rises within about 14 feet of the surface. With 
a suction pump placed 6 feet below the surface this system of wells 
has been made to yield 145 gallons per minute. Some of the small 
wells have been in service a long time and their supplies have prob- 
ably been shut off or greatly diminished by the incrusting of their 



SHELBY COUNTY. 959 

screens. The water is of good quality though it has considerable 
temporary hardness. There are 2 miles of mains, 24 fire hydrants, 
and numerous taps. The pressure is obtained from a storage reser- 
voir situated on high ground. The water is used extensively for 
domestic purposes and it is estimated that 50,000 gallons are con- 
sumed daily. Both railway companies draw locomotive supplies 
from the valley gravels. 

OaMand. — Oakland (population, 1,105) is located in the Nishna- 
botna Valley and has a gravity system of waterworks that derives 
its supply from a series of driven wells that end in alluvial sand at a 
-depth of about 22 feet. 

Walnut. — In Walnut (population, 950) two wells were drilled to a 
depth of about 200 feet into a bed of incoherent fine-grained water- 
bearing sand. Numerous unsuccessful experiments were made to 
separate the water from the sand, but the wells were finally aban- 
doned. At present the supply comes from a reservoir formed by 
damming a ravine at the south margin of the village and from four 
shallow wells in the same locality. Three of the wells are bored to 
about 60 feet, where they are said to strike gravel ; the other is a dug 
well 10 feet square and about 30 feet deep. The supply from this 
system is small and precarious and is not considered satisfactory. 
The waterworks include a standpipe and 2 miles of mains. Only 
small use is made of the water, the consumption being perhaps not 
over 3,000 gallons a day. 

SHELBY COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer. 
TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Shelby County consists of a hilly but fertile loess-covered upland 
interrupted by several wide alluvium-filled valleys that trend south- 
westward. The hill topography, with a general relief of 100 to 200 
feet, is carved out of a thick accumulation of glacial drift and asso- 
ciated deposits, below which is hidden a thin layer of Cretaceous 
sandstone and shale and a much thicker series of Pennsylvanian 
shale, limestone, and sandstone. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 

SOURCE. 

The water-bearing formations underlying the county are the allu- 
vium, the loess, drift, and associated deposits, the Cretaceous sand- 
stone, and the lower formations. 

The Pennsylvanian strata will furnish little water, but moderate 
quantities can be secured from formations at greater depths. The 
Carboniferous and deeper waters are rich in sodium sulphate. 



960 UNDERGKOUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

The Cretaceous beds, which consist of poorly cemented sandstone 
and soft shale or "soapstone," where present, lie next above the 
Pennsylvanian. They have apparently been reached in a number of 
wells, but since most of these wells are old and a large proportion 
have been abandoned little definite information in regard to them 
remains. The sandstone contains water, which, however, is not 
under much head and hence does not enter the wells rapidly and 
must be lifted from considerable depths. Moreover, the sand screens 
that are used readily become incrusted, shutting out the supply. 
From the meager data at hand it seems that the water is harder than 
that from more shallow sources but is less mineralized than the 
deeper water. In future work it should be understood that better 
results can be expected from 4-inch and 6-inch wells than from small 
2-mch wells, which are poorly adapted to this region. 

The bulk of the county's water supply is obtained from bored and 
dug wells, whose advantage lies in their large circumference and 
resultingly extensive infiJtering surface. These wells are commonly 
sunk at low points into the unconsolidated materials, from which 
they derive meager contributions at several levels, the most water 
probably being obtained (1) at the contact between the loess and the 
subjacent gravelly and weathered drift and (2) at the contact between 
the two drift sheets that appear to exist here. 

In the principal valleys fairly abundant supplies can be obtained 
by sinking inexpensive open or driven wells into the alluvial sand and 
gravel, and it is from this source that a large part of the water for 
public waterworks and locomotives is obtained. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Earling. — The waterworks at Earling (population, 323) are supplied 
from two pumping plants, each of which draws from two dug wells. 
The four wells, all situated on low ground, range in depth from 21 to 
51 feet and depend chiefly on slow seepage from clay. They fill 
each day to a level within about 8 feet of the surface and will together 
easily supply 15,000 gallons, which is about two and one-half times the 
average daily consumption at present. The water is only moderately 
hard and is used by nearly one-half of the people. The waterworks 
include a tank elevated upon a tower on high ground, one-half mile 
of mains, 8 fire hydrants, and 40 taps. 

Harlan. — The public supply of Harlan (population, 2,570) is drawn 
from eight 6-inch wells located in the valley near the river. They 
extend through yellow clay, tough blue clay, and fine sand into 
coarse sand and gravel, in which they are finished with 12-foot 
screens at a total depth of 43 feet, and from which the water rises to 
a level 20 to 24 feet below the surface. The pump, which is in a pit 



TAYLOR COUNTY. 961 

8 feet below the surface and therefore has a vacuum of 12 to 16 feet 
before pumping is begun, has been operated rapidly enough to lift 
275 gallons a minute and is usually run at the rate pi 175 gallons a 
minute for about 18 out of every 24 hours. It is propelled by water 
power. The water is stored in a standpipe situated on high ground 
and is delivered by gravity through about 4 miles of mains to 41 
fire hydrants and 380 service connections. It is used by most of the 
inhabitants and by the three railway companies. About 200,000 
gallons are consumed daily, one-third of which goes to the railway 
locomotives. The water is only moderately hard and is fairly good 
for use in boilers (see p. 175 for analysis), 

Kirkman. — Kirlonan (population, 180) has an air-pressure system 
of waterworks supplied from a dug well 6 feet in diameter, which 
extends through clay to a depth of 47 feet and ends in a bed of 
gravel. The well fills to a level about 25 feet below the surface. It 
furnishes approximately 2,000 gallons a day and would yield con- 
siderably more. The water is only moderately hard and is used to 
some extent for domestic purposes. 

Panama. — ^The waterworks at Panama (population, 232) consist of 
a gravity system with limited service supplied from a 6-foot dug 
well that extends to a depth of 43 feet and depends on clay seepage. 
In the driest season the yield of this well was reduced to 2,000 gallons 
a day, but it normally yields several times this amount. 

Portsmouth. — The public supply of Portsmouth (population, 347) 
is obtained from four driven wells located in the valley. They end 
with screens in sand and gravel at a depth of about 50 feet, the water 
rising to within 16 feet of the surface. Two of the wells are together 
pumped at the rate of 50 gallons a minute by means of a suction 
pump at the surface. The water is lifted into a tank on the upland 
and is distributed by gravity through 1^ miles of mains to 10 fire 
hydrants and about 30 service connections. It is used by nearly 
one-half of the people, and approximately 7,500 gallons are daily 
consumed. 

TAYLOR COUNTY. 

By O. E. Meinzer and W. H. Norton. 

TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY. 

Taylor County is deeply trenched by numerous valleys that trend 
in general southwestward, between which are hills, ridges, and iso- 
lated tracts of comparatively level upland. The glacial drift, where 
not dissected, is of considerable thickness. At the bottom it is very 
dark and at the top it has been colored yellow by oxidation. At 
intermediate horizons are found "hardpan" and a few beds of sand 
36581°— wsp 293—12 61 



962 UNDERGROUND WATER RESOURCES OF IOWA. 

and gravel. The base of the drift has been so little exposed that 
it is not known to what extent sand exists between the bowlder clay 
and bedrock. Widely spread over the weathered drift is a coat 
of clay, rarely as much as 25 feet thick, and apparently averaging 
much less, which is essentially free of pebbles and grit and which is 
ashy and plastic at the bottom, but is generally yellow and loesslike 
at the surface. In some of the valleys the alluvial deposits are well 
developed. As far as is known, the bedrock belongs to the Missouri 
group (Pennsylvanian), and consists chiefly of limestone and shale. 
In the deep well at Bedford (PI. XVIII, p. 898) this group is supposed 
to have a thickness of 722 feet, the total thickness of the Pennsyl- 
vanian being considered to be 1,300 feet. 

UNDERGROUND WATER. 
SOURCE. 

Almost the entire water supply for Taylor County comes either 
from surface sources (streams, cisterns, and artificial 'ponds") or 
from shallow wells sunk into the upper layer of drift or mto the valley 
deposits. Some wells have been drilled to the deeper parts of the 
drift and a few into the underlying rock strata, but the information 
concerning such wells is exceedingly scant. Some have been finished 
successfully, but a large number were failures. Since no reliable and 
satisfactory deep-water bed has yet been discovered beneath this 
county, it seems advisable for domestic, stock, industrial, and even 
public purposes to seek to develop supplies near the surface. The 
method of boring a number of shallow wells of large diameter and 
connecting them at the bottom with drifts is being exnployed on 
stock farms with good results. 

CITY AND VILLAGE SUPPLIES. 

Bedford. — -The supply for the public waterworks in Bedford (popu- 
lation, 1,883) is from several wells of large diameter, located in the 
valley and sunk through about 28 feet of clay into a 10-foot bed of 
sand that rests upon limestone. The sand is saturated with water 
but it is so fine grained and incoherent that there is difficulty in sepa- 
rating the water from it, and the total yield of the system of wells is 
consequently only about 6,000 gallons a day, an amount that is 
entirely inadequate. The water is pumped into a standpipe and 
thence distributed through the mains by gravity pressure. A 2,400- 
foot hole was drilled at Bedford (PI. XVIII) without finding a satis- 
factory supply, and plans are now being considered for further develop- 
ing the supply from the bed of sand at present utilized, or for installing 
a filtration plant for purifying the river water. Without much doubt 
the yield from the sand bed could be indefinitely augmented by 
boring more wells or in other ways increasing the infiltration surface. 



TAYLOE COUNTY. 



^63 



The well of the Bedford Developing Co. is 2,400 feet deep and 10 
inches in diameter to a depth of 2,008 feet. The curb is 1,098 feet 
above sea level and the head 265 feet below the curb. Water was 
found at 1,180 to 1,228 feet in sandstone; and water which had 
previously stood at from 15 to 30 feet below the curb dropped to 90 
feet. A strong flow of water was struck at 1,560 to 1,580 feet, water 
rising to a point 298 feet below the ciu-b. Water struck at 1,920 to 
2,005 feet rose to a level 284 feet below the curb and, after pumping 
test, to 265 feet (a pumping test at 2,009 feet gave 150 gallons a 
minute). Water was also struck at 2,020 to 2,168 feet. Driller, J. P. 
JVIiller Co., of Chicago; date of completion, 1909. 

The water was too salty for drinking. In all tests the pumps drew 
fresh water for about 40 minutes until upper veins of uncertain loca- 
tion were exhausted. The water at 1,177 or 1,180 feet, in the basal 
sandstone of the Pennsylvanian, was supposed by the owners to be 
salty, but by the drillers the salt water was located at the 1,580-foot 
vein. The test at the 1,661-foot vein also brought up water not fit 
for any city use. In order to test the lower water beds the well was 
reamed to 2,008 feet and a 3-inch pipe was inserted and packed to this 
depth. The pumping test gave 100 gallons a minute through this 
pipe, but the water was extremely salty. It is much to be regretted 
that .the water of the basal Pennsylvanian sandstone was not tested 
as to both quality and quantity. 

Record of strata of deep well at Bedford {PI. X VIII, p. 898). 



Thick- 
ness. 



Depth. 



Pleistocene: 

Drift, no samples or record 

Carboniferous: 

Pennsylvanian: 

Missouri group (722 feet thick; top, 1,060 feet above sea level): 

Limestone, light gray, nonmagnesian, soft; earthy luster; permeated with 
minute ramifying smooth-sui'faced masses of caleite 

Limestone, argillaceous, light gray, soft; earthy luster; and shale plastic. 

Shale, drab, unctuous, noncalcareous; 8 samples 

Ghale, bluish drab, calcareous 

Limestone, earthy, light blue-gray 

Shale, drab, calcareous; 3 samples 

Limestone, light blue-gra3% soft, argillaceous; with shale 

Shale, drab, calcareous 

Limestone and shale; limestone, soft, whitish; rapid effervescence; 
numerous Fusulina; encrinital; 5 samples 

Limestone, light gray, soft, earthy; a little chert 

Shale, greenish drab; some limestone with crinoid stems 

Shale; as above; some black carbonaceous and a Uttle blue-gray limestone. 

Limestone, light brown, white, gray, hard, compact; and greenish shale. . . 

Limestone; light blue gray, argillaceous; and light yellow-gray with 
crinoid fragments; greenish shale 

Limestone, yellow, gray, hard , 

Shale, dark brick red, calcareous; 2 samples , 

Shale; greenish drab, calcareous, siliceous; and ocher yellow, hard, silice- 
ous, calcareous; 2 samples 

Shale, hard, greenish drab; so highly siliceous with minute particles of 
quartz that it might be termed an argillaceous sandstone 

Shale, greenish drab, plastic, pyritiferous; some hard yellow fossiUferous 
limestone 

Shale, blue drab, soft, laminated; harder siliceous layers 

Shale, drab, laminated; 6 samples 

Shale, drab, with some lamlnfE of black coaly shale 

Shale, green, fossiUferous 



Feet. 



Feet. 



6 


44 


6 


50 


40 


90 


5 


95 


n 


100 


15 


115 


5 


120 


5 


125 


25 


ISO 


5 


155 


10 


165 


5 


170 


5 


175 


^ 


180 


5 


185 


10 


195 


10 


205 


5 


210 


15 


225 


25 


250 


30 


■ 280 


5 


285 


5 


290 



964 UKDEEGEOUND WATER EESOUECES OF IOWA. 

Record of strata of deep well at Bedford {PI. XVIII) — Continued. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Carboni ferous— Continued . 

Pennsylvanian — Continued. 

Missouri group (722 feet thicli; top.l ,060 feet above sea level — Continued. 

Shale, green, fossiliferous; some drab limestone and chert 

Shale, hard, red; 2 samples 

Limestone, hard, drab, with shale 

Shale, drab, fossiliferous 

Limestone, hard, fine grained, siliceous 

Limestone, yellow-gray; and white, soft; earthy luster; 3 samples 

Shale, green and black, carbonaceous 

Limestone, soft, yellow, macrocrystalline 

Shale, drab; 5 samples 

Shale, drab; some drab limestone 

Shale, drab; with sand of flinty drab limestone 

Shale, reddish; with dark, green-gray argillaceous Umestone 

Shale, red; a little brown siliceous limestone 

Shale, drab; 4 samples , 

Limestone, light yellow-gray; crystalline in sand; 4 samples 

Shale, greenish drab 

Limestone, light yellow-gray; much shale 

Shale, greenish; some drab limestone, flinty 

Limestone, light yellow-gray 

Shale, drab; 4 samples 

Limestone, white; large fragments of shale 

Shale, drab; some black at 516, with Umestone at 525; 4 samples 

Limestone, white and gray 

Shale, black, fissile, combustile; and hard, gray limestone 

Shale, dark drab 

Shale, greenish; with white limestone in concreted powder 

Sandstone, white; microscopic grain; calciferous; with shale 

Limestone, white and Ught gray 

Shale, dark drab 

Limestone, hard, gray, siUceous; shale 

Shale, dark drab 

Limestone, yellow-gray, rather hard; much shale in large fragments 

Shale, dark drab; nodules and masses of gray chert 

Shale, Ught brown, calcareous 

Shale, greenish; with gray Umestone and chert 

Limestone, gray; much shale 

Shale, drab; black at 645; gritty at 650 and 655; with Umestone at 670; 
sandy at 670, 675, 695, 700; coaly at 705 

Sandstone, fine, gray; 3 samples 

Shale, dark drab; some black; fissile 

Limestone, gray, finely arenaceous 

Shale, drab and reddish brown; 2 samples 

Limestone, Ught gray 

Des Moines group (.580feet thick; top, 338 feet above sea level): 

Shale, varicolored; highly arenaceous at 765 and 770: reddish brown at 785, 
790, 940, and 1,065; black at 855, 1,045, 1,055, and 1,060 

Sandstone; drillings mostly shale 

Shale, black 

Sandstone, fme, white; much shale in drilUngs; 8 samples ; 

Shale 

Sandstone 

Sandstone, in fine gray meal, the particles of which resemble flint macro- 
scopically but are composed of minute quartzose grains with consider- 
able yellow chert at 1,250, with considerable shale in all drilUngs; 10 
samples 

Sandstone, clean, fine, yellow-gray, composed of minute irregular grains. . 

Sandstone, coarser; sorne grains reaching 1mm. in diameter ' 

Sandstone, green-gray, fine grained 

Sandstone, yellow-gray, coarser; grains irregular in shape and far from 
uniform in size 

Sandstone, fine, gray; shale in drilUngs probably from above 

Mississippian (355 feet thick; top, 242 feet below sea level): 

Lirnestone, gray; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, yeliow-white, soft; earthy; 4 samples 

Limestone, gray, rather hard, conchoidal fracture; Uthographie texture 

Limestone, soft, gray, earthy, argillaceous 

Limestone; as above; and gray, fine-grained sandstone 

Limestone, light drab, argillaceous 

Limestone and chert; drillings largely chert and chalcedonic silica 

Limestone, drab; less chalcedony 

Cherts, white and gray; in places brown, and limestones, often siliceous; 17 

samples 

Limestone, soft, gray, earthy; a little chert 

Limestone, soft, white, and "light gray; saccharoidal; some chert 

Cherts and limestone; limestones nohmagnesian; 14 samples 

Limestone, buff; slow effervescence; much gray chert 

Limestone, brown; moderate effervescence 

Limestone, brown; rapid effervescence; calcite crystals 



Fett. 
5 
5 

10 
10 
5 
15 
5 

10 

25 

5 

5 

5 

10 

15 

20 

10 

5 

10 

10 

20 

21 

19 

15 

5 

10 

5 

5 

10 

5 

5 

5 

15 
15 
5 
5 
5 

65 
IS 
10 
10 
10 
5 



400 

5 

15 

40 

5 

10 



TAYLOR COUNTY. 965 

Record of strata of dee'p well at Bedford {PI. XFJ/I)— Continued. 



Carboniferous— Continued. 

Mississippian (355 feet thick; top, 242 feet below sea level — Continued. 

Limestone, gray, oolitic; rapid effervescence; 4 samples 

Shale, blue, fine grained, gritless, calcareous; in concreted powder; 6 samples 

( Kinderhook ?) 

Devonian (130 feet thick; top, 597 feet below sea level): 

Limestone, light gray; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, light blue-gray, compact, fine grained; in thin flaky chips 

Limestone, yellow; in sand; rapid erfervescence 

Shale, drab, clayey, highly calcareous 

Limestone; white and mottled gray at 1,735; gray from 1,740-1,755; buflf at 1,755 
and 1,760; light gray, subcrystalline, dense at 1,765 and 1,770; all of rapid efferves- 
cence 

Shale, or highly argillaceous limestone; gray, in nonconcreted power 

Limestone, bun; in fine meal; rapid effervescence 

Limestone, gray; infmemeal; rapid effervescence; argillaceous at 1,810; 5 samples. 
Silurian (575 feet thick; top 727 feet below sea level): 

Limestone and shale; limestone, gray in meal, rapid effervescence; shale, brick 
red, highly pyritiferous, in fine meal and powder not concreted; some fine ill- 
rounded quartz grains at 1,830; color of mass of drillings, brick red 

Limestone, yellow; drillings pink from admixture with fine meal and powder 
of red shale, probably from 1,825; limestone in meal and sand, crystalline; rapid 
effervescence; some irregularly rounded quartz grains in drillings which also 
may be from above; 14 samples 

Dolomite, dark gray; in fine crystalline meal; some calcite 

Dolomite, buff 

Dolomite, dark gray, argillaceous 

Unknown; drillings washed away , 

Dolomite, light brown; in crystalline meal , 

Marl, in fine white powder, not concreted; caleiferous, argillaceous; large amount 
of anhydrite , 

Dolomite, as at 1,970; calcite rhombs and a few crystals of anhydrite , 

Dolomite, light yellow; in finest crystalline meal; numerous crystals of anhydrite. 

Dolomite, light brown; in floury meal; residue of anhydrite 

Dolomite, light greenish gray, argillaceous; much anhydrite and dolomitic marl. 

Dolomite, light gray, less argillaceous; considerable anhydrite 

Dolomite, bright yellow; in meal; considerable anhydrite 

Dolomite, brown; in coarser meal , 

Dolomite, light brown; in much finer meal; anhydrite rather plentiful 

Limestone; somewhat magnesian, judging from effervescence; light yellow and 
buff; argillaceous; some anhydrite in drillings , 

Dolomite, buff; in fine crystalline, sparkling meal - ,. 

Dolomite, light gray, argillaceous; in finest powder, not concreted 

Dolomite; in fine brown or yellow meal, not concreted; some anhydrite 

Anhydrite marl; in light cream colored or whitish powder; 10 samples 

Anhydrite marl; in bright-buflf powder; dolomite 

Anhydrite marl, cream colored; 9 samples 

Dolomite and anhydrite; in fine buff meal 

Anhydrite marl, argillaceous; in yellow powder 

Shale, slightly calcareous and gypseous; in gray powder. 

Dolomite, light buff; in fine meal 

Shale, calcareous; in gray powder 

Dolomite; in fine buff meal 

Limestone, magnesian, or dolomite; in gray powder and meal; residue argillaceous 
and cherty and with considerable anhydrite 

Dolomite, buff; in angular sand , 

Shale, calcareous; considerable anhydrite 

Dolomite; some gypsum. 



Thick- 
ness. 



Feet. 



20 



Depth. 



Feet. 
1,665 

1,695 

1,705 
1,715 
1,730 
1,735 



1,775 
1,785 
1,800 

1,825 



1,845 



1,915 
1,935 
1,945 
1,950 
1,970 



2,009 
2,015 
2,035 
2,070 
2,075 
2,085 
2,100 
2,105 
2,105 

2,160 
2,168 
2,170 
2,205 
2,260 
2,280 
2,325 
2,340 
2,350 
2,355 
2,360 
2,365 
2,370 

2,385 
2,395 
2,400 





Analyses of drillings from Bedford deep well."' 










Depth. 




1,830 feet. 


1,920 feet. 


2,100 feet. 


2,240 feet. 

36.07 
11.- 63 
32.92 
.34 
.82 
5.10 
11.53 
2.48 


2,300 feet. 


2,400 feet. 


CaCO, 


45.42 
17.32 


53. SO 
44.18 


53.23 
37.38 


11.76 

3.12 

76.53 

.61 

2. 72 


36.71 


MgCOs 


44.75 


CaSO^ 


5.20 


AI2O3 


1.70 
1L07 




.73 
2.02 


.07 


re203 




.81 


MgO 






SiOo 


21.30 
2.05 




4.29 
1.66 


1.29 
3.73 


2.22 


H2O 




9.69 












Total 


98.86 1 


99,31 


100. 89 


99.76 


99. 45 











a Made in chemical laboratory of Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa. 



INDEX. 



A. Page. 

Abbott, well near 707 

Abingdon, wells at .- 543, 547 

Ackley, geology at 67, 68, 76, 78, 81, 83 

water supply at 702, 704 

wells at and near 134, 692, 702-704, 707 

record of 703-704 

plate showing 258 

rock from, analyses of 704 

water of, quality of 160, 161, 162, 181, 235 

Acknowledgments to those aiding 42-43; 43-44 

Adair, water supply at 768 

wells at and near 768, 769 

Adair County, city and village supplies in . . . 768 

geology of w 767 

springs in 768 

topography of 46, 767 

underground water of 767 

wells in 767-769 

water of, quality of , 173 

Adams County, city and village supplies in. 907-908 

flowing wells in 907 

geology of 906 

springs in 907 

topography of 905 

underground water of 906-908 

wells In 907-908 

water of, quality of 176 

Adel, well at 684 

Afton, water supply at 815 

wells at 815 

log of 815 

Aftonian gravel, occurrence and character of. 88 

water in 113 

See also particular county descriptions. 

Afton Junction, geology at 815 

Agency, wells near 601 

Ainsworth, water supply at 612 

wells at and near 618 

Air lift, use of 126 

Akron, geology near 876 

spring near 877 

water supply at 877 

Albert City, wells at, wa.ter of, quality of 151 

Albia, geology at 766,805 

water supply at 806 

wells at and near 805, 806 

record of 806 

Albion, wells near 723, 728, 729 

Albumet, wells at 451 

Aids, well at 537 

Aledo, 111., geology at 62, 514 

well at, record of, plate showing 514 



Page. 

Algona, water supply at 655 

wells at and near 619, 650, 653, 655 

record of 652, 655 

water of, head of 654 

quality of 145, 179, 181 

Algonkian rocks, occurrence and character 

of 60, 61-63, 619, 620, 892 

Allamakee County, city and village supplies 

in 249-259 

flowing wells in 244-245 

geology of 64, 66, 68, 71, 240-243, 246 

springs in. 247-249 

topography of 46, 239-240 

underground water of 238, 243-259 

wells of 97, 98, 243-247, 249-259 

records of 246, 250, 251, 252 

water of, quality of 142, 230 

Allison, water supply at 625 

Alluvium, occurrence and character of 90 

water of 115, 263 

use of, for water supplies 184, 185, 263 

Alpha, wells at 334 

Alta, water supply at 828 

wells at, water of, quality of 151 

Alton, water supply at 889 

Alvord, water supply at 860 

Amana, wells at 402-403 

record of 402 

water of, head of 132 

quality of. 154, 155, 159, 179, 182, 233, 402-403 

Amber, wells near 431 

American Railway, Engineering and Main- 
tenance of Way Association, 
standard of quality of water of . . . 7 

Ames, geology at 40,42,67,68,78,79,83,85,670 

wells at 96, 126, 744, 747, 748-752, 755 

records of 746, 748, 749-752 

plate showing. .^ 382 

water of, quality of.... 160,163,181,230,231 

Amker, well at .' 439 

Ammonia in deep waters, cause of 135 

Analyses, form of 136-137 

nature of 135-136 

recomputation of 138-139 

logarithms for 139 

Anamosa, geology at 65, 66, 67, 69, 75, 76, 243 

water supply at 431-432 

wells at 95, 431-433 

records of 432, 433 

plate showing 354 

water of, head of 122 

quality of 157, 180, 432^33 



967 



968 



INDEX, 



Page. 

Angus, wellnear 682 

Anita, water supply at 912 

wells at 912, 916 

water of, quality of 176 

Ankeny, wells at and near 734,743 

Anthon, water supply at 895 

wells at 895, 896 

ApliQgton, wells at 624 

Appanoose County, city and village supplies 

in 772 

geology of 770 

topography of 46, 770 

underground water of • 770-775 

wells in 172, 771-775 

records of 772-775 

plates showing 374, 672 

water of, quaUty of 174 

Aquifers, overdraft on 129-130 

Aquifers, Iowa, relative heads of 121-122 

texture and porosity of 128 

thickness of, dependence of yield on 127 

Arcadia, wells near 839 

Archean rocks, occurrence and character of. . 61, 619 

Arey, M. F., county descriptions by 281-286, 

620-626 
Arey, M. F., and Norton, W. H., county de- 
scriptions by 254-262 

Argand, wells at 430 

Arion, water supply at 848 

Arlington, water supply at 332 

wells near 331, 336 

Armstrong, water supply at 863 

wells at 853 

water of, head of 854 

Artesian field, geologic conditions in 92-93 

wells in 92-93 

location of, plate showing In pocket. 

Artesian phenomena, discussion of 118-134 

Artesian water, definition of 118 

depth to 92 

discrimination of, from other ground wa- 
ter 31,91-92 

distribution of. See Wells. 

head of, definition of 118 

factors affecting 119-121 

measurement of 119 

possible pollution of, by surface drainage. 196 
quality of. See Water, chemical com- 
position of. 

relation of, to geology 93-94, 121-122 

plate showing Pocket. 

rocks carrying. See Aquifers. 

See also Flowing wells; Wells; Water. 

Ashton, water supply at 869-870 

AtaUssa, springs near 467 

wells at 473, 475 

Atkins, wells at 358 

Atlantic, geology at 86 

spring at, water of, quaUty of 225 

water supply at 912-913 

wells at and near 912-914, 916 

record of 914-915 

water of, quality of 176 

Attica, geology near 797 

Audubon, geology at 900 

water supply at 910 

water of, quaUty of 175 



Page. 
Audubon Coimty, city and village supplies 

in 910-911 

geology of 908-909 

topography of 908 

xmderground water of 909-911 

wells ia 909-911 

water of, quality of 175 

Augusta, spriags at 560 

wells at and near 530,531 

Aurelia, water supply at 841 

wells at and near 841 

water of, head of 827,841 

quality of 149, 151 

Austinville, wells at and near 623, 624 

Avery, wells near 806 

Avoca, water supply at 949 

Ayrshire, water supply at 873 

well at, record of 871-872 

water of, quality of 151 

B. 

Baars, well near 299 

Bagley, water supply at 694 

wells at 694 

water of, quality of 164 

Baldwin, wells at 409 

Bancroft, watersupply at 655 

wells at 653, 655-656 

record of 652, 656 

water of, head of 654 

quality of 141,145,234 

Bankton, geology near 316 

Baraboo, Wis., geology at 61 

Baring, Mo., wells at 515 

record of 515-516 

Bamum, well near 762 

Basal sandstone, correlation of 64 

Batavia, well at 545 

Battle Creek, water supply at 855 

wells at, water of, quality of 152 

Bayard, well near 689 

Bedford, geology at 42, 

79, 83, 85, 764, 897, 899, 903, 904, 946 

watersupply at 962 

wells at 106,108,109,962-965 

record of 963-965 

plate showing 898 

rock from, analyses of 965 

water of, quality of 105-106, 

171-172, 177, 179, 230, 232, 900 

Belfast, springs at --. 560 

wells at 569 

Belle Plaine, flowing wells at and near Ill 

geology at 40,69,72,78,81 

water supply at 358 

wells at and near 352,356-360 

records of 357,359-360 

plates showing 352,382 

water of, quaUty of 111» 

113,156,180,234,358-359 
Belle Plaine artesian basin, description of. 356-358, 

479,509-510 

Bellevue, springs near 411 

wells near : 412, 419 

Belmond, water supply at 667-668 

weUsat 667-668 

record of 668 



INDEX 



969 



Page. 

Belmond , wells at, water of, head of 047, 660 

wells at, water of, quality of 147 

Benton, wells near 354 

Benton County, city and village supplies in.. 358 

geology of 353-354 

springs in 354, 355 

topography of 353 

imderground water of 354-366 

wells in 354-366 

records of 356-366 

water of 359-360, 362, 363 

quality of 156 

Bernard, wells at 326 

Bertram, wells at 451 

Bethany limestone, occurrence of 904 

Bettendorf, wells of 492 

Beyer, S. W., on Story County 747-748 

Big Rock, geology near 490 

wells at 502 

Birmingham, wells at 594 

Blaekhawk County, city and village supplies 

in 259-262 

geology of 256 

springs in 257, 259 

topography of 254-256 

UJiderground water of 256-262 

wells of 136, 256-262 

records of 257, 260, 261-262 

water of, quality of 143 

Blairsburg, well near 700 

Blairstown, wells at 360,366 

BlakesviUe, well near 601 

Blencoe, well near 862 

Bliedom, wells near 381 

Bloomfield, geology at 42 

water supply at 518-519 

weUs at 518-519 

record of 519 

water of, quality of 169 

Blue Grass, weUs at 502 

BlufEton, springs near 345 

wells at 349 

Boilers, corrosion in, causes of 218-220 

corrosion in, interpretation of analyses 

in regard to 220-222 

nature of 218 

water softening in 213-214 

Boiler scale, composition of 209-210 

deposition of 208-209 

prevention of 212-218 

properties of. 210 

Boiler water, improvement of 212-218 

requirements for 206-207 

scale-forming powers of 210-212 

Bonaparte, water supply at 593 

Boone, flowing weUs at 673 

geology at ... . 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 72, 75, 78, 79, 83, 85 

water supply at 673 

wells at and near 95, 125, 134, 671, 672-681 

weUs at, records of 673-680 

records of, plates showing 382, 672 

water of, quality of 163, 230, 673 

Boone County, city and vlUage supplies in. 673-681 

flowing wells in 673 

geology of 672 

springs in 673 



Page. 

Boone County, topography of 672 

underground water of 672-682 

wells in 672-682 

record of. 674-681 

water of, head of 673 

quality of 163, 181, 235 

Brainard, wells at 334 

Braydon, well near 916 

Bremer County, buried channel in 265-267 

buried channel in, figure showing 266 

city and village suppUes in 268-275 

geology of 262-263 

topography of 262 

underground water of 263-280 

wells of. 263-280 

records of 268-275 

water of, lead of 264-265 

quaUty of 143 

Bremer "River," buried channel of 265-267 

buried channel of, figure showing 266 

Bridgewater, weUs at and near 769 

weUs at and near, water of, quality of 151 

Bristol, well at 626 

Britt, water supply at 648 

weUs at 647-648, 666 

record of 646 

water of, head of ; 647 

quahty of 146 

Brompton, weUs near 806 

Brooklyn, water supply at 480 

weUs at 480-481, 486 

water of, quahty of 155, 157, 236 

Brooks, weUs at 908 

Brookville, well at 645 

Brown, geology at 380 

wells at 393, 395 

water of, quality of 158 

Bryant, geology near 380 

wells at 393, 394 

Buchanan, weUs at 373 

Buchanan County, city and village supplies 

in 284 

geology of 89, 281 

springs in 283-284 

topography of 281 

underground water of , 282-285 

wells of. 136, 284-285 

water of, quality of 143 

Buchanan gravel, occurrence and characterof. 256, 
343,353,421,721,744 

water in 114, 

256-257, 282-283, 354, 422, 478, 622, 722 

Buckeye, weUs near 702, 707 

Buckingham, weUs at, water of, quality of.. 156 

Buckley, well at 681 

Buena Vista, wells at 393 

Buena Vista County, city and vUlage sup- 

phes in 828-829 

geology of -• 826 

topography of 46, 826 

underground water of. 826-829 

wells in 826-829 

water of, head of 827 

quality of. 151 

Buffalo, wells at 502 

Buffalo Center, water supply at 661 



970 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Buffalo Center, wells at 661 

wells at, water of, head of 654, 661 

Bunnell, F. O., aid of. 44 

Buried river channels, descriptions of 379- 

380, 381, 408-409, 420, 430, 
445-446, 491, 522, 558, 584, 816 

location of, figures showing 266, 369, 488 

See also Bremer channel; Stanwood chan- 
nel; Cleona channel. 

Burlington, flowing wells at 515 

geology at 61, 67, 68, 71, 74, 75, 80, 81, 82, 514 

water supply at 525-529 

weUs at 515, 523-524, 526-529 

record of 526-528 

plates showing 514, 526 

water of, head of 120, 122, 132, 515 

quality of 107, 

166-167, 169, 179, 180, 230, 232 
Burlington limestone, occurrence and charac- 
ter of 83,534,540,557,574,592 

springs from 108-109, 525 

water in 108-109, 523, 535, 559 

Burt, water supply of 655 

wells at 655 

water of, head of 654, 655 

quality of 145 

Bussey, weUs at and near 590, 797 

Butler County, city and village supplies in. 625-626 

geology of 619, 621 

springs in 625 

structure in 619 

topography of 620-621 

undergi'oimd water of 622-626 

wells in 136, 622-626 

records of 622, 624 

water of, quality of 147 

Buxton, geology near 804 

water supply at 807 



Cairo, well near 581 

Calamus, well at 398 

Calcic carbonated alkaline waters, distribu- 
tion and character of 234-235 

Calcic sulphated alkaline-saline waters, dis- 
tribution and character of 233-234 

Calhoun County, city and village supplies in. 830 

flowing wells in 830 

geology of 829 

springs in 830 

topography of 829 

underground water of 148, 29-8368 

weUs in 830-836 

records of 830, 831, 833-835 

water of, quality of 148, 152 

Calmar, water supply at 346 

wells at 344, 346-347 

records of. " 346, 347 

plate showing 238 

water of, head of 122 

quality of 142, 179 

Calviu, Samuel, acknowledgments to 32 

on Niagara dolomite 281 

on St. Lawrence formation. 241-243 
Cambria, wells at, water of, quality of 174 



Cambrian rocks, occurrence and character 

of 60,63-68 

springs from 100-101 

water in 93, 96-97 

quality of 102-103 

See also Jordan sandstone; St. Lawrence 
formation. 

Cambridge, wells at 744, 747 

record of 745 

Canby, well near 769 

Canoe, wells at 349 

Canover, wells at 349 

Cantril, wells at and near 594 

wells at, water of, quality of 169, 233 

Carbon, springs near 907 

wells near 908 

Carboniferous rocks, occurrence and character 

of 60, 82-86 

water in 107-111 

quality of 111-112 

See also Mississippian rocks; Peimsylva- 
nian rocks. 

Carlisle, wells at, water of, quality of 173 

Carpenter, wells at, water of, quality of 146 

Carroll, water supply at '. 838 

weUs at and near 838, 839 

water of, quality of 153 

Carroll County, city and village supplies in. 838-839 

flowing weUs in 837 

geology of 837 

springs in 838 

topography of 46, 836 

imderground water of 837-839 

wells in 838-839 

water of, quality of 153 

Carson, water supply at 949 

Cascade, water supply at 318-319 

Casings, well, corrosion of, causes of 203-206 

defects of 93-94, 130 

effects of mineral water on 201-206 

Casings, well, life of 93 

materials of 202-203 

necessity for 124-125 

Cass County, city and village supplies in. . 912-915 

geology of 911 

springs in 112 

topography of 911 

underground water of 911-916 

wells in 912-916 

record of 914-915 

water of, quality of.' 176 

Castalia, wells at 349 

Castana, water supply at 863 

wells at and near 862-864 

Cedar County, city and village supplies in. . . 373 

geology of 367,368-370,514 

topography of 366-367 

water supply at 367-378 

wells in 368-378 

records of 373, 374, 375 

plates showing 374, 382 

water of, quality of 158 

Cedar Falls, geology at 258 

springs at 107, 259 

water supply of 259 



INDEX 



971 



Cedar Falls, wellsat 259 

Cedar Rapids, geology at 61, 64, 67, 75, 78 

water supply at 447-449 

weUs at 95, 201, 352, 447-449 

record of 447, 448 

plate showing 382 

water of, head of 132 

quality of 127-128, 154, 156 

Cedar River, description of 255-256, 262 

water of, quality of 199-200 

Cedar Valley limestone, distribution of, map 

showing Pocket. 

occurrence and character of 80, 256, 

281, 353, 423, 443, 464, 621 
water in. . . 256-257, 282-283, 354-355, 612, 623, 624 
See also Devonian rocks. 

Center Junction, woUs at 434, 439 

Center Point, geology at 442 

wells at 451, 458 

Centerville, geology at 67, 

68,78,80,85,559,764-765,821 

water supply at 774 

wells at 106, 134, 771, 772-775 

recordof 772-774 

plates showing 374,672 

water of, head of 122, 772 

quality of 174, 

179, 180, 181, 202, 232, 764-765, 774 

Central City, geology at 446 

wells at 449 

Central district, counties in 670 

counties in, descriptions of 672-762 

geology of 670 

location of, map showing 140 

precipitation in 56 

well waters of 670-671 

quaUty of 160-165, 178, 183, 671 

map showing 140 

Centralia, wells near 328 

Cerro Gordo County, city and village sup- 
plies in 627-636 

flowing wells in 628 

geology of... 80, 619, 626-627 

topography of 626 

imdergi'ound water of 627-636 

weUs m 627-636 

records of 628-635 

water of, head of 627 

quality of 146 

Chadbourn, W. H., aid of 44 

Chariton, geology at 766 

water supply at 787 

well at... 787 

record of 786 

Chariton conglomerate, correlation of 86 

Charles City.geology at. 65, 67, 72, 73, 75, 76, 78-79, 636 

precipitation at 57 

temperature at.. 55 

water supply of. 638, 640 

wells at, records of 639-638 

records of, plates showing 238, 258, 272 

rock from, analysis of 639 

water of, head of 637 

quality of 146, 179, 180 

yield of 124 



Page. 

Charleston, wells at 569 

Charlotte, wells at 393 

Charter Oak, water supply at 848 

wells at and near 848, 849 

water of, quality of 153 

Chelsea, wells at 510 

wells at, water of, quality of 156, 234 

Chemical investigation of well waters , scope of. 43 

Cherokee, geology at 73, 75, 824 

water supply at 841-842 

wells at and near 108, 823, 840-844 

record of 842 

plates showing 258, 824 

rock of, analysis of 844 

water of, head of 841 

quality of 151, 233, 840 

Cherokee County, city and village supplies 

ill 841-843 

geology of : 840 

topography of 840 

underground water of 840-843 

weUs in 840-843 

records of 842-843 

water of, head of 841 

quality of 151 

Chester, flowing wells near 339-340 

Chickasaw County, city and village supplies 

in 287-288 

geology of 286 

springs of 287 

topography of 286 

underground water of 286-288 

weUs of • 136, 286-288 

water of, quality of 142-143 

Chillicothe, Mo., geology at 765 

Church, wells at 253 

Churdan, well at 689 

Cities, water supplies of 185-186 

See also particular cities. 

Clarence, water supply at 373 

Clarinda, geology at 897 

water supply at 940, 941-942 

weUsat 941-943 

record of 942-943 

water of, quality of 177 

Clarion, geology near. 664 

water supply at 668 

weUs at and near 665, 668 

water of, head of 666 

quality of 147 

Clarke County, city and village supplies in. 777-778 

geology of 775-776 

springs in. Ill, 777 

topography of 775 

underground water of 776-778 

wells in 776-778 

Clarksville, spring at 325 

wells at and near G22 

Clay County, city arid village supplies in 846 

geology of 845 

topography of -844 

underground water of 845-846 

wells in 845-846 

record of 845 

water of, quality of 151 



972 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Clayton, springs at 294 

water supply at 294 

Clayton County, city and village supplies in 294-298 

flo^ving weUs in 292-294 

geology of 63, 66, 75,289-291 

springs in 294 

topography of 46, 288-289 

underground water of ". 291-302 

weUs in 98, 99, 100, 102, 238, 292-302 

records of 296, 297, 298 

water of, head of 292-294 

quality of 143 

Clear Creek, weUs near 245 

Clear Lake, water supply at 627-628 

Clemons, weU at and near 723 

Cleona channel, description of 489-490 

location of, figure showing 488 

Clermont, springs at 334 

wells at 334,338 

Climate, character of 54-59 

records of 54 

Clinton, geology at 73, 75,351 

water supply of 382-385 

wells at 134,382-392 

records of 383, 385-392 

plate showing 382 

water of, head of 120, 132 

quality of 154, 158-159, 180 

Clinton County, city and village supplies in. 382-393 

geology of 76,379 

springs in 381 

topography of 378-379 

underground water of 379-400 

wells in 105,379,400 

records of 383, 385-392 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of 157, 158, 179 

Clogging of wells, causes of 120, 129, 190-192 

remedies for 129, 131, 192-195 

Clutier, weUs at 510, 513 

wells at, water of, quality of 156 

Coal Measures. See Pennsylvanian rocks. 

Coggon, water supply at 449 

wells at and near 309-310, 449 

Coggon beds, occurrence and character of 443 

Coin, well at 943 

well at, record of 943 

Colfax, mineral wells at 710, 711-714 

mineral wells at, records of 711 

water supply at 714-715 

wells at 710-715 

water of 227 

quality of 160, 165, 227, 233, 714-715 

Collins, water supply at 747 

wells at and near 755 

Colorado, wells at, water of, quaUty of 163 

Colorado group, distribution of, map 

showing Pocket. 

occurrence and character of 87 

See also Cretaceous rocks. 

Columbia, wells at, water of, quality of 173 

Columbus City, well at 582 

Columbus Junction, geology near 575 

water supply of 579 

Columnar section, plate showing 60 



Page. 

Comanche, wells at 393 

Compton, wells at 309 

Conesville, wells at 473 

Coon Rapids, water supply at 839 

Cooper, wells at, water of, quality of 163 

Coralville, wells at 422 

Coming, water supply at 907 

wells at 907, 908 

water of, quality of ' 176 

Correctionville, water supply at 895 

wells at and near 895, 896 

Correlation, methods of 38-41 

Corrosion. See Castings; Boilers. 

Corwith, water supply at 648,654 

wells at, water of, head of 647, 666 

quality of 146 

Corydon, geology at 766 

water supply at 821 

wells at 820-821 

record of 818, 820 

Cottage, wells near 702 

Cotter, wells at 580, 582 

Cottonwood, wells at and near 569, 572 

Council Bluffs, geology at 79-80, 897, 945, 947-949 

water supply at 949-950 

weUs at 108, 109, 899, 945, 948, 949-952 

record of 947, 950, 951 

water of, head oi., 132 

quality of 171, 175. 900, 948, 949 

Counties, selection of, as units of investigation 31-32 

investigation in 32 

Country rock, waters of, discrimination of, 

from artesian waters 31, 91-92 

Covington, wells at, water of, quality of 105, 157 

Cranston, wells at 473 

Crawford Coimty, city and village supplies 

in 847-848 

geology of 846-847 

springs in 847 

topography of 846 

underground water of 847-849 

wells in 847-849 

water of, quality of. 153 

Crawfordsville, wells at 617 

Cresco, water supply at 340 

wellsat 340-341 

record of 341 

water of, head of 340 

quality of. 142 

Creston, geology at 766 

water supply at T 815 

Cretaceous rocks, occurrence and character of. 60-61, 

87, 686, 693-694 

springs from 112 

water in 93, 112, 693-694 

quality of 112 

See also Dakota sandstone; Colorado 
group; particular county descrip- 
tions, pp. 823-965. 

Crevices in rocks, water supply due to 128-129 

Croton, springs at 569 

wells at 569 

Crystal, wells at 513 

Cylinder, wolls at 872 

wellsat, head in 873 



INDEX 



973 



\ 



i). Page. 

Uahlonega, wells near 600 

welis near, rebord of 600 

Dakota sandstone^ distribution of, map 

stiowing Pocket. 

occuiTence and character of 87, 767 

springs from 112, 768 

water in 93, 112, 767-768 

quality of 102-103, 112, 859, 906 

See also particular county descriptions, pp. 
8'23S65; Cretaceous rocks. 

Dallas, geology near 797 

Dallas County, city and village supplies in. . 686 

flowing well in 682-684 

geology of 682-683 

springs in 682 

structure in 670 

topography of 682 

underground water of 683-686 

wells in 671 , 683-686 

records of 683, 685 

\water of, quality of 164 

Danville, geology near 523 

wells at and near 530,531 

Davenport, geology at 71, 80, 494-495, 514 

precipitation at 57 

temperatures at 65 

water supply at 493-501 

wells at 491, 494-501 

recordsof 99,352,497-499 

plate showing 514, 670 

water of, head of 120, 121, 122, 132-133 

quahty of 154, 159, 160, 180, 182, 230 

Davenport beds, occurrence and character 

of 443, 464 

Davidson, G. M., aid of .. 44 

softening apparatus devised by 214-215 

Davis County, city and village supplies in. . 518-519 

geology of 517 

topography of 516 

underground water of 518-519 

wells in 518-519 

record of 519 

water of, quality of 169 

Dayton, geology of 83, 85 

water supply at 757 

wells at 757, 762 

record of 757-758 

plate showing 672 

water of, quality of 162, 181 

Decatur County, city and village supplies 

in 781-783 

geology of 778-779 

topography of 46, 778 

underground v/ater of 780-783 

v/ells in 780-783 

records of 779,783 

water of, quality of 174, 780 

Decorah, springs near 345 

water supply at 347 

wells at .- 344,347-348 

water of, quality of 142 

Decorah Ice Cave, description of 345-346 

Decorah. shale, distribution of, map show- 
ing Pocket. 

occurrence and character of 73-74, 

290,315,342,824,905 



Page. 

Decorah shale, thickness of 75, 515 

waier in 98 

Deep River, water supply of. 481 

wells at and near 481, 486 

water of, quality of 157 

Delaware County, city and village supplies 

in •. 306-309 

geology of 302-303 

springs in 305-306 

topography of 302 

- vmderground water of 303-305 

weUs in 104, 136, 306-312 

records of 308-309 

water of, quality of 143 

Delhi, springs at and near 306 

wells near 304,309 

Delmar, water supply at 392 

wells at 392,395 

Delta, section at 550 

wells at 554 

Demarcation of formations, difficulties of 41 

Denison, water supply at 847 

wells at and near 847-848,849 

water of, quality of 153 

Denmark, water supply at 560 

wells at and near 560, 571, 572 

Denver, geology near 262 

water supply of 268-269 

wells of 268-269 

records of 268-269 

Derby, spring near 757 

wells near 787 

Des Moines, flowing wells at 734, 743 

geology at . . . 64, 66, 67, 68, 71, 72, 73, 78, 79, 85, 619 

precipitation at 57 

temperature at 55 

water supply at 734-735,742 

wells at 108, 125, 134,735-738 

records of 736-738 

plates showing 526, 670, 672 

water of, quality of 164, 

179,181,227,230,735 
Des Moines County, city and village supplies 

in 525-530 

flov/ing wells in 523 

geology of 514, 520-^22 

springs in 525 

topography of 520 

underground water of 522-532 

wells in 524,525-532 

records of 527,528,530 

water of, quality of 169 

Des Moines group, distribution of, map show- 
ing Pocket. 

flowing wells from 109-110 

occurrence and character of 85-86, 

' 421,478,517,521,584,597,649 

springs from 110 

structure of 904 

water in 109-110, 478-479, 584 

See also Pennsylvanian rocks; particular 

county descriptions 670-965 

Des Moines River, water of, quaUty of 199-200 

Devonian rocks, occurrence and character of.60, 80- 

81,619,824,897,904 

springs from 106-107, 332 



974 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Devonian rocks, stractiu'e of 514, 620 

water in 106-107, 905 

quality of 102, 107 

See also Sweetland Creek shale; Lime 
Creek shale; Cedar Valley lime- 
stone; Wapsipinicon limestone; 
particular county descriptions. 

DeWitt, springs near 381 

water supply of 392 

weUs at 381, 392-393, 400 

record of 381 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of 159 

Diagonal, weUs at 811 

wells at, water of, quality of 174 

Dickinson County, city and villages supplies 

in 851 

geology of 850 

topography of , 849 

underground water of 850 

wells in 850-851 

record of 850 

water of, quality of 150 

Dike, weUs at, water of, quality of 163 

Dip, correlation by 40 

Distilcts, division of State into, map showing. 140 

Dixon, geology near 490 

wells at 502 

DodgeviUe, geology near 523 

Domestic water supplies. See Municipal an i 
domestic supplies. 

Donahue, water supply at 501 

Donnan, weUs at 334 

Donn, water supply at 860 

wells at, water of, quality of 150 

Dorchester, springs near 249, 253 

wells at and near 253-254 

Douds Leando, wells at 594 

Dougherty, wells at 628 

wells at, water of, quality of 146 

Douglass, wells at 334 

Dow City, water supply at 848 

wells at and near 848, 849 

Dows, water supply at 668-669 

weU. at, head in 666 

Drainage, description of 46, 47-53 

Drainage wells, location and use of 661 

Dresbach sandstone, character of 65 

distribution of 64-65, 237, 620, 824 . 

structm'e of 337 

water in 93,95,238,352 

head of 121-122 

quality of 102 

See also particular county descriptions. 

Drift, occurrence and character of 48-54 

Drift, waters of, discrimination of, from arte- 
sian waters 31, 91 

use of, for water supply 184-185 

See also particular county descriptions. 

Drift areas, description of 48-53 

Driftless area, description of 46-48 

water in 116 

DriUers, opinions of, value of 42-43 

DriU holes, diameter of 125 

sinking of 188-190 

dilBculties in 123-124 



Page. 

Drilling, samples from, collection of 34-36 

samples from, erroneous deductions from. 37-38 

examination of 36-37 

mixture of 37-38 

Dubuque, geology at... 64-65,66,74-75,243,314,315 

precipitation at 57 

temperatures at 55 

water supply at 319 

wells at 129, 134,238,319-325 

records of 321-325 

plate showing 258 

water of, head of. . . 120, 121, 133, 317, 319-320 
qualityof. 144,154,179,180,199,226,230,325 
Dubuque County, city and village supplies 

in 320 

geology of 314-316 

springs in 313 

topography of 46, 312-313 

underground water of 238, 316-328 

wells in 98, 99, 100, 320-328 

records of 321-325 

water of, head of 319 

quality of , 144 

Dudley, wells near 601, 609 

Dumont, wells at 623, 626 

wells at, water of, quality of 147 

Dimcombe, wells near 700 

wells near, water of, quality of 162 

Dundee, wells at 309 

Dunkerton, water supply at 256-257 

Dimlap, geology at 897-898, 920, 921 

water supply at 922-923 

wells at and near 849, 921 

records of 922, 923 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of 171, 175, 179, 233 

Dunreath, wells near ■ 796 

Durango, weUs at 326 

Durant, geology near 368, 371, 489 

water supply at 373 

DyersviUe, water supply at : 325-326 

wells near 311-312, 326, 327 

E. 

Eagle Grove, water supply at 669 

wells at 669 

water of, head of 666 

quality of 147 

Earlmg, water supply at . ., 960 

EarlviUe, water supply at 306 

Early, water supply at 886 

wells at and near 886,887 

East Amana, weUs at 403 

East-central district, counties in 351 

counties in, descriptions of 353-513 

geology of 351-352 

East-central district, location of, map show- 
ing 140 

precipitation in 56 

well waters of 352 

quality of 154-159, 178, 183 

map showing 140 

East Iowa City, water supply at 427 

EddyvOle, water supply at 796 

wells at and near 227, 600-602, 609, 804 

water of, quality of . ! 169, 227, 602 



INDEX 



975 



Page. 

Edgewood, wells at 298 

Elberon, wells near 510 

Eldora, springs near 702 

water supply at '. 705 

wells at 705, 707 

record of 705 

water of, quality of 162, 235 

Eldorado, wells at 334 

Eldridge, water supply at 501 

weUs at, water of, quality of 159 

Elgin, wells at 334, 338 

Elkader, flowing wells at '293, 294 

flowing wells at, water of, quality of 143 

geology at 292 

water supply at 294 

EUendale, wells at, water of, quality of 151 

EUiott, water supply at 937-938 

EUsworth, weU at 700 

wells at, water of, quality of 162, 236 

Elon, springs near 249, 253 

wells at 253 

Elrick, wells at 580 

Elvira, wells at 393, 398 

Elwood, geology near 379 

Ely, geology at 442 

weUs at 451 

Emery, wells at 628 

wells at, record of 628 

Emmet County, city and village supplies in. 853-854 

geology of 852 

topography of 851 

underground water of 148, 852-854 

wells in 852-854 

records of 852 

water of, quality of 148, 150 

Emmetsburg, geology at 61, 71, 73, 75, 619 

water supply at 873 

weUs at and near 824, 846, 872, 873 

wells at, records of 871, 873, 874 

records of, plate showing 672 

water of, head of 873 

quality of 102-103, 148, 151, 179, 181 

Epworth, geology near 316 

wells at and near 320, 327 

Essex, water supply at 940,943 

Esthervllle, water supply at 853 

wells at 85S-854 

record of 852 

Exira, water supply at 910-911 

F. 
Fairbank, geology at 331 

wells at , water of, quality of 143 

Fairfax, geology at 442 

wells at 451 

Fairfield, water supply at 542-543 

wells at 641,543,546 

Fairground, well at 538 

Fairport, wells at . 473 

Farley, geology near 316 

wells at and near 320, 327, 328 

water of, quality of 144 

Farmersburg, wells at 298 

wells at, head of 292 

Farmington, flowing well at 694 

water supply at 593-594 



Page. 

Farmington, wells at 105, 594 

wells at, water of, quality of 169,226 

Farms, water supplies of 186 

weUs on, pollution of 197-198 

See also particular county descriptions. 

Farson, wells at and near 609 

wells at, water of, quality of 169 

Fayette, springs near 332 

water supply of 332 

wells at and near 332-333,337 

Fayette County, city and viUage supplies in. 332 

geology of 329-330 

springs in 332 

topography of 328-329 

imderground water of 330-338 

wells in 332-338 

records of 332 

water of, quality of 143 

Feed- water heaters, softening in 213 

Ferguson, wells near 724, 729 

Filtration, occasional failure of 195-196 

Flagler, wells at 227, 796, 796, 798 

weUs at, record of 798 

water of, quality of. 171, 173, 181, 227, 230, 232 

Florence, wells at, head in 666 

Flowing wells, distribution of, map show- 
ing Poclset. 

See also Artesian waters; particular coun- 
ties, places, etc. 
Floyd County, city and village supplies in. 638-640 

geology of 636 

springs in 637 

structure in 619 

topography of 636 

underground water of 636 

wells In 136, 637-640 

record of 638-639 

water of, quality of 146-147 

Follett, wells at 393, 400 

Fonda, water supply at 881 

wells at 880, 881-882 

record of 882 

water of, head of 827, 881 

quality of 151 

Fontanelle, wells near 769 

wells near, water of, quality of. 173, 227 

Ford, wells near 818 

Forest City, geology at , 899 

water supply at 661-662 

wells at 662, 665 

record of 954-955 

rocks from, analyses of. 955 

water of, head of. 660, 661 

quality of 145 

Forestville, well near 312 

Formations. See Rock formations. 

Fort Atkinson, wells at 349,350 

Fort Crook, Nebr. , geology at 946-947 

Fort Dodge, flowing well at 760-761 

geology at 42,68,75,76,78,83,85,86 

water supply at 758 

wells at and near 758-762 

records of 759-760,761 

plates showing 258, 672 

rocks from, analyses of 760 

water of, quality of 160, 162, 179, 181, 230 



976 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Fort Madison, geology at 80,82,514,559 

water supply at 560-561 

wells at 134, 515, 561-564, 571 

records of 563-564 

plate showing 514 

water of, head of 120, 130, 133 

quality of 170, 179, ISO, 230, 561 

Fossils, correlation by means of 38-39 

Foster, wells at 806 

FrankUn, well near 573 

Franklin County, city and village supplies 

in 641-645 

flowing wells in 641 

geology of 82, 619, 640-641 

springs in 641 

topography of 640 

underground water of 641-645 

wells of 136,641-645 

record of 642-645 

water of, quality of 147 

Frankville, wells at 349 

Frederica, wells at 269 

well of, record of 269 

Fredericksburg, water supply at 2S7 

Fredonia, wells at 580 

Freeport, wells at 349 

Fremont County, city and village supplies 

in 919-920 

geology of 917 

springs in 918 

topography of 917 

underground water of 917-920 

wells in 918-920 

water of, quaUty of 176 

Froelich, wells at 298 

Frosts, occurrence of 65 

Fruitland, wells at 473 

G. 

Galena, 111., well at, record of 325 

Galena dolomite, change in composition of. 39, 74-75 

character of 74-76 

discrimination of 524, 559 

distribution of 74-76, 614, 620, 824, 904-905 

map showing Pocket. 

springs from 99-100, 243, 247-248, 294, 345 

structure of 514 

thickness of 75, 514, 515 

water in 99-100,352,515,671 

head of 122,292,344,380 

quaUty of 102 

Sec also particular county descriptions. 

Gait, well at, head in 666 

Galva, wells at, water of, quaUty of 152 

Gamer, water supply at 648 

wells at, water of, head of 647 

water of, quality of 146 

Geologic history, outline of 45 

Geologic sections. See Sections, geologic. 

Geology, account of 60-90 

columnar section showing 60 

relation of, to quality of water 93-94 

See also particular counties. 

Germania, wells at, water of, head of 654 

wells at, water of, quality of 145 

German ville, wells at 543 



Page. 

Gibson, wells at 654 

Gilbert, wells at and near 754,755 

Gilman, water supply at 724 

wells near 724 

Gilmore, geology near 880 

water supply at 882 

wells at, head in 881 

Glaciers, deposits of 48-53 

extent of 46, 48 

Gladbrook, well at 610 

wells at, water of, quality of 156 

Glasgow, well at 544 

Glendale, wells at and near 543, 544 

Glenwood, geology at 79 

83, 85, 86, 764, 897, 903, 904, 945, 946 

water supply at 927-929 

wells at 109, 134, 927-933 

records of. 927-930-932 

plate showing 898 

water of, quaUty of 105, 

171,176,179,231,900,927 

Glenwood shale, correlation of 73 

occurrence and character of 315 

Glidden, water supply at '. 839 

wells at and near 839 

water of, quaUty of 163 

Goldfield, wells at, head in 666 

Goodell, wells at, water of, quaUty of 146 

Goose Lake, wells at 393 

Gosport, geology near 797 

Go'wrie, water supply at 761 

wells at 761, 762 

water of, quality of 107, 162 

Grace Hills, wells near 618 

Graettinger, water supply at 874 

Graham, wells near 327 

Grand Junction, wells at 687, 689 

wells at, water of, quality of 163, 238 

Grand Mound, springs at 381 

water supply at 393 

wells at 393, 400 

water of, quality of 159 

Grand View, wells at 580 

Granger, springs at 446 

Granville, water suppl5' at 889 

Gravel screens, development of 194 

Greeley, weUs at 309,312 

Greene, water supply at 625 

wells near 622 

Greene County, artesian bSsins in 687-688 

city and village supplies in 688-689 

geology of 686 

springs in 688 

topography of 686 

underground water of 687-689 

wells in 688-689 

record of 688-689 

water of, quality of 163 

Greenfield, geology at 766 

water supply at 768 

wells at and near 768, 769 

Green Island, wells at 412, 418 

wells at, record of 412 

record of, plate showing 374 

water of, head of 120 

quality of 154, 157 



INDEX 



977 



Page. 

Green Mountain, wells near 723, 728 

Gridley, wells at, water of, quality of 150 

Grinnell, geology at 77,79,81,82 

water supply at 481-484 

wells at 93-94, 201-203, 232, 479, 481-484, 486 

record of 482-484 

plates showing 352, 670 

water of ^ . . . 352 

quality of 105, 

111 , 154, 167, 179, 181, 232, 233 

Griswold, water supply at 915 

wells at 915, 916 

water of, quality of 176 

Gruber Ridge, geology of 246 

Grundy Center, water supply at 690-691 

wells at 690-691 

record of 691 

water of, quality of 107, 163 

Grundy County, city and village supplies 

in 690-691 

geology of 690 

springs in 690 

topography of '. 690 

underground water of 690 

wells in 136, 160, 690-692 

records of 691 

water of, quality of 163 

Guthrie Center, water supply at 694 

wells at 694-695 

water of, quality of 164 

Guthrie County, city and village supplies 

in 694-697 

flowing wells in 694 

geology of 692-693 

topography of 46, 692 

underground water of 693-697 

wells in 671, 693-697 

record of 695-697 

water of, quality of 164 

Guttenberg, water supply at 295 

Gypsum, presence of, correlation by 39, 78-79 

H. 

Hackberry substage, correlation of 80 

deposits of, occurrence and character of. . 621 

Haifa, wells at, water of, quality of 150 

Hamburg, water supply at 919 

wells at 917-918, 919 

water of, quality of 176 

Hamilton, spring near 797 

wells near 797 

Hamilton County, city and village supplies 

in 699-700 

flowing wells in 698 

geology of 698 

springs in 699 

topography of 698 

underground water of 109, 111, 698-700 

wells in 160, 698-700 

record of 699 

water of, quality of 160, 162, 111 

Hampton, geology at 73, 75, 76, 78, 81 , 83 

springs at 641-642 

water supply at 641-642 

wellsat 102,641 

36581°— wsp 293—12 62 



Page. 

Hampton, wells at, record of 642-645 

wells at, water of, quality of 102,147,181 

Hancock County, city and village supplies 

in 647-648 

flowing wells in 647 

geology of 645-646 

topography of 645 

underground water of 646-648 

wells in 647-648 

record of 646 

water of, head of 646-647 

quality of 146 

Hanlonton, wells at 663 

Harcourt, wells at, water of, quality of 162 

Hardin County, city and village supplies in. 702-707 

flowing wells in 702, 706 

geology of 701 

springs in 702 

topography of 701 

underground water of Ill, 701-707 

wells in 160, 702-707 

records of 703-706 

quality of Ill, 162-163 

Harker, well at 554 

Harlan, geology at 900 

water supply at 960-961 

Harlantown, wells at, water of, quality of. . 107, 145 

Harpers, wells near 555 

Harpers Ferry, springs at 253 

weUs at and near 253, 254 

Harrison County, city and village supplies 

in 922-926 

geology of 920 

topography of 920 

underground water of 920-926 

wells in 920-926 

record of 922,924 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of 175 

Hartley, water supply at 866 

well at, water of, quality of 150, 233 

Harvey, wells at and near 797,802 

Haskins, weUs at 617 

Hastings, wellsat 933 

wells at, water of, quality of 176 

Havelock, wells at, head in 881 

Haverhill, wells near 724, 729 

Hawarden, water supply at 889 

wells at 889 

head in 876, 888 

Hawkeye, water supply at 333 

HaysviUe, geology near 551 

weUs at 554 

Hayward, J. K., and Smith, R. H., on min- 
eral-water classification 228 

Hazel Green, wells at 304 

Head, definition of 118 

factors aflecting 119-121 

geographic distribution of, map show- 
ing .' Pocket. 

measurement of 119 

relation of, to geology 121-122 

plate showing Pocket. 

See also particular counties, places, etc. 
I Health, eflect of mineral water on 200-201 



978 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Hedrick, wells at 554 

Hendrixson, W. S., on chemical composition 

of well water 135-183 

on chemical investigation of well water.. 43-44 

on mineral waters 223-236 

on water supplies 184-222 

work of 31 

Hendrixson, W. S., Norton, W. H., and 
Simpson, H. E., on geologic oc- 
currence of underground water. 91-117 
Henry County, city and village supplies in . 535-537 

geology of 533-534 

topography of 532-533 

imderground water of 109, 534-539 

wells in 535-539 

records of 535-537 

water of, quality of 169 

Herndon, wellsat 671,695-697 

records of 695-697 

rock from, analysis of 696 

water of, quality of 164 

Hesper, geology near 341 

wells at and near 349,350 

Highlandville, wells at 349 

Hills, wells at 422 

HiUsboro, well near 537 

Hocking, wells at and near 805 

Holland, wells at, water of, quality of 163, 236 

Holstein, geology at 69, 73, 75, 824 

water supply at 855 

wells at 823, 855 

record of 856 

plate showing 824 

water of, head of 121-122 

quality of 152-179 

Homer, well near 700 

Homestead, geology of 81 

water supply at 403 

well at 352, 403-404 

record of 403-404 

plate showing 670 

water of, quality of . . . . 154, 155, 159, 179, 180 
Honey Creek, wells at, water of, quality of... 175 

Hopkinton, spring near 305 

wells at and near 306,310 

Horton, water supply at 263 

Houghton, wells near 572 

Howard County, city and village supplies in 340-341 

flowing wells In 339 

geology of 339 

springs in 106 

topography of 338-339 

underground water of 339-341 

wells in 136, 339-341 

record of 341 

water of, quality of 142 

Hubbard, water supply at 705 

wells at and near 702, 705-706, 707 

record of 706 

water of, quality of 162 

Hudson, wells at, water of, quality of 143 

Hull, geology at 63 

water supply at 889-890 

wells at 825, 889-890 

record of 890 

water of, head of 876,888,889 

quality of 150,179,233 



Page. 

Humboldt, water supply of 650-651 

Humboldt County, city and village supplies 

in 650-651 

geology of 82, 619, 648-649 

springs in 650 

topography of 648 

underground water of 649-651 

wells in 649-651 

record of 649 

water of, head of 650 

quality of 147, 148 

Humeston, well at 819-820 

well at, record of 819 

water of, quality of 820 

Hutchins, well at, head in 647 

Hydraulic gradient, explanation of 120-121 

I. 

Ice caves, description of : 345-346 

Ida County, city and village supplies in. . 855-857 

geology of 854 

springs in 855 

topography of; 854 

underground water of 854-857 

wells in 855-857 

record of 856 

water of, quality of 152 

Ida Grove, water supply at 857 

wells at and near 857 

lUinoian drift, character of 61, 89 

distribution of. . . 51, 89, 464, 487, 521, 533, 556, 574 

map showing Pocket. 

water of 114,558 

Illinoian drift province, area of, map show* 

ing. Pocket. 

topography of 51 

water of 116 

Illyria, wells at 334 

Incrustation on well screens, difficulties due 

to 190-192 

material of, analysis of 191 

remedies for 192-195 

See also Clogging. 

Independence, flowing well near 285 

water supply of 284 

wells of 284-285 

Independence shale, correlation of 80-81 

occurrence and character of 283, 443 

Indianola, geology at 766 

Industrial supplies, requirements of 206 

See also Boiler water. 

Investigation, object of 32-33 

scope of 31-32 

Ionia, wells at, water of, quality of 143 

Iowa Center, wells at 744, 747 

Iowa City, water supply at 422 

wells at 422-424 

Iowa County, city and village supplies in 402 

flowing wells at 401 

geology of 351, 400-401 

topography of 400 

underground water of 401-406 

wells in 401-406 

records of 402, 403-404 

water of, quality of 158 

Iowa Falls, springs near 702 

water supply at 706 



INDEX 



979 



Page. 

Iowa Falls, wells at and near 702, 706, 707 

wells at and near, record of, plate showing . 25S 

water of, quality of 163 

Iowa Geological Survey, cooperation of 33 

Iowa Hospital for Insane, wells of 535-537 

wells of, record of 535-537 

record of , plate showing 526 

lowan drift, character of 51 

distribution of 51, 89 

map sho%ving Pocket. 

water of 114-115 

See also particular county descriptions, pp. 
237-513, 619-669. 
lowan drift province, area of,niap showing. Pocket. 

topogiaphy of 51-52 

water of 116-117 

Iowa River valley, springs in 249 

topography in 420 

underground water of 244-245 

quality of 199-200 

Iowa State College, well at 748-749 

well at, record of 749-752 

record of, plate showing 382 

Ireton, water supply at 890 

Iron tubing, effect of mineral water on 202-203 

Irving, geology at 508 

Irvington, wells at, water of, quality of 145 

Island City, well at, log of 492 

J. 

Jackson County, city and village supplies in . . 412 

geology of 73, 76, 406-407 

springs in 411 

topography of 46, 406 

underground water of 407^19 

wells in 100, 408-419 

records of 408, 411, 412-414, 416 

water of, quality of 157 

Jasper County, city and village supplies in. . 714^718 

flowing wells in 710-711 

geology of 708 

mineral waters in 711-714 

springs in 710 

topography of 708 

underground water of 110, 160, 708-719 

weUs in 671, 710-719 

records of. 711, 716, 717 

water of, quality of Ill, 165, 709 

JefEerson, geology at 824 

wells at 823 

water supply at 688 

weUs at and near 688 

record of 688-689 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of 160, 163 

Jefferson County, city and village supplies 

in 542-543 

geology of 540 

springs in 542 

topography of 539 

underground water of 109, 540-547 

wells of 542-547 

Jesup, springs at and near 284 

wells at 265, 285 

water of, quality of 107, 143 

Jewell, water supply at 699 



Page. 

JeweU, wells at and near 699, 700 

wells at and near, water of, quaUty of 162 

Johnson County, city and village supplies 

in 422-425 

geology of 80, 351, 421 

topography of 419-420 

underground water of 421-427 

wells in 421-427 

water of, quality of 158 

Jolley, well at 836 

Jones County, city and village supplies in. . 431^41 

geology of 428 

springs in 431 

topography of 428 

underground water of 429-441 

wells in 105,431^141 

water of, quality of 157 

Jordan sandstone, character of 66-67 

distribution of 67-68, 237, 620, 670, 824 

map sho%ving Pocket. 

outcrops of 237 

springs from 96 

structure of 237 

water in 93,96,238,352,670 

head of 121-122 

See also particular county descriptions. 

Jumbo well, description of 356-358 

record of 359 

K. 

Kansan drift, occurrence and character of. _ 49, 88-89 

water of 114, 

256, 263, 282, 291, 354-355, 367, 509-510 
See also particular county descriptions. 
Kansan drift pro\dnce, area of, map show- 
ing Pocket. 

topography of 49-50 

water in 116 

Kellerton, wells at 811 

wells at, water of, quality of 174, 227 

Kellogg, water supply at 715 

wells at and near 715, 718 

Kent, wells at, water of, quality of 173 

Kenwood beds, occurrence and character of. . 443 

Keokuk, geology at 71, 82, 514-515, 559 

precipitation at 56, 57, 58 

temperatures at 55 

water supply at 664 

wells at and near 559, 564-568, 570 

records of 514-568 

plate showing 514 

water of, head of 120, 133 

quahty of. . 154, 166-167, 170, 180, 230, 232 
KeokukCounty, city and village suppUes in. 552-554 

geology of 548-549 

springs in 551-552 

topography of 548 

underground water of 109, 166, 549-555 

wells in 552-555 

records of .' 553 

water of, quahty of 168 

Keokuk limestone, occurrence and character 

of 84,534 

Keosaqua, wells at and near 594, 596 

Keota, water supply at 552 

wells at 552, 617 

water of, quality of 16S 



980 



IISrDEX. 



Page. 

Keswick, geology at 551 

Keystone, water supply at 360-361 

wells at and near 355, 360-361 

water of, quality of 156 

Kidder, wells at 327 

Kjersted, W., on Muscatine water supply 467 

Kilboume, wells at 594, 595 

Kimballton, water supply at 911 

KLnderhook group, distribution of, map show- 
ing Pocket 

flowing wells from 108 

occurrence and character of 82-83 

353,421,512,897,904 

water in 108, 405 

See also Mississippian wells; particular 
county descriptions, pp. 614-965. 

Kingsley , water supply at 877 

Kinross, wells at and near 554 

Kirkman, water supply at 961 

Kirkville, wells near 600, 601, 609 

Klemme, well at, head in 647 

Knoxville, geology at 766, 797 

water supply at 798 

wells at and near 796, 802 

water of, quaUty of 171, 

173,227,230,232,233 

Kossuth, geology near 523 

Kossuth County, city and village suppliesin. 655-656 

geology of 619, 651 

topography of 651 

underground water of 653-656 

wells in 653-656 

records of 652 

water of, head of 654-655 

quality of 145,148 

Lacey , wells at 590, 797 

La Crew, wells at 569 

Lake City, water supply at 830 

wells at and near 830-831, 836 

record of 830 

water of, quality of 152 

Lake Mills, water supply of 662 

wells at 662 

water of, head of 661 

quality of : 107, 145, 235 

Lake Park, water supply at 851 

wells at 850-851 

record of 850 

water of, quality of 150, 234 

Lakes, occurrence of 53 

Lamville, well near 729 

Lamoni, geology at 778 

water supply at 781 

La Motte, water supply at 413 

Lane, Nebr., well at, record of 953-954 

Lanesboro, wells near 839 

wells near, water of, quality of 153 

Langworthy , wells at 434, 438 

Lansing, geology at 61, 63, 67, 241-243 

water supply at 249-250 

wells at and near 249-250, 253 

record of 242, 250 

water of, head of 120 

quaUty of 142, 180 

La, Porte, geology at 258 

well at 258 



Page. 
Larson, weUs at 599 

Latimer, water supply at 645 

wells at 645, 665 

water of, quality 147 

Latty, geology near 522-523 

well at 531 

Laurell, well near 572, 724 

Laurens, water supply at 882 

wells at 880, 882 

water of, head of 881 

quality of 151 

Le Claire, wells at 501-502 

Lee County, city and village supplies in 560-569 

geology of 514,556-557 

springs in 560 

topography of 556 

underground water of 109, 558-573 

wells in 560-573 

records of 560,563-569 

water of, quality of 170 

Le Grande, wells near 722, 729 

Lehigh, wells near 761 

LeMars, geology at 61,824 

water supply at 877 

wells at 877-878 

records of 878-879 

plate showing 258 

water of, head of 877, 888 

quality of 151 

Leon, geology at 766 

weUs at 799, 782-783, 810 

records of 799,783 

water of, quality of 174, 782 

Lester, well near 859 

Letts, geology at 74,81,514,575 

wells at and near 576, 582 

record of 576-578 

plate showing 548 

rock from, analyses of 548 

Lewis, springs at 112 

water supply at 915, 916 

well at 916 

Lexington, wells near 618 

Libertyville, well near 545 

Lidderdale, wells near 839 

Lima, wells at 334 

Lime City, geology near 368,371 

Lime Creek shale, distribution of, map show- 
ing Pocket. 

occurrence and character of 80, 

81,621,623,624 

water in 622 

See also Devonian rocks. 
Lime Springs, wells at, water of, quality of. . 142 

Lincoln, Nebr. , geology at 71, 766, 899, 905, 946 

Lineville, wells near 821 

Linn County, city and village supplies in. . 447-451 

geology of 442-443 

springs in 446-447 

topography of 441-442 

underground water of 443-463 

wells in 105, 447-463 

records of 445, 446, 447, 448 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of -. 156-157, 463 

Linton, well at 632 



INDEX 



981 



Linwood, wells at 317 

Lisbon, geology at 442, 446 

spring at 446, 449 

water supply at 449 

wells at 449 

water of, quality of 157 

Liscomb, wells at 723 

Lithology, correlation by 39-40 

Littleport, wells at 298 

Livermore, water supply at 651 

wells at, water of, head of 654 

water of, quality of 147 

Livinggood Spring, location and character of. 248 

Lizard Creek, wells at, head in 881 

Loeheen, well near 573 

Lockridge, wells at 543 

Locust, weUs near 253, 350 

Loess, definition of 49, 90 

occurrence and character of 90 

water of 115 

See also particular county descriptions. 

Logan, geology at 900, 920, 945 

water supply at 923 

weUs at 899,923-925 

record of 924 

water of, quality of 175, 179, 231 

LohrviUe, water supply at 831 

wells at and near 831, 836 

water of, quality of 152 

Lone Tree, water supply at 424 

Long Grove, weUs at 502 

Long Point, weUs at 510 

Lorimer, wells at, water of, quality of 173 

Lost Nation, wells near 379, 393-394 

Louisa County, city and village supplies in. 579-580 

geology of 574 

spring in 578 

topography of 573-574 

underground water of 575-582 

wells in 576 

record of 576-578 

plate showing 548 

water of, quality of 168 

Lovilia, wells at 805 

Lowden, geology near 370 

wells at 373 

water of, quality of 158 

LoweU, wells at 534-537 

Lower Magnesian limestone. See Prairie du 
Chien group. 

Low Moor, weUs at 393 

Luana, weUs at and near 298, 301 

Lucas, spring near 787 

wells at 787 

Lucas County, city and village supplies in . . 787-788 

geology of 783-785 

springs in 786-787 

streams of 785 

topography of 783 

underground water of. 785 

wells in 785-788 

records of. 786, 788 

water of, quality of. 174, 786 

Luray, well near 729 

Luther, weUs near ^. 681-682 

Luton, wells at, water of, quality of 152 



Page. 

Luveme, wells at and near 653 

weUs at and near, record of 652 

water of, head of 054,666 

quality of. 145 

Luzerne, water supply at 361 

Lynnville, wells at, water of, quality of 165 

Lyon County, city and village supplies in 860 

geology of 823, 825, 858 

topography of 858 

underground water of 858 

wells in 859-860 

water of, quality of. 150 

Lyons, weUs at 397 

wells at, water of, quality of 159 

M. 

McCausland, wellsat 502 

McClelland, wells at, water of, quality of 175 

McGee, W J, on Shakopee dolomite 72 

Mc Gregor, geology at and near 47, 

63,05,67,68,290-291 

water supply of. 295 

wells at 238, 295-296 

record of. 296 

plate showing 238 

water of, head of. 120, 295 

quality of. 102, 127-128, 

139-140, 141, 143, 179, 180, 182, 230 

Mackey, weU near 681 

Maeksburg, geology near 790 

McPpul, wells at, water of, quality of 176 

McPoland Pond, location and character of. . . 99 

McVeigh, well near 596 

Madison, well at 590 

Madison County, city and village supplies 

in 791-792 

geology of 789 

springs in Ill 

topography of 788 

underground water of 789-793 

wells in 790-793 

records of 789-792 

water of, quaUty of 173 

Madrid, water supply at 680 

wells at 680, 681 

record of 680 

water of, quality of 163 

Mahaska County, city and village supplies 

in 586-588 

flowing wells in 585 

geology of 583-585 

springs in 586 

topography of 583 

underground water of 109, 166, 172, 585 

wells in 585-591 

records of 588 

plate showing 526 

water of, quality of 168 

Malcom, water supply at 484 

Mallard, geology at 73 

wells at 650, 846, 872 

record of. 874 

plate showing 672 

water of, head of 873 

quaUty of. 103, 151 

Malone, wellsat 393 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Malvern, water supply at 933 

Manchester, geology at 65, 

66, 67, 73, 74-75, 76, 243, 304 

spring at 305, 307-308 

water of, analysis of 225 

water supply of. 306-308,309 

wells at 238, 303, 305, 306-309, 310-312 

record of. 308-309 

plates showing 258,352 

water of, quality of 143, 179, 180, 235 

Maney, wells at, water of, quality of 145 

Manilla, water supply at 848 

wells at and near 848, 849 

water of, quality of 153 

Manning, water supply at 839 

wells at, water of, quaUty of 153 

Manson, water supply at 831 

wells at and near 831-832, 836 

record of. 831 

plate showing 258 

water of, quality of 148, 152, 179, 182 

Maple Hill, wells at, water of, quality of 150 

Maple ton, water supply at 863 

wells at and near 863,864 

water of, quality of 153 

Maquoketa, geology at 69-70, 73, 76-77, 409 

water supply at 413 

wells at 413-415 

record of. 413-414 

plates shomng 354,374 

water of, quaUty of 157 

Maquoketa shale, character of 76-77 

distribution of 75-76, 620, 765, 824 

map showing Pocket. 

springs from 100 

structure of. 351,514,515 

water in 100 

head of 122 

See also particular county descriptions. 

Marathon, water supply at 828 

wells at, record of 828 

water of, head of 827 

quahty of 151 

Marble Rock, springs at 637 

water supply at 640 

well at, water of, quality of 146 

Marcus, water supply at. 844 

wells at, water of, quahty of 151 

Marengo, flowing wells at 401 

water supply at 404-405 

wells at 401, 404-405 

water of, quality of 155, 158, 404 

Marietta, wells at 723 

Marion, geology at 442 

springs at 446 

water supply at 449 

wells at and near 449, 728 

water of, quality of 157 

Marion County, city and village supplies in . 798-801 

flowing wells in 796 

geology of : 793-794 

springs in 797 

topography of 793 

underground water of 17 1, 172, 794-802 

wells in 795-802 



Marion County, wells in, record of. 798-800 

wells in, record of, plates showing 352,548 

water of, quality of .'.. 171,173 

Mame, water supply at 915 

Marshall County, city and village suppUes 

in 724-727 

geology of 82, 720-721 

topography of 719-720 

underground water of 721-730 

wells in 160,721-730 

record of 724, 726 

water of, quaUty of 160, 164 

Marshalltown, geology at 78, 79, 83 

water supply at 721, 724-725, 727 

wells at and near 724^728 

record of 724 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of 105, 164 

Martelle, wells near 431 

Martinsburg, section at 550 

Marysville, wells near 797 

Mason City, geology at 61, 68, 72, 75 

flowing wells at 628 

water supply at 628 

wells at 99, 238, 628-635 

records of 629-635 

plate showing 238 

water of, quality of 46, 179, 181, 235 

Masonville, wells at 309 

Massena, water supply at '. 915 

Massillon, geology near 370 

Maud, wells at 253 

Maxwell, water supply at 754^755 

wells at and near 744, 747, 754, 755 

water of, quaUty of 163 

Maynard, geology at 331 

wells at 334 

May Prairie, geology of 246 

Maysville, geology near 490-491 

Mechanicsville, geology near 370 

water supply at 373 

Mederville, geology at 294 

Mediapolis, wells at 529-530, 532 

wells at, record of 630 

Medicinal waters. See Mineral waters. 

Meinzer, O. E., county descriptions by 286- 

288, 338-341, 645-669, 682-686, 808-812, 
844r^46, 849-854, 858-860, 864-870, 879- 
883, 908-911, 917-920, 939-944, 959-961 

on finishing wells in sand 190-195 

on protection of farm wells 197-198 

work of 31 

Meinzer, O. E., and Norton, W. H., county 

descriptions by 400- 

406, 516-520, 626-645, 692-698, 
770-783, 81,8-822, 840-844, 870- 
879, 920-934, 944-959, 961-965 

Melbourne, wells at 724 

Melrose, wells near 805, 807 

Merrimac, springs near 542 

wells at 543 

Metz, well near 710-711, 718 

Michigan, Lake, water of, quality of 225 

Middletown, geology near 523 

well near 531 



INDEX 



988 



Page. 

Miles, wells at 415 

Mill Creek, springs near 249 

Miller, W. J. , county descriptions by SOS- 
SIS, 846-849, 860-864, 883-891 
Miller, W. J., and Norton, W. H., county 

descriptions by . . . 672-682, 686-692, 698- 
708, 7S5-762, 829-840, 854.-858, 891-896 

Millheim, spring near 305 

Mills County, city and village supplies in. . 927-934 

geology of 917,926 

' springs in 927 

topography of 926 

underground water of. . . : 926-934 

weUs in 172, 926-934 

record of 928-930, 932 

water of, quality of 176, 927 

Milton, wells at 594 

wells at, water of, quality of 169 

Minden, water supply at 958 

wells at, water of, quality of 175 

Mineralized waters, distribution of 198-200 

distribution of, plate showing 178 

effect of, on health 200-201 

on well casings 201-206 

See also Mineral waters. 

Mineral waters, classification of 228-229 

definition of 223 

discussion of 223-236 

medicinal value of 223-224 

mineralization of, extent of 224-228 

types of 228-236 

See also Mineralized waters. 
Mississippian rocks, character and distribu- 
tion of 82-85,351,509 

flowing wells from 107 

structure of 351, 764 

water in 107-109, 352 

quaUty of 111-112, 332 

See also Kinderhook group; Osage group; 
St. Louis limestone; jjarticular 
county descriptions, pp. 516-965. 
Mississippi River, ancient channel of, descrip- 
tion of 51 

Mississippi Valley, description of 46-47,239 

underground water in 244 

Missouri group, character and distribution 

of 85-86,694,897 

distribution of, map showing Pocket. 

water of 110-111 

See also Pennsylvanian rocks; particular 
county descriptions, pp. 763-965. 

Missouri River, character of 50 

water of, quality of 200 

Missouri Valley (post office) , water supply at . 925 

weUs at 925 

water of, quality of 175 

Mitchell County, city and tillage supplies 

in 658-659 

flowing wells in 657 

geology of 656 

springs in 657 

topography of 656 

underground water of 657-659 

wells m 136, 657 

record of 658, 669 

plate showing 272 



Page. 
Mitchell County, wells in, water of, quality of. 146 

Mitchell ville, flowing wells at 734 

water supply at 739 

wells at 108, 734, 739-742, 743 

records of 739-741 

plate showing 670 

water of, quality of 164 

Moline, 111., well at, record of 501 

Mondamin, wells at, water of, quality of 175 

Monmouth, wells at 415 

Monona, water supply at 297 

wells at and near 238, 297, 300 

water of, quality of 143, 180 

Monona County, city and village supplies 

in 862-863 

flowing wells in 862 

geology of 828,860-861 

springs in 862 

topography of 860 

undergroimd water of 861-864 

wells in 861-864 

record of 863 

water of, quality of 153 

Monroe, wells at and near 719 

wells at and near, water of, quality of 165 

Monroe County, city and village supplies in. 806-808 

flowing wells in 806 

geology of 803 

springs of 806 

topography of 802-803 

*undergroimd water of 109, 172, 803-808 

wells in 804-808 

records of 806-808 

water of, quality of 174 

Montezuma, springs near 479, 484 

water supply at 484 

wells at and near 479, 484-485 

water of, quality of 157, 181 

Montgomery, wells at, water of, quality of. . . 150 
Montgomery County, city and village supplies 

in 937-938 

flowing wells in 937 

geology of 934 

springs in 112, 937 

topography of 934 

underground water of 935-937 

wells in 935-939 

record of 398 

water of, quaUty of 176,935 

Monticello, geology at 67, 75, 76, 430 

water supply at 434-436 

wells at 131, 134,304, 434-436 

record of 434-435 

water of, quality of 154, 157 

Montrose, water supply at 568 

Montrose chert, correlation of 83 

occurrence and character of 540, 557, 592 

water in : 523,559 

Mooar, wells at 568-569 

Morley, wells at and near 431 

wells at and near, water of, quality of. . 157, 235 

Morning Sun, geology near 576 

wells at 580,581 

Morrison, well near 692 

Moscow, wells at 473 

Motor, geology at 292 



984 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Moulton, well at 775 

record of 775 

water of, quality of 174, 233 

Mount Auburn, wells at 361 

Mount Ayr, well at 811-812 

Mount Clara, geology at 82,558 

wells at 569 

record of 569 

plate sho^vlng 514 

Mount Etna, wells at 908 

Mount Pleasant, geology at 42, 

71,75,79,80,81,82,514,559 

wells at and near 108, 535-537, 539 

record of. 535,536-537 

plate showing 526 

water of, quality of 105, 

166, 169, 179, 180, 227 

Mount Sterling, wells at 594 

Mount Union, well at 537 

Mount Vernon, geology at 442,445 

water supply at 449-450 

wells at and near 449-450 

record of 445 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of 157, 235 

Mount Zion, wells at 594 

Moville, water supply at 895 

wells at and near 895,896 

Mud Creek, channel occupied by 489 

channel occupied by, figure showing 488 

Mud-rock shales, position of , 76 

Municipal and domestic supplies, mineral 

content of 198-206 

pollution of 195-198 

See also Water supplies; Mineralized 
water. 

Municipalities, water supplies of. 185-186 

See also particular places. 

Munterville, wells near 601 

Murray, wells near 777 

Muscatine, geology near 468-470 

water supply at 467-470 

wells at 470 

Muscatine County, city and village supplies 

in 467-473 

geology of 80, 85, 464, 514 

springs in 466-467 

topography 463-464 

underground water of 465-477 

wells in 467-477 

records of 468,471-472,473 

water of, quality of 159, 465 

Muscatine Island, water supply at 465 

Myron, springs near 248 

N. 

Napier, well at 682 

Nashua, water supply at 287 

Nashville, wells at 415 

National, wells at 298 

Nebraska City, Nebr. , geology at 74, 766 

wells at 900-905 

record of. 900-903 

rock from, analysis of 903 

water of, quality of 900, 905 



Page. 
Nebraskan drift, occurrence and character of. 49, 

88,720 

water in 113,263,291,367,541,558 

See also particular county descriptions, pp. 
237-618. 

Nehama, well near 887 

well near, water of, quality of. 152 

Neola, water supply at 958-959 

wells at, water of, quality of 1 75 

Nevada, water supply at 753 

wells at 747, 753-754, 755 

record of. 753 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of 105, 163, 233 

Nevinville, wells at 908 

New Albin , geology at 49, 240, 242-243, 244 

springs near 249 

water supply of. 250 

wells at and near 250-251, 254 

record of 242, 250 

water of, quaMty of 142, 180 

Newburg, wells at 715 

Newell, water supply at 828 

New Hampton, geology at 42 

water supply of. 287-288 

well at 288 

record of, plate showing 238 

water of, quality of 141, 142, 234 

New Hartford, water supply at 625 

wells at 624 

New Liberty, wells at 502 

New London, geology near 523,533 

wells at and near 537,538,539 

Newport, wells near 580 

New Providence, well near 707 

New Richmond sandstone, character of 69 

outcrops of 237 

position of 68 

springs from 97 

water in 93,97,352 

See also Prairie du Chien group. 

New Sharon, water supply at 586 

wells at and near 586, 591 

water of, quality of 168 

Newton, geology at 85 

water supply at 715-716 

wells at and near 134, 161,710, 715-717,719 

record of 716 

plate showing 670 

water of, quality off 161, 165 

Niagara dolomite, distribution of, map show- 
ing Pocket. 

occurrence and character of 77-78, 619-620 

springs from 104-105, 319, 346 

water in 352 

head of 103-105, 122, 292 

quality of 105 

See also particular county flescriptions; 
Silurian rocks. 

Nichols, weUs at 473,476 

Nira, wells at and near 617 

Nishnabotna River valley, description of 50 

Nitroglycerin, use of 131, 612 

Nodaway, wells at 908 



INDEX 



985 



Page. 

Nora Springs, water supply of 640 

wells at 637, 640 

Nodaway River vaUey, description of 50 

Noel, weUs at 502, 506 

Nora Springs, wells at, water of, quality of. . 147 

Nordness, well sat .' 349 

North-central district, counties in 619 

counties in, descriptions of 620-666 

geology of 619-620 

location of, map showing 140 

precipitation in 56 

well waters in 620 

quality of 139-141 , 145-147, 178, 183 

map showing 140 

Northeast district, counties in 237 

counties in, descriptions of 239-350 

geology of 237-238 

location of, map showing 140 

precipitation in 56 

well waters in 237-239 

Njuality of 139-144, 178, 183, 288-259 

map showing 140 

Northfield, wells at, water of, quality of 169 

North Liberty, water supply at 424 

North McGregor, water supply at 297 

wells at - 297-298 

record of 298 

water of, quality of 139-140, 143 

Northwest district, coimties of 823 

counties of, descriptions of 826-896 

geology of - - . 823-824 

location of, map showing • 140 ' 

precipitation in 56 

well waters in 824-826 

quality of 148-153, 178, 183 

map showing 140 

North wood, water supply of 664 

wells at 664 

water of, quahty of 145, 235 

Norton, W. H., county descriptions by.. 239 254, 
262-281, 288-338, 341-350, 366-400, 406-419, 
428-477, 487-508, 520-583, 591-596, 610-618 

introductions by 31-43, 

237-239,351-353, 514-516, 619- 
620, 670-672, 763-776, 823-826 

on artesian phenomena 118-134, 356-357 

on well drUling 188-189 

work of 31,33,43 

Norton, W. H., and Arey, M. F., county de- 
scription by 254-262 

Norton, "W. H., and Meinzer, O. E., county 

descriptions by 400-406, 516-520, 

626-645, 692-698, 770-783, 818-822, 840-844, 
870-879, 920-934, 944-959, 961-965 
Norton, W. H., and MiUer, M. J., coxmty 

descriptions by. 672-682, 686-692, 698- 
708, 755-762, 829-840, 854-858, 891-896 
Norton, W. H., and Simpson, H. E., county 

descriptions by 353-366, 477- 

487, 59&-610, 719-755, 793-808, 911-917 

on geology of Iowa 60-90 

Norton, W. H., Simpson, H. E., and Hen- 
drixson, W. S., on geologic occur- 
rence of underground waters 91-117 

Norway, wells at 451 

Nugent, weUs at 554 



Page. 

No. 10 Junction, geology at 764, 807-808 

wells at 807 

record of 807 

water of, quality of 174 

O. 

Oakdale Sanitarium, wells at 424 

Oakland, water supply at 959 

O'Brien County, city and village supplies 

in 866-868 

geology of 864-865 

topography of 864 

underground water of 148, 865-868 

wells in 866-868 

records of 865 

water of, quality of 148, 150-151 

Odebolt, water supply at 886 

wells at and near 886, 887 

Oelwein, geology at 331 

water supply at 333 

wells at and near 333-334, 335 

water of, quality of 238 

Ogden, water supply at 680-681 

wells at and near 672, 680 

record of 680-681 

plate showing 382 

water of quality of 163, 233 

Olin, water supply at 436 

Olivet, wells near 585 

Ollie, wells near 555 

wells near, water of, quality of 168 

Omaha, Nebr., geology at 945-947, 952 

precipitation at 57 

temperatures at 55 

wells at 945, 955 

records of 952-953, 956-958 

Onawa, geology at 825 

water supply at 862 

wells at and near 862, 864 

record of 863 

water of, quality of 153, 861 

Oneida, wells at 309 

Oneonta dolomite, character of 290, 342 

position of- 68 

springs from 97 

water in .- 97, 352 

See also Prairie du Chien group. 

Onslow, wells at and near 431, 436 

wells at and near, water of, quality of 157 

Orange City, water supply at 890 

wells at 890, 891 

record of 891 

water of, quality of 150 

Ordovician rocks, occurrence and charac- 
ter of 60, 68-77 

springs from 100-101 

water in 93, 97-100 

quality of 102-103 

See also Maquoketa shale; Galena dolo- 
mite; Decorela shale; Platteville 
limestone; St. Peters sandstone; 
Prairie du Chien group. 

Orient, wells at, water of, quality of 173 

Osage, geology at 42, 75, 78 

water supply at 658 

wells at 658-659 



986 



l:?MX. 



Page. 

Osage, wells at, record of 058,659 

wells at, record of, plate showing 272 

water of, quality of 146, ISO 

Osage group, defuiition of 82 

distribution of, map showing Pocket 

divisions of 521 

occurrence and character of. . 83-84, 478, 534, 540 

springs from 108-109 

thickness of 84-85 

water in 108-109 

See also Mississippian rocks; Burlington 
limestone; Keokuk limestone. 

Osceola, geology at 766 

water supply at 777 

wells at and near 763, 777-778 

Osceola County, city and village supplies 

in 869-870 

geology of 868 

topography of 868 

underground water of 868-870 

wells in 869-870 

water of, quality of 150 

Oskaloosa, geology at 82 

spring near 586 

water supply at 580-587, 588 

wells at and near 587, 589, 590 

plate showing 526 

record of 588 

Ossian, springs at 348 

wells at 344, 348, 350 

record of 348 

plate showing 238 

water of, quality of 142 

Otis beds, occurrence and character of 443 

Ottumwa, geology at 78, 82 

water supply at 602-003 

wells at 108, 602, 604-609 

records of 606-609 

plate showing 374 

water of, head of 122, 133 

quality of 166, 109, 179, 180, 181, 232 

Overton, springs at 560 

wells at 509 

Owen substage, correlation of 80 

deposits of, occurrence and character of.. 621 

water in 622 

Oxford, water supply at 424 

Oxford Junction, geology at 436-437 

Oxford Mills, geology at 436-437 



Pacific Junction, wells at 933-934 

Packtagin wells, need for 124 

Packwood, wells at 543 

Page County, city and village supplies in. . 941-944 

geology of 939 

topography of 939 

undcrgroimd water of 940-944 

wells in 1 72, 940-944 

record of 942-943 

water of, quality of 177 

Paint Creek, springs near 249 

Paleozoic rocks, distribution of 60 

water beds in 93 

Palmer, wells at 880 

wells at, bead in 881 



Palo, wells at 451 

Palo Alto County, city and village supplies 

in 873-875 

flowing wells in 873 

geology of 870 

topography of 870 

underground water of 148, 872-875 

wells in 872-875 

records of 871, 873-875 

plate showing 672 

water of, head of 872-873 

quality of 148, 151 

Panama, water supply at 961 

Panora, water supply at 697 

Paralta, wells at 451 

Parkersburg, wells at and near 624, 625, 626 

Paton, well at 689 

Patterson, well near 792 

Paullina, water supply at 866 

Pella, geology at. . . 71 , 74, 75, 79, 80, 81 , 82, 85, 51 4, 764 

water supply at 798 

wells at 795, 799, 882 

record of 799-800 

plates showing 352, 356, 548 

water of, head of 122 

quality of. . 105, 171, 173, 181, 230, 232, 765 

Pennsylvanian rocks, character of 85-86 

distribution of 85, 

464, 488, 491 , 533, 540-542, 548-549, 557, 592 

elevation of base of 42, 763-764, 766 

figure showing 898 

structure of 897 

subdivisions of 85 

water in 109-111 

quality of 111-112, 491,542,551,557 

See also particular county descriptions pp. 
670-965; Carboniferous rocks; Des 
Moines group; Missouri group. 

Peosta, wells at 326 

Perlee, springs near 542 

wells at 643 

Permian rocks, occurrence and character of . . 86 

Perry, water supply at 686 

wells at 686 

water of, quality of 164 

Persia, water supply at 925 

Petersburg, wells at 304 

Peterson, water supply at 846 

wells at 845-846 

water of, quality of 151 

Pinching, disappearance of formations by 39 

Pioneer, well near 762 

Pittsburg, well at 595 

Placid, wells at 326 

Plainfield, wells at 263, 269 

Plain view, geology near 490-491 

Platteville limestone, distribution of, map 

showing Pocket. 

occiurence and character of 73-74, 

514,620,824,899 

structru-e of 514 

thickness of 75,514,515 

water in 98,515,671 

head of 122 

Pleasant Grove, geology near 523 

Pleasant Plain, wells at 543 



miDEX. 



m 



Page. 

Pleasantville, wells at and near 801, 802 

wells at and near, water of, quality of 173 

Pleistocene deposits, occurrence and character 

of 60,88-90 

water in 93 

Plymouth County, city and village supplies 

in 877-879 

geology of 825, 876 

springs in 877 

topography of 876 

underground water of 876-879 

wells in 877-879 

record of 878-879 

plate showing 258 

water of, quality of 151 

Pocahontas, water supply at 882 

weUs at : 880 

record of 882 

water of, head of 881 

Pocahontas County, city and village sup- 
plies in 881-883 

drainage wells in 881 

geology of 879-880 

topography of 879 

underground water of 148, 880-883 

wells in 880-883 

records of 882 

water of, head m 876, 880-881 

quality of 148, 151 

Polk County, city and village supplies in. . 734-742 

flowing wells in 734 

gas well in 734 

geology of 731-732 

topography of 730-731 

underground water of 160, 732-743 

weUsin 671,734-743 

records of. 736-741 

plates showing 526, 670, 672 

water of, quality of. Ill, 160, 164 

Pollution of water supplies, sources of. 195-198 

Pomeroy, water supply at 832 

wells at, record of 833 

water of, quality of 152 

Porosity of aquifers, importance of 128 

Portsmouth, water supply at 961 

Postv iUe, geology at 72, 240, 247 

water supply of 251-252 

wells at and near 238, 246-247, 251-252, 254 

record of 247, 251 

plate showing 238 

water of, head of 122 

quality of 102, 142, 180 

PostvUle Junction, well at 252 

well at, record of 252 

Pottawatomie County, city and village sup- 
plies in 949-952, 958-959 

• of 944-947 

topography of 944 

underground water of 947-952, 958-959 

wells in, records of 947-952, 958-959 

water of, quality of 175, 947, 950, 951 

Powieshiek County, city and village supplies 

in 480-485 

geology of : 351, 478 

springs in 479 

topography of 477-478 

underground water of 155, 478-487 



Page. 

Powieshiek County, wells in 480-487 

wells at, record of 482-484 

water of , quality of. Ill, 155, 157 

Prairieburg, geology at 442, 445 

weUs at 451 

Prairie City, water supply at 717 

wells at 717 

record of 717 

water of, quality of 165, 234 

Prairie du Chien, Wis., well at, record of 296-297 

Prairie plain, character of 45, 53 

Prairie du Chien group, character of 68-70, 620 

distribution of 68, 619, 620, 824 

map showing Pocket. 

springs from 97, 249 

subdivisions of 68 

water in 97, 515, 671 

head of 121 

See also Oneota dolomite; New Richmond 
sandstone; Shakopee dolomite; 
particular county descriptions. 
Pre-Cambrian rocks, occurrence and charac- 
ter of 61-63 

water in 94-95 

Precipitation, controlling conditions of 55-56 

geographic distribution of 56-57 

records of 55-59 

seasonal distribution of 57-58 

variations in 58-59 

Pre-Kansan drift, occurrence and character of. 88 

water in 113 

Prentiss, G. N., aid of 44 

Prescott, water supply at 907-908 

Pressure in wells, decrease of 130-131 

factors in 126-127 

Preston, water supply at 415 

well at 415 

record of 408 

water of, quality of 157 

Primghar, water supply at 866 

wells at 866-867 

water of, head of 876-888 

quality of 150, 234 

Primrose, wells at 569 

Pulaski, wells at and near 517 

wells, record of 517 

Pump cylinders, position of 940-941 

Pumps, requirements of 194 

Q. 

QuaUty of water. See Water, chemical com- 
position of; particular counties, 
rock formations, places, etc. 

Quarry, wells near 722-723 

Quaternary deposits, occurrence and charac- 
ter of 88-89 

underground water, provinces of 115-117 

water in 93, 113-115 

Quimby, wells near, head in 341 

R. 

Radcliffe, water supply at 706-707 

well near 700, 706 

Rainfall. See Precipitation. 

Rake, wells at, head in 661 

Ralston, well near 689 



988 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Ramsay, geology at 653 

Randalia, wells at 331, 334, 338 

Readlyn, well at 269-270 

well at, record of 270 

Reasnor, wells at and near 718, 719 

Red clastic series , occurrence and character of. 63 
Redfield, well at 684 

well at, record of 685 

Red Oak, springs at and near 112, 937 

wells at 938 

record of 938 

water of, quality of 176 

Red Rock, wells near 796 

Red Rock sandstone, occurrence and char- 
acter of 110, 794-795 

water in 110 

Rembeck, water supply at 691 

wells at and near 091,692 

water of, quality of 163 

Relief, description of 45, 46-47 

Rembrandt, well at, head in 827 

Remsen, water supply at 879 

Renwick, wells at 72 

wells at, water of, head of 666 

water of, quality of 147 

Rhodes, wells at 724 

wells at, water of, quality of 164 

Riceville, spring at 659 

spring at, water of, quality of 146 

water supply of 659 

Richland, springs near 551-552 

wells at 618 

water of, quality of 168 

Ricketts, wells at, water of, quality of 153 

Ridgeway, wells at and near , 349 

Ringgold County, city and village supplies in. 810 

geology of 809 

topography of 46,808 

underground water of 809-812 

wells in 810-812 

water of, quality of 174 

Ringstead, geology at 653 

water supply at 854 

well at, record of 852 

water of, head of 654 

Rippen, well at 689 

Rivers, water supplies from 184-187 

water supplies from, mineral content of. 198-200 

Riverside, wells at 617 

Rochester, geology near 371 

Rock formations, correlation of 38-41 

demarcation of 41 

dip of 40 

relation of, to quality of water 93-94 

sequence of, columnar section showing. . . 60 
correlation by 40 

waters of 92-112 

use of, for water supplies 184, 185 

See also Aquifers. 
Rock Island, 111., wells at 99 

wells at, record of 501 

Rock Rapids, water supply at 860 

wells at, water of, quality of 150 

Rock Valley, water supply at 891 

Rockville, geology at 304 

wells at 311 



Rockwell, water supply at 635-636 

Rockwell City, water supply at 833 

wells at and near 833, 833 

records of 833-834 

rock of, analyses of 834 

water of, quality of 152, 182 

Roland, well near 700 

Rolfe, geology near 880 

water supply at "883 

wells at 880, 883 

water of, head of 881 

quality of 151 

Rome, geology near 534 

Roscoe, wells at and near 530, 532 

Rowland, wells at, water of, quality of 162 

Rowley, springs at 284 

Rubio, wells at 617 

Runnells, wells at, water of, quality of 164,227 

Russell, spring near 787 

water supply at 787 

wells at 787-788 

record of 788 

Ruthven, water supply at 875 

wells near, head in 873 

Rutledge, wells at, water of, quality of 169 

Ryan, geology near 304, 305 

water supply at 309 

wells at and near 304, 309, 310 

S. 

Sabula, geology near 72, 410-411 

water supply at 415 

wells at and near 410, 415 

records of 416 

plate showing . . . ^ 354 

water of, head of 120, 133 

quality of. 157, 180, 235 

Sac City, springs near 884 

water supply at 884 

wells at and near 884-886, 887 

record of 885 

water of, quality of 152, 233, 884 

Sac County, city and village supplies in. . . 884-886 

flowing wells in 884 

geology of 883 

springs in 884 

topography of 46, 883 

undergrormd water of 883-887 

wells in 884-887 

record of 885 

water of, quality of.'. 152 

Sageville, wells at 326 

St. Ansgar, well at 659 

well at, plate showing 272 

St. Anthony, wells near 723 

St. Benedict, wells near 653 

wells near, head in 654 

St. Charles, wells at and near 790, 793 

wells at and near, record of 790 

St. Lawrence formation, distribution of, map 

showing. Pocket. 

occurrence and character of 65-66, 620, 824 

water In 95 

St. Louis limestone, distribution of, map 

showing Pocket 

flowing weUs from 109 



INDEX. 



989 



Page. 
St. Louis limestone, occurrence and character 

of 48, 478, 649 

thickness of - - - - 84-85 

water in 109 

See also particular county descriptions, 
pp. SI4-6I8, 670-965; Mississip- 
pian rocks; Carboniferous rocks. 

St. Paul, wells at and near 572 

St. Peter sandrock, occurrence and character 

of 624, 529, 561, 804 

St. Peter sandstone, character of 70-71, 824 

discrimination of 524, 559 

distribution of '. 71-72, 237, 891 

map showing Pocket. 

elevation of 237, 514-515 

plate showing Pocket. 

outcrops of 237 

position of 766, 899-900 

plate showing Pocket. 

springs from 98 

structure of 237, 351-352, 

514-515, 619-620, 670-671, 765-766, 823-824 

water in 93, 

97-98, 238, 352, 514^15, 670-671, 765, 900 

head of 121-122, 292, 344, 495-496 

quahty of. , 102-103, 524, 900 

See also particular county descriptions, 
pp. 239-513, 620. 

Salem, wells at 537,539 

Salina, wells at and near 544, 546 

SaUna formation, occurrence and character 

of 78-80, 764 

water in 105, 764 

Sanborn, geology at ^ 69, 73, 75, 824 

water supply at 867 

wells at 823, 867 

record of 865 

plate showing 824 

water of, quality of 150, 179, 233 

Sand, finishing wells in 190-195, 826-827 

Sand Springs, wells at 304, 309, 310 

Sandusky, well at 570 

Sattre, wells near 253 

Sawyer, wells at 569 

Saylor, well near 742 

Saylorville, gas well at 734 

well near 742 

Scale. See Boiler scale. 

Schaller, water supply at 886 

wells at and near 886, 887 

water of, quality of 152 

Schaufeur, well at 312 

Schleswig, water supply at 848 

wells at and near 848, 849 

Scope of work 31-32 

Scotch Grove, wells at 430,439 

Scott, wells near 331 

Scott County, city and village supplies in. . 492-502 

flowing wells in 492 

geology of 80, 85, 487 

topography of 487 

underground water of 488-508 

wells in 492-508 

records of 489-490,492 

water of, quality of 159 

Scranton, water supply at 689 

well at, water of, quality of 163 



Screens, well, incrustation on 190-192, 826 

incrustation on, analysis of 191 

remedies for 192-195,827 

use of 190 

Seasons, distribution of precipitation by 57-58 

Sections, geologic, location of, figure showing . 62 

plates showing. ... 238, 258, 272, 352, 354, 374, 382, 

514, 526, 548, 670, 672, 824, 898 

Sewal, wells at, water of, quality of 174 

Sexton, weUs near 653 

wells near, head in 654 

Seymour, well at 821 

Shakopee dolomite, character of 69, 72, 290,342 

distribution of 69-70 

position of 68 

water 352 

See also Prairie du Chien group. 

Shallow wells, polution of 196-198 

Shannon, wells at, water of, quality of 173, 236 

Shelby County, city and village supplies in. 960-961 

geology of 959 

topography of 959 

underground water of 959-960 

wells in 960-961 

water of, quality of 175, 959 

Sheldahl, wells at, water of, quality of 164 

Sheldon, water supply at 867 

wells at, water of, head of 876 

quality of 151 

Shell Rock, water supply at 625-626 

wells near 622-623 

SheUsburg, spring near 355 

water supply of 361 

Shenandoah, water supply at 940, 943-944 

wells at, water of, quality of 177 

ShueyvUle, weUs at 424 

Sibley, water supply at 870 

wells at, water of, quality of 150 

Sidney, water supply at 918,919 

Sigourney , geology at 81, 82, 85 

water supply of 552 

section at 550 

wells at and near 134, 549, 552, 555 

record of 553 

plate showing 548 

water of, quality of 168 

Siloam Springs, description of 702 

Silurian rocks, character and distribution of. . 60, 
77-80, 514-515, 764-765, 824, 897, 904 

structtKe of 514-515 

water of 103-106, 352, 515, 900 

head of 515 

quality of 105-106,671,764^-765 

See also particular county descriptions; 
Niagara formation; Salina forma- 
tion. 

Simpson, H. E., county descriptions by 583- 

586, 705-719, 767-770, 783-793, 
812-815, 905-908, 934-939 

on topography and climate 45-59 

work of 31 

Simpson, H. E., and Norton, W. H., county 

descriptions by 353-366, 477- 

487, 596-610, 719-755, 793-808, 911-917 
on geology of Iowa 60-90 



990 



INDEX. 



Page. 
Simpson, H. E., Hendrixson, W. S., and Nor- 
ton, W. H., on geologic occurrence 

of underground waters 91-117 

Sink holes, distribution of 99 

Sioux City, geology at 61,824.825 

precipitation at 56, 57, 58 

temperatures at 55 

water supply at 893 

wells at 95, 893-895 

records of 893-895 

water of, quality of .148, 152, 179, 893 

Sioux County, city and village supplies in. . 889-891 

geology of ; . . . 825, 887 

topography of 887 

underground water of 888-891 

wells in 888-891 

records of 890, 891 

water of, head of 888 

quality of 150 

Sioux Falls granite. See Sioux quartzite. 
Sioux quartzite, distribution of, map show- 
ing Pocket 

occurrence and character of 60, 

61-62,823,825,858,859 

structure of 825 

water in 94^95 

Sioux Rapids, water supply at 828 

Slater, well near 755 

Slichter, C. S., on well-flow measurement 123 

Sloan, water supply at 895 

wells at 895, 896 

Smith, G. L., on Nebraska City well... 900-904,905 
Smith,R. H.,andHayward, J. K., on mineral- 
water classification 228 

Smithland, wells near 896 

Snow. See Precipitation. 
Sodic-calcic carbonated alkaline waters, distri- 
bution and character of 236 

Sodic-calcic muriated-sulphated alkaline- 
saline waters, distribution and 

character of 231-232 

Sodic-calcic sulphated alkaline-saline waters, 

distribution and character of. . . 232-233 
Sodic muriated alkaline-saline waters, distri- 
bution and character of 229-230 

Sodic muriated-sulphated alkaline-saline 
waters, distribution and charac- 
ter of 229-230 

Softening. See Water softening. 

Soils, character of 47 

Soldier, wells at, water of, quality of 153 

Solon, geology at 421, 422 

water supply of 424-425 

wells at 422, 424-425 

water of, quality of 158 

Somers, wells at and near 834-835. 836 

wells at, record of 835 

South Amana, wells at, water of, quality of. . 158 

South Augusta, well at 571 

South-central district, counties in 763 

counties in, descriptions of 767-822 

geology of 763-764 

location of, map showing 140 

precipitation in 56 

wells of 182 

well water of 764-766 

quality of 171-174, 178, 180 

map showing 143 



Page. 

Southeast district, counties in 514 

counties in, description of 516-618 

geology of 514^516 

location of, map showing 140 

precipitation in 56 

well water of, quality of 166-170, 178, 183 

map showing 140 

South English, geology at 551 

section at 550 

wells at 554 

Southern Iowa Junction, wells at, water of, 

quality of 168 

South Ottumwa, wells at, water of, quality of. 169 

South Parkersburg, well at 624 

well at, record of 624 

Southwest district, counties in 897 

counties in, descriptions of 905-965 

geology of 897-905 

figure showing 898 

location of, map showing 140 

precipitation in 66 

well water of 899-905 

quality of 171-172, 175-177, 178 

map showing 140 

Spechts Ferry, geology near 314 

wells at 326, 327 

Spencer, geology at 846 

water supply at 846 

wells at, water of, quality of 151 

Sperry, geology near ; 522 

well near 532 

Spirit Lake, water supply at 851 

wells at 851 

water of, quality of ISO, 234, 851 

Spring Creek, waters of 105 

Springdale, geology near 371 

wells at 373 

Spring Hollow, springs at 446 

Spring horizons, geologic position of 101 

Springs, possible pollution in water of 196 

See Cambrian rocks; Ordovician rocks; 
particular counties, formations, lo- 
calities, etc. 

Springville, geology at 442 

water supply at 450 

Stabler, Herman, corrosive forniulas proposed 

by 210 

softening formulas proposed by 215-216 

Stanhope, wells at, water of, quality of 162, 236 

Stanwood, geology at ^ 351, 368-370 

wells at 1 373 

record of 373 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of 158, 235 

Stanwood Channel, description of 368-370 

figure showing 369 

wells in 372,373 

Stark, wells at, water of, quality of 168, 234 

State Center, water supply at 727 

wells at and near 723, 729 

water of, quality of 164, 233 

State Quarry limestone, correlation of 80 

distribution of, map showing Pocket. 

See also Devonian rocks. 

Steamboat Rock, well at 707 

Steaming, water for. See Boiler water. 

Steel tubing, effect of mineral water on 202-203 

Stermett, well near 939 



INDEX. 



991 



Page. 

Stockport, wells at 594 

wells at, water of, quality of 169 

Stockton, wells at 473 

Stock wells, development of 186 

Stone, wells at 437 

Storm Lake, water supply at 828-829 

Story City, water supply at 754 

Story County, city and village supplies in. . 748-755 

flowing wells in 747-748 

geology of 744 

topography of 743-744 

underground water of 109, 744-755 

wells in 745-755 

records of 745-753 

plate showing 382 

water of, quality of 163 

Stratford, wells at, water of, quality of 162 

Strawberry Point, water supply of 291, 298 

wells near 298,312 

Structure, character of 237-238, 

351-352,514-515,619-620,670- 
671, 763-766, 823-825, 897-905 
geologic section showing location of, fig- 
ure showing 62 

plates showing 238, 258, 

272, 352, 354, 374, .382, 514, 
526, 548, 670, 672, 824, 898 

Stuart, water supply at 697 

wells at 693 

water of, quality of 164 

Summitville, geology near 558 

wells at and near 569, 570 

Sumner, geology at 65,67,75,76 

water supply of 270,272 

wells at and near 238, 270-272, 335 

record of 270-272 

water of, head of 122 

Sunbury, geology near 371 

springs at 374 

wells at 374 

Sutherland, water supply at 867-868 

well at 867-868 

record of 865 

Swan, wells near 796 

Swea City^ geology at 653 

water supply at 655 

wells at, head in 654, 655 

Swedesburg, wells at 537, 538 

Sweetland, wells at 473 

Sweetland Creek shale, correlation of 80 

distribution of, map showing Pocket. 

occurrence and character of 464 

See also Devonian rocks. 
Swisher, weUs at 425 

T. 

Tabor, water supply at 918,919 

Tallyrand, wells at 554 

Talmadge, geology at 815 

wells at, water of, quality of 173 

Tama, water supply of 501 

wells at and near 105, 180, 510-511, 513 

record of 511 

water of 227 

quahty of 155, 156, 180, 181, 227 

Tama County, city and village supplies in. 510-513 



Page. 

Tama Coimty, flowing wells in 509-510 

geology of 82,351,508-509 

springs in 510 

topography of 508 

underground water of 155, 509-513 

wells in 509-513 

records of, water of 511,512 

quahty of ill, 156 

Taylor County, city and village supplies in 962-965 

geology of 961-962 

topography of 961 

underground water of 962-965 

wells in 962-965 

record of 963-965 

plate showing ''. 898 

water of, quality of 177 

Taylorsville, wells near 331 

Teeds Grove, weUs at 393, 394 

Temperature, records of 54-55 

relation of, to ground water 55 

Tertiary deposits, occurrence and character of 87 

Textm'e of aquifers, importance of 128 

Thayer, geology at 815 

Thomas, A. O., county descriptions by 419-428 

Thompson, water supply at 663 

wells at, head in 661, 663 

Thomburg, wells at 554 

Thorp, wells at 164,309 

Thurman, water supply at 919-920 

Ticonic, well near 864 

Tiffin, wells at 425 

TiU, definition of 48 

Tilton, J. L., county description by 815-818 

Tipton, geology at 61, 

63, 64, 65, 66, 75, 76, 77, 368, 370, 514 

water supply at 374, 375 

wells at 374-375 

record of 374-375 

plate showing 374 

water of, quahty of 154,158,179,180,235 

Ti tonka, weUs near 653 

Todd, J. E., method of weU-flow measme- 

ment by 123 

Toledo, geology at 508 

water supply at 511 

wells at and near 511-512, 513 

record of 512 

water of, quality of 156, 234 

Toolsborough, geology at 575 

Topography, description of 45-54 

See also particular counties. 

Toronto, geology near 381 

weUs at 393 

Torpedoing, use of 131 

Tower, wells at 805 

Towns, water supplies of 185-186 

See also particular towns. 

Town wells, pollution of 196-197 

Tracy, wells near 585, 590, 802 

Traer, water supply at 512 

weUsat 512-513 

record of 513 

water of, quality of 156 

Trenton formation, change in name of 72-73 

See also Platteville limestone; Decorah 
shale. 



992 



INDEX. 



Page. 

Tripoli, water supply at 272 

wells near .' 265 

Turkey River, flowing wells near 238, 292-293 

geology along 75-76 

springs along 104, 106 

U. 

Underground conditions, knowledge of, im- 
portance of 32 

Underground water. See Water, tmder- 

ground; particular counties. 
Union County, city and village supplies in. . 815 

geology of 812-813 

springs in 172, 814 

topography of 46, 812 

underground water of • 813-815 

wells in 81^815 

record of 814,815 

water of, quality of 173 

Urbana, wells at and near 361-362, 365 

Ute, water supply at 863 

weUs at and near 863, 864 

Utica, wells at 596 

V. 

Vail, water supply at 848 

wells at and near 848, 849 

Valley Junction, water supply at 742 

wells at 742, 743 

Van Buren County, city and village supplies 

in 593-594 

flowing well in 594 

geology of '. 592 

topography of 591-592 

underground water of 109, 593, 596 

wells in 593-596 

water of, quali-ty of 169 

Vancleve, well near 724 

Van Home, water supply at 362 

wells at 362, 365 

water of, quality of 156 

Veo, wells at 543 

Verdi, geology at 612 

Victor, water supply at 405 

Village Creek springs near 249 

wells near 245 

Village Creek (P.O.), wells at, water of, qual- 
ity of. 142, 180 

Villages, water supplies of 185-186 

See also particular villages, counties, etc. 

ViUisca, water supply at 938 

weUs at, water of, quality of 176, 938 

Vincent, well near " 762 

Vining, wells at 510 

weUs at, water of, quality of 156 

Vinton, water supply of 362-365 

weUs at 131,355,362-365 

records of 363 

plates showing 272, 352, 354 

water of ■ 352 

head of 122 

quality of 154, 156, 180, 234 

Viola, geology at 442 

wells at , 451 

Volga, wells at and near 298,299 

Volga River, flowing wells near 238,293-294 



W. Page. 

Wadena, springs at 332 

well at 330 

Walcott, water supply at 502 

wells at, water of, quality of 159 

Walker, geology at 442 

wells at 450^51 

Wall Lake, water supply at 886 

wells at and near 886, 887 

water of, quality of 152 

Walnut, water supply at 959 

Wapello, water supply at 579 

wells at 575, 579-580 

water of, quality of 168, 580 

WapeUo County, city and vUlage supplies in 601-609 

flowing wells in 601 

geology of 597 

topography of 596-597 

underground water of 109, 597-609 

wells in 598-609 

records of. 599, 600, 606-609 

water of, quaUty of 169 

Wapsipinicon limestone, correlation of 80-81 

distribution of, map showing Pocket. 

occurrence and character of 256, 

281-283,353,423,443,494 

water from 256, 282, 284 

See also Devonian rocks. 

Wapsipinicon VaUey, description of 262, 

264-265,281 

weUs in 279-280 

Warren, wells at 569 

Warren Comity, flowing wells in 818 

geology of 816 

topography of 815-816 

underground water of 816-818 

wells in 816-818 

water of, quality of 173, 817-818 

Warsaw, 111. , well at, record of 568 

Warsaw limestone, correlation of 84, 557 

correlation of, plate showing 60 

Washburn, wells at 258 

Washing, drillings rendered misleading by. . . 36 

Washington, geology at 72, 74, 81, 559 

water supply of 612 

wells at and near 612-616,618 

records of '. . 613-616 

plate showing 374, 548 

water of, quality of 166, 168, 236 

Washington County, city and village sup- 
plies in 612-617 

geology of .'. 610-611 

topography of 610 

underground water of 109, 611, 618 

wells in 612-618 

records of 613-616 

plates showing 374,548 

water of, quality of 168 

Washington Mills, spring at 319-320 

Water, chemical composition of 135-183 

chemical composition of, relation of, to 

corrosion 201-206, 218-222 

relation of, to health 200-201 

See also Analyses; Wells; particular 
districts, places, etc. 

corrosion by 203-206, 220-222 

See also Mineral waters; Mineralized 
water. 



INDEX. 



993 



Page. 
Water, underground, climatic conditions 

conducive to supply of 5-t, 59 

geologic classification of 91-92 

geologic occurrence of 91-117 

head of, map showing Pocket. 

pollution of 195-198 

quality of, relation of, to geography 17S-183 

plate showing 178 

to geology 93-94 

water supplies from 184-187 

mineral content of 198-200 

eflect of 200-206 

See also Well waters; Artesian waters; 
particular counties. 
Water, underground, hard and soft, distribu- 
tion of - ... - 181-183 

dstribution of, plate showing 178 

Waterloo , flowing wells near 257 

geology at 42, 75, 76, 78, 258, 260-262 

springs near 257 

water supply of 259 

wells at and near 95, 257-258, 259-262 

records of 260-262 

plates showing 258, 272 

water of, head of 121 

quality of 143, 179, ISO 

Waterloo Ridge, geology of 246 

Water softening, application of 212, 217-218 

cost of 217 

limits of 216-217 

' methods of 212-216 

Water supplies, adequacy of 187 

recovery of 188-195 

sources of 184-187 

selection of 187 

See also Municipal and domestic supplies; 
Industrial supplies. 

Water table, depth to 91 

Waterworks, distribution of, plate show- 
ing Pocket. 

number and character of 185 

See also 'particular counties, water supply at. 

Waucoma, wells at 334 

Waukon, geology at 240, 246-247 

water supply of 252 

wells at and near 246, 252, 253 

record of 252 

water of, quality of 142, 180 

Waukon Junction , springs near 249 

Waupeton, wells at 326 

Waverly, geology at 65, 67, 73, 75, 78, 81, 262 

water supply at 263, 272, 275 

wells at 238, 272-275 

record of 238, 273-275 

plate showing 272 

Waverly Sanction, wells at 275 

Wayne County, city and village supplies in. 821-822 

flowing wells in 821 

geology of 818-819 

topogTaphy of 818 

underground water of 819-822 

wells in 819-822 

records of 820 

water of, head of 821 

quality of 174 

Webster, geology at 551 

wells at 554 

36581°— wsp 293—12 63 



Page. 

Webster City, water supply at 699 

wells at and near 050, 698-099 

record of 699-700 

plate showing 258 

water of, quality of ICO, 1G2, 180 

Weljster County, city and village supplies 

in.... 757-761 

flowing wells m 757,760-701 

geology of 756 

sprmgs in 757 

topography of 755-756 

underground water of 109, ICO, 756 

wells in 757-762 

records of 757-761 

plates showing 258, 672 

water of, quality of 160, 162 

Weems, J. B., anah^ses b}- 43 

Weller, wells at. 805 

Wellman, water supply at 616-617 

wells at 017 

water of, quality of 168 

Wells, age of, deterioration due to 120 

clogging of 129, 190-192 

remedies for 129, 131, 192-195 

connection of, hy underground pipes 781, 

822,910,918 
depth of, in aquifer, importance of. 127, 193-194 

depth to water in, forecasts of 41-42 

diameters of 192-193 

distribution of, map showing Pocket. 

drUling of 123-124, 188-190 

finishing of , in sand 190-195, 826-827 

geologic investigation of, data for 34 

drillings from, collection of 34-36 

study of 36-38 

means of 33-34 

geologic source of water in, doubtfulness 

of 93 

pollution of 195-198 

pressure in 126-127 

rocks in, coiTClation of 38-41 

sections of, plates showing. 238, 258, 272, 352, 354, 
374, 382, 514, 526, 548, 670, 672, 824, 898 
plates showing, location of, figure 

showing 898 

torpedoing of 131, 612 

water-bearing beds tu. See Aquifers. 

water supplies from 184-187 

mineral content of 198-200 

yield of 123-134 

See also Yield of wells. 
See also Artesian water; particular dis- 
tricts, places, counties, etc. 

Wells, drainage, location and use of 661, 667-668 

Wells, flowmg, distribution of, map show- 
ing Pocket. 

See also Artesian waters ; particular coun- 
ties, places, etc. 
Well samples. See DrUlings. 
Well waters, chemical investigation of, scope 

of 43 

Welton, wells at 393,398 

Wesley, wells at and near 653 

record of 652 

water of, head of 647,654 

West Bend, water supply at 875 

wells at 875 

record of 871-872,875 



994 



INDEX. 



Page. 

West Bend, wells at, water of, head of 654, S73 

wells at, water of, quality of 151 

"West Branch, water supply at 375 

West Burlington, well at 531 

West-central district, precipitation in 56 

See also Southwest district. 

West Chester, wells at 617 

Westfield, well at, record of 257 

Westgate, geology at 331 

water supply at 334 

wells at and near 334, 335 

West Keokuk, well at - 570 

West Liberty, water supply at 470-473 

wells at and near 470-473,474-475 

record of 471-i72 

plate showing 670 

water of, head of ' 133 

quality 154, 159, 180 

West Point, springs at 560 

wells at and near 569,572,573 

West Union, water supply at 334 

wells at - , 334 

water of, quality of 143, 235 

What Cheer, wells at 554 

wells at, water of, quality of 168 

Wheatland, water supply of 393 

wells at - - 393, 398 

Wheatland Ridge, well on 254 

Wheeler, W. D., aid of 44 

White water sandrock, occurrence and char- 
acter of 5S4-5S5, 599, 795, 805 

Whittemore, well at and near 653 

wells at and near, record of 652 

water of, head of 654 

Wickhorst, M. H., aid of 44 

Williams, I. A., on Ivindcrhook group 83 

on coal-measures springs 710 

Williamsbiu-g, water supply at 405-406 

wells at 405-406 

water of, quality of 155, 158, 236 

Wilton, geology at 465 

water supply at 473 

wells at 473 

record of 473 

plate showing 670 

water of 352 

head of 133 

quality of 154, 159 

Winchell, N. H., on St. LawTcnce forma- 
tion 66 

Winfield, wells at 537, 538, 539 

wells at, water of, quality of 169 

Winnebago, city and village supplies in 661-663 

drainage wells in 661 

geology of 659 

topogra;phy of 659 

underground water of 660-663 

wells in 660-663 

water of, head of 660 

quality of 145 

Winneshiek County, city and village supphes 

in 346-350 

geology of 64,66,68,70,73,75,342-343 

springs of. 106, 345-346 

topography of 46,341 

underground water of 343 

wells in 98, 99, 104, 346-350 

records of 346-348 

water of, quaUty of 142 



Winterset, geology near... 789 

wells at and near 791-792 

recordsof 791,792 

water of, quaUty of 173 

Winthrop, springs at 284 

water supply at 285 

Wisconsin drift, character of 52, 89 

distribution of 52, 89 

map showing Pocket. 

water m 115 

See also 'particular county descriptions, pp. 
619-76S, 823-896. 
Wisconsin drif,t province, area of, map show- 
ing Pocket. 

topography of 52-53, 731 

water of 117 

Vfoden, v/ells at, water of, quality of 145 

Woodbine, water supply at 925-926 

wells sX...\ 899, 920, 928 

Woodbmrn, wells at, water of, quality of 174 

Woodbury County, city and village supplies 

in 893-895 

geology of 825, 891 

springs in , 893 

topography of 891 

imderground water of 892-896 

wells in 892-896 

records of 893-895 

water of, quality of 152 

Woolson, wells at 543 

Worth County, city and village supplies in. . 664 

geology of 663 

topography of 663 

undergrormd water of 663-664 

wells in 136, 663-664 

water of, quality of 145 

Worthington, wells at and near 310, 

311,316,326,327 

wells at and near, water of, quality of 144 

Wright County, city and village supplies in. 667-669 

drainage wells in 667 

flowing wells in 666 

geology of 619, 664 

topography of 664 

underground water of 665-669 

wells in 665-669 

water of, head of 666-667 

quality of 147 

Wyman, wells at 58Q 

Wyoming, water supply at 437 

Y. 

Yarmouth, geology near 523 

wells at and near 532 

Yarmouth stage, deposits of 89 

deposits of, occurrence and character 

of 556,574 

water in 558 

See also Buchanan gravel. 

Yellow River, spring head of 248 

wells near 245 

Yield of v/ells, decrease in, remedies for 130-131 

decrease in, statistics of 131-134 

factors affecting 123-130 

measurement of 123 

Z. 

Zearing, wells at, water of, quahty of 163 



o 




GEOLOGIC MAP OF IOWA SHOWING ARTESIAN CONDITIONS AND ELEVATION OF ST. PETER SANDSTONE 



LtAp'13 




w 




